Fired FEMA worker says agency also avoided pro-Trump homes in Carolinas

A member of the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force searches a flood-damaged property with a search canine in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene along the Swannanoa River on Oct. 4, in Asheville, North Carolina. Mario Tama/Getty/TNS

A woman who was fired by the Federal Emergency Management Agency after instructing workers to avoid the homes of President-elect Donald Trump’s Florida supporters revealed Monday that the agency also practiced “avoidance” in the Carolinas.

Marn’i Washington said on “Roland Martin Unfiltered” that FEMA extended its policy of avoiding certain situations from Florida to North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.

“FEMA always preaches avoidance first and then de-escalation. So, this is not isolated,” Washington told host Roland Martin. “This is a colossal event of avoidance. Not just in the state of Florida, but you will find avoidance in the Carolinas.”

She added that people who showed “political hostility” to her teams often had campaign signs for Trump.

“If you look at the record, there is what we call a community trend,” Washington said. “And unfortunately, it just so happened that the political hostility that was encountered by my team – and I was on two different teams during this deployment – they just so happened to have the Trump campaign signage.”

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said in a statement Saturday that the agency fired an employee who advised her survivor assistance team to avoid homes with Trump campaign signs.

“This is a clear violation of FEMA’s core values and principles to help people regardless of their political affiliation,” the statement reads. “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,” Criswell continued.

FEMA pointed to Criswell’s previous statement when reached for comment Tuesday regarding Washington’s claim about avoidance in the Carolinas.

Washington suggested FEMA provide incident reports for events that have taken place during disaster recovery efforts.

“Senior leadership will lie to you and tell you that they do not know, but if you ask the DSA crew leads and specialists what they are experiencing in the field, they will tell you, ‘Demand for FEMA to give you those incident reports,’” Washington said. “They will substantiate what is happening to us in the field.”

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