FEMA Blocking Shipments From Hurricane Helene Relief? Elon Musk's New Claim

Elon Musk on Friday accused the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of blocking his satellite internet company, Starlink, from delivering help to parts of North Carolina affected by Hurricane Helene. The agency and Transportation Secretary Peter Buttigieg fact-checked the Tesla chief, saying his claims are false. Alleging that FEMA and Vice President Kamala Harris are not allowing shipments into Helene-affected areas, Musk said his 'blood is boiling'. Such claims were also made by several Donald Trump supporters, including MAGA commentator Laura Loomer. Read More: "SpaceX engineers are trying to deliver Starlink terminals & supplies to devastated areas in North Carolina right now and @FEMA is both failing to help AND won’t let others help. This is unconscionable!! They just took this video a few hours ago, where you can see the level of devastation: roads, houses, electricity, water supply and ground Internet connections completely destroyed," Musk said on his platform X, which was formerly known as Twitter.

SpaceX engineers are trying to deliver Starlink terminals & supplies to devastated areas in North Carolina right now and @FEMA is both failing to help AND won’t let others help. This is unconscionable!!

They just took this video a few hours ago, where you can see the level of… pic.twitter.com/abpOsfNenF

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 4, 2024

"@FEMA wouldn’t let them land to deliver critical supplies … my blood is boiling …" the tech-billionaire added.Responding to Musk's tweet, Buttigieg said 'no one is shutting down the airspace'. "FAA doesn’t block legitimate rescue and recovery flights. If you’re encountering a problem give me a call,” Buttigieg wrote. Musk replied that he had seen hundreds of such reports. Read More: Meanwhile, FEMA said that misinformation is 'having a negative impact on our ability to help people'. "Serious Needs Assistance was designed to reach people as quickly as possible, so they can purchase essential items while we continue to process their disaster application and determine what other assistance they may be eligible for," FEMA Director of Public Affairs Jaclyn Rothenberg said in a statement.