A federal disaster relief official directed workers to avoid Donald Trump supporters' homes when surveying Hurricane Milton damage in Florida, according to private communication acquired by The Daily Wire and corroborated by numerous federal employees.

A FEMA supervisor instructed staffers to "avoid homes advertising Trump" while they surveyed Lake Placid, Florida, to locate homeowners who could be eligible for government assistance, according to internal texts obtained by The Daily Wire. Multiple federal employees informed The Daily Wire that the supervisor, Marn'i Washington, delivered this instruction both orally and via a relief team's group chat.

According to federal personnel, at least 20 residences with Trump signs or flags were skipped between the end of October and early November, denying them the opportunity to apply for FEMA help. Images published by The Daily Wire show workers skipping over properties and writing notes in the government system like "Trump sign no entry per leadership."

The personnel were part of a Department of Homeland Security surge capacity force team, which means they volunteered from other DHS departments to assist an underfunded FEMA in dealing with a second big hurricane in a matter of weeks.

'Best practice to avoid homes advertising Trump'

The incident occurred amid criticism of the Biden administration’s slow response to the disaster, particularly in rural areas like Roan Mountain, Tennessee, where it took nearly two weeks for FEMA to arrive. The area, which heavily supported Trump in the recent election, was among those affected by the delayed aid.

FEMA agents were directed not to aid residences with Trump signs in Highlands County, a deep-red county in south central Florida that voted 70% for Trump on Tuesday.

According to images of the exchanges obtained by The Daily Wire, Washington stated in the chat that it would be "best practice" to "avoid homes advertising Trump. Washington leads Highland County's Disaster Survivor Assistance crews. 

Chad Hershey, Washington's FEMA supervisor, told The Daily Wire that the government is investigating the incident and "taking proper action in this situation currently," while a  FEMA spokesperson informed The Daily Wire that it was "deeply disturbed" and "horrified" by the employee's behavior, and that it has taken extreme measures to correct the situation.

“The employee who issued this guidance had no authority and was given no direction to tell teams to avoid these homes and we are reaching out to the people who may have not been reached as a result of this incident," the spokesperson said.

A FEMA spokesperson confirmed that Washington is currently not working for the agency due to an investigation. On October 22 and 27, Washington instructed staff to avoid helping Trump supporters, but the directive was later removed. By October 30, Washington began reversing the instructions after a meeting with FEMA executives. Despite this, Washington was not reprimanded but transferred to another county in Florida. A whistleblower complaint raised concerns about political discrimination, highlighting the potential threat to both the agency's integrity and democracy.

Hurricanes, storms cost US $500bln in economic losses in 2024

Hurricanes and tropical storms that battered the United States in 2024 caused economic damages of about $500 billion, AccuWeather reported.

Experts calculated that Hurricane Beryl's economic loss and destruction to the Gulf Coast in July was between $28 billion to $32 billion. Hurricane Debby, which slammed the Carolinas hardest a month later, caused $28 billion in damage, while Hurricane Francine cost around $9 billion, according to The Hill.

Hurricanes Helene and Milton, which blew across the South in late September and October, caused the most economic damage, according to AccuWeather scientists.

Hurricane Helene, which ravaged areas of North Carolina, was believed to have caused between $225 billion and $250 billion in overall damage and economic loss, flooding houses, collapsing roads, uprooting trees, and leaving hundreds of thousands of citizens without electricity for weeks.

According to figures provided late last month by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), individuals and households in the Tar Heel State received more than $194 million in assistance.

Hurricane Milton wreaked havoc on Florida in early October, causing between $160 billion and 180 billion in economic loss and total damage. The storm swiftly increased, sweeping through towns, demolishing homes, and flooding the streets with muck, leaving more than 3 million people without electricity at some point.

AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter stated that it would take "years" for these communities, families, and small businesses to recover, adding that some communities may "never fully recover from the catastrophic inland flash flooding we witnessed this year.”