Arrest made in threat that forced FEMA operations to pause briefly in North Carolina
ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- A North Carolina man was arrested for allegedly threatening the lives of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) workers who were helping Hurricane Helene victims.
William Parsons, 44, faces a criminal charge of "going armed to the terror of the public."
Rutherford County Sheriff's Office said it received a call Saturday about a man with an assault rifle threatening to harm FEMA employees in the Lake Lure and Chimney Rock area. The threat was reportedly made at a gas station in town and relayed to soldiers in the area who then called the sheriff's office to report the threat.
Deputies responded to the report and ultimately gathered enough evidence to arrest Parsons for making the threat. Parsons was booked but later released on a $10,000 bond.
The threat caused FEMA to adjust how workers carried out their tasks over the weekend.
A FEMA spokesperson told ABC News that the agency continues to support communities impacted by Helene and to help survivors apply for assistance.
"For the safety of our dedicated staff and the disaster survivors we are helping, FEMA has made some operational adjustments," the spokesperson said. "Disaster Recovery Centers will continue to be open as scheduled, survivors continue to register for assistance, and we continue to help the people of North Carolina with their recovery."
Initial reports suggested that the threat included "armed militia," however Rutherford County Sheriff's Office said deputies determined Parsons acted alone.
"There were no truck loads of militia going to Lake Lure," the department said in a statement about the case.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper issued a statement Monday night, saying in part: "We know that significant misinformation online contributes to threats against response workers on the ground, and the safety of responders must be a priority."
'Huge distraction'
"I have never seen anything where there have been so many falsehoods that have resorted in this sort of terrible thing that the workers are encountering. It's crazy," said Bill Adair, the Knight Professor of the Practice of Journalism and Public Policy at Duke.
Adair previously covered natural disasters as a journalist with the Tampa Bay Times (formerly the St. Petersburg Times) and noted hurricanes have long been politicized. However, he believes the scale and nature of misinformation being spread in this case could have significant consequences.
"This is a huge distraction to the state and federal government when they're trying to respond to this, and they don't have time to be responding all these ridiculous falsehoods. So that's just a waste of their time and energy and resources. Longer term, this is really troubling because it makes people have second thoughts about getting involved in disaster recovery," said Adair.
He's currently promoting his new book, "Beyond the Big Lie," which will be released this week, and focuses on politicians conveying mistruths.
"The lies spread really fast before the corrections can catch up to them, and the corrections don't necessarily get to the people who have heard the lies," said Adair.
Buncombe County Rep. Caleb Rudow said part of his focus is on providing verified information to residents.
"We try to film videos of what's going on so people can see what's happening, because I do think a part of this is people have to see what's going on," said Rudow.
From his experience, Rudow said coordination has largely been positive across the board.
"What I really have seen more than that is folks being really, really kind each other. People helping, people pitching in. I know there have been some very isolated incidents of these types of threats, but the much more overarching narrative we've seen is people pitching in and helping," said Rudow.
Rutherfordton Town Manager Doug Barrick shared a similar message, praising efforts of workers.
"Since the storm, local, state, and federal resources have been fantastic to work with and have been here on the ground helping our community. Disasters like this often spur many stories but the collaboration and outpouring of support from governmental, nonprofit, religious and civic groups as well as private individuals has been overwhelming to this community. FEMA has had boots on the ground with the Town since the storm and has been very helpful in the coordination of rescue and recovery from Helene," said Barrick.
Rudow emphasized progress is being made, though the recovery process will likely take years.
"The number of people who have gotten their power back on, water's starting to come back on, the number of new roads that have been built, just the number of trees that have been cleared on my street alone. We had eight downed trees, and that's on one small side street, and that's been all over Buncombe County and western North Carolina. The progress has really been incredible," said Rudow.
FEMA works through the complications
"FEMA along with other state, federal and local response workers are working around the clock to bring assistance to western North Carolina," Gov. Roy Cooper's Deputy Communications Director Jordan Monaghan said in a statement. "We are aware of significant misinformation online and reports of threats to response workers on the ground and the safety of responders must be taken seriously. The Governor has directed the Department of Public Safety to identify with local law enforcement the specific threats and rumors and coordinate with FEMA and other partners to ensure safety and security as this recovery effort continues."
Threats to FEMA employees have been consistent during the Hurricane response, along with misinformation, federal authorities told ABC News.
Search and rescue efforts in the affected areas continue, a federal source told ABC News. However, while FEMA assesses potential threat information, disaster survivor assistance teams are currently working at fixed locations and secure areas instead of going door to door, out of an abundance of caution, the source said, adding that FEMA will monitor threat information and make adjustments to this posture on a regular basis in coordination with local officials.
A FEMA spokesperson told ABC News that the agency continues to support communities impacted by Helene and to help survivors apply for assistance.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told ABC News Friday during a press briefing that threats to FEMA employees are a "shame" and a "distraction."
"We continuously monitor the social media, channels, other outlets where we're seeing this information, because we want to make sure we're providing for the safest environment for our employees, and making sure that they know that their safety is first and foremost for us as they go out into these communities," Criswell said in response to a question from ABC News.
FEMA hires people from local communities when disaster hits, Criswell said, noting that "many" leave their families behind to go and help communities who are impacted by disaster.
Misinformation 'unlike anything we've seen before'
Misinformation circulating about the federal response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton has hampered response efforts to the storms, CNN previously reported. President Joe Biden requested information last week on the federal government's digital response, including how officials were remediating misinformation, an administration official said.
"The contours of this misinformation are unlike anything we've seen before," a senior Biden administration official told CNN.
FEMA officials have received threats before, but the difference is the magnitude of threats received in the wake of Helene's devastation in North Carolina, the FEMA spokesperson told CNN.
SEE ALSO | Harris calls Trump 'incredibly irresponsible' for spreading misinformation about Helene response
Senior US officials have instructed public affairs teams at federal agencies to ramp up social media posts from government accounts with photos that illustrate how federal workers are clearing debris and dispensing aid, a US official familiar with the effort said.
Earlier this month, the public information officer for Rutherford County, Kerry Giles, told CNN that debunking the rumors "did consume resources that could have been more effectively utilized in the recovery efforts." Rutherford and surrounding counties have been posting photos and information about aid efforts to combat the misinformation.
ABC News and CNN contributed to this report.
