An employee of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has lost her job and is currently under investigation for instructing a disaster relief team in Florida, post-Hurricane Milton, to avoid houses that displayed campaign signs backing Donald Trump.
Deanne Criswell, the administrator of the federal agency, shared a post on X saying, “More than 22,000 Fema employees every day adhere to Fema’s core values and are dedicated to helping people before, during and after disasters, often sacrificing time with their own families to help disaster survivors.” She continued: “Recently, a Fema employee departed from these values to advise her survivor assistance team not go to homes with yard signs supporting President-elect Trump. This is a clear violation of Fema’s core values and principles to help people regardless of their political affiliation.”
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As we previously reported, last month, Hurricane Milton stormed through the Gulf of Mexico, making its way in Florida. This occurred a mere two weeks after Hurricane Helene struck Florida. The devastating impact of these storms resulted in the loss of 35 lives.
Although the identity of the FEMA employee has not been disclosed, Criswell commented on the situation, stating: “This was reprehensible. I want to be clear to all of my employees and the American people, this type of behavior and action will not be tolerated at Fema and we will hold people accountable if they violate these standards of conduct.”
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The agency has indicated that it considers the behavior to be an isolated occurrence. The Daily Wire was the first outlet to reveal details about the supervisor’s actions, which were discovered through internal communications. According to reports, the employee instructed team members conducting door-to-door assessments in Lake Placid, Florida, for federal aid to “steer clear of homes displaying Trump signs.”
Creswell also shared additional comments on Saturday: “We take our mission to help everyone before, during and after disasters seriously. This employee has been terminated and we have referred the matter to the Office of Special Counsel. I will continue to do everything I can to make sure this never happens again.”
