ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Federal emergency response personnel have resumed door-to-door visits as part of their disaster response efforts Hurricane recovery work In North Carolina, an operation was temporarily halted due to threats that led officials to condemn the spread of Disinformation.

Reports emerged over the weekend that Federal Emergency Management Agency employees could be targeted by the militia if the government responds Hurricane Helene. A sheriff’s office said Monday that a man was arrested during an investigation, but the suspect acted alone.

FEMA has made operational changes “out of an abundance of caution” to ensure the safety of personnel, agency administrator Deanne Criswell said at a briefing Tuesday. FEMA workers were back on site Monday accompanying Criswell, she said Disaster relief teams Assistance to survivors in applying for FEMA assistance and state and local assistance will continue door-to-door. She stressed that the agency is not going anywhere.

“The federal family has been working side by side with the state since day one. “These are people who are putting their lives on hold to help those who have lost everything,” Criswell said. “So let me clarify. I take these threats seriously.”

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said he has directed the state’s Department of Public Safety to coordinate law enforcement support to FEMA and other responders. He highlighted the damage caused by Internet rumors and untruths and said officials may never know how many people fail to apply for assistance because of bad information.

“There is still a persistent and dangerous flow of misinformation about the recovery efforts in Western North Carolina that can lead to threats and intimidation, cause confusion and demoralize both storm survivors and emergency responders,” Cooper said at the news conference. “If you are involved in spreading this stuff, stop it. Whatever your goal, the people you’re really hurting are the ones in Western North Carolina who need help.”

The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office said it received a call Saturday about a man with an assault rifle who made a comment “that may have targeted FEMA personnel working in the hardest-hit areas of Lake Lure and Chimney Rock in the.” “Working in the mountains of North Carolina may have caused harm.” A man was charged with “arming to terrorize the public” and released after posting bail.

The sheriff’s office said it received initial reports that a “truckload of militia members” were involved in the threat, but further investigation revealed the man acted alone.

FEMA has was faced with rampant disinformation about his reaction to Helene, who reached Florida on September 26 before heading north and leaving a trail of destruction in six states.

Asked what might be fueling the disinformation, Cooper said social media has become more extreme, but also pointed to politics.

“This is happening in the middle of an election where candidates are using people’s misery to sow chaos for their own political goals – and that is wrong,” he said.

Former President Donald Trump and his allies used the storm’s aftermath to spread false information about the Biden administration’s response in the final weeks before the election. Your debunked claims include false claims that victims can only receive $750 in aid, that emergency aid funds were diverted to immigrants, that people who accepted federal aid could see their land confiscated, and that FEMA is stopping trucks full of aid.

Helene decimated remote towns throughout Appalachialeft millions without Power, cell phone outage and killed at least 246 people. It was the deadliest hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland since Katrina in 2005.

Terrie Daughtry, a volunteer handling therapy dogs at a FEMA disaster recovery center in Asheville on Tuesday, said threats and misinformation — including rumors about the militia — made her feel unsafe for the first time in several trips as a volunteer to disaster sites given.

“I’m not coming to risk my life to be shot or injured or trampled out of madness,” said Daughtry, who volunteers with Therapy Dogs International. She said she previously traveled to help after the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, flooding in Virginia and tornadoes in Texas, Oklahoma and Alabama.

She and another volunteer used their therapy dogs to calm people waiting in line to file FEMA claims. They hand out sweets, let dogs be petted and talk to people about their experiences.

Despite the added stress of the “absolutely ridiculous” threats and misinformation, Daughtry said she experienced some amazing moments of human spirit. At some point Monday, someone in line started playing the guitar and singing about how there is no water, she said. Eventually the whole row sang along.

“These are special people. They sing in terrible distress,” she said. “It brought me to tears being there and it brings me to tears now.”

___ Brumfield reported from Baltimore.