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   Man arrested outside relief site after threats against workers forces FEMA   
   to cancel appointments, pause operations for days   
      
   Several FEMA locations have reopened in western North Carolina after being   
   forced to cancel appointments and pause operations over reported threats   
   against workers.   
      
   Threats made against Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) workers in   
   western North Carolina have hindered the agency's ability to assist those   
   impacted by Helene.   
      
   Governor Roy Cooper will be addressing the threats against FEMA workers at   
   a news conference Tuesday morning. You can watch it live on WRAL.com at   
   10:30 a.m.   
      
   "For the safety of our dedicated staff and the disaster survivors we are   
   helping, FEMA has made some operational adjustments," the agency said   
   Monday morning.   
      
   Door-to-door visits were halted. Press releases from the Buncombe County   
   government said FEMA workers switched from "going out into the community to   
   help survivors" to working from "fixed locations."   
   Open in a new window   
      
   This was all because of a 911 call that was made Saturday in Rutherford   
   County about an armed man threatening FEMA workers in the Lake Lure and   
   Chimney Rock areas and "truck loads full of militia going to Lake Lure."   
      
   According to the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, the 911 call and a tip   
   led them to 44-year-old William Parsons, of Bostic.   
      
   Parsons was arrested outside a grocery store that was being used as a   
   relief site, according to Capt. Keever with the Rutherford County Sheriff's   
   Office.   
   William Parsons, 44, was charged on Saturday, Oct. 12, with going armed to   
   the terror of the public an hour after 911 operators received a call about   
   an armed man making a comment about possible harming FEMA employees working   
   in Lake Lure and Chimney Rock.   
   William Parsons, 44, was charged on Saturday, Oct. 12, with going armed to   
   the terror of the public an hour after 911 operators received a call about   
   an armed man making a comment about possible harming FEMA employees working   
   in Lake Lure and Chimney Rock.   
      
   He was charged with "going armed to the terror of the public," a class 1   
   misdemeanor. Two guns, a rifle and a pistol, were confiscated from Parsons.   
   He was released from jail on a $10,000 bond late Saturday evening.   
      
   Within hours of the initial 911 call about Parsons, FEMA inspectors were   
   canceling appointments and pausing operations across the mountains – an   
   area that was devastated by Helene, leaving many residents without homes   
   and basic necessities. These appointments were made by residents who needed   
   help applying for assistance in the wake of this tragedy.   
   5 On Your Side: How to apply for FEMA assistance after Hurricane Helene   
      
   The sheriff’s office confirmed that it investigated initial reports about   
   the alleged truck loads full of militia.   
      
   In a press release late Monday, FEMA said the threat "was more limited than   
   initially reported."   
      
   "However, after further investigation, it was determined Parsons acted   
   alone and there were no truck loads of militia going to Lake Lure," the   
   release said.   
      
   FEMA said the agency will resume normal operations in western North   
   Carolina. Housing inspectors will reschedule canceled or missed   
   appointments.   
      
   "Disaster Survivor Assistance teams will resume normal operations in the   
   field and housing inspectors will resume scheduling inspections to ensure   
   survivors get the assistance they need and deserve," FEMA said.   
   Some have been critical of the government's response to Helene. Here's a   
   breakdown of how disaster response works   
      
   The return to normal comes after two days of disruptions, stemming from   
   these threats.   
      
   "You get a little scared, because you’re, like, what’s the situation out   
   here that we’re not hearing about?" said Hamish Horton, whose FEMA   
   inspector canceled on him, citing threats of violence.   
      
   Horton's Black Mountain home was flooded during Helene.   
      
   "We haven’t heard anything via email, or mail, or phone call from FEMA, so   
   we have no idea when this is going to be resolved," he said.   
      
   In the Monday evening press release from FEMA, Governor Cooper put the   
   blame for the threat squarely on misinformation.   
      
   "We know that significant misinformation online contributes to threats   
   against response workers on the ground, and the safety of responders must   
   be a priority," Cooper said in the release. "At my direction, the North   
   Carolina Department of Public Safety is helping partners like FEMA to   
   coordinate with law enforcement to ensure their safety and security as they   
   continue their important work."   
      
      
   https://www.wral.com/story/man-arrested-outside-relief-site-after-threats-   
   against-workers-forces-fema-to-cancel-appointments-pause-operations-for-   
   days/21672882/   
      
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