Florida

Texas flips WR in latest hit to FSU’s 2025 class

Published

2 hours ago

October 10, 2024

Texas flips WR in latest hit to FSU’s 2025 class

Eli Lederman, ESPN Staff WriterOct 10, 2024, 07:46 PM ET
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Four-star wide receiver Daylan McCutcheon, ESPN’s No. 134 prospect in the 2025 cycle, flipped his commitment from Florida State to Texas Thursday evening, marking the fourth ESPN 300 departure from the Seminoles’ 2025 class since the start of the regular season.

McCutcheon, a 5-foot-11 pass catcher from Allen, Texas, had been committed to Florida State since July 13. Prior to Thursday, he was the second-ranked member of Mike Norvell’s 2025 recruiting class, trailing only five-star in-state offensive tackle Solomon Thomas.

With McCutcheon’s pledge, the Longhorns now hold commitments from 13 ESPN 300 prospects, including three of ESPN’s top-15 wide receivers in the current cycle.

McCutcheon’s flip represents the latest blow to Florida State’s 2025 recruiting efforts amid the program’s 1-5 start to the 2024 season. The Seminoles lost pledges from four-star defenders Javion Hilson (No. 71 in the ESPN 300) and Myron Charles (No. 166) last month, and Florida State opened October with another exit when four-star pass catcher Malik Clark pulled his commitment from the program.

Clark later committed to South Carolina. McCutcheon follows Charles as the second former Florida State pledge to flip to Texas since the start of the regular season. Florida State is now down to six ESPN 300 pledges in a class that sat at No. 29th in ESPN’s latest team rankings for the cycle prior to McCutcheon’s flip.

McCutcheon, a speedy wide receiver from Texas’ Lovejoy High School, caught 92 passes for 1,430 yards and 20 touchdowns in his junior season last fall. He now joins four-star wide receivers Jaime Ffrench (No. 17 in the ESPN 300) and Kaliq Lockett (No 23) as the latest addition to one of the strongest wide receiver classes in 2025.

Texas currently sits sixth in ESPN’s 2025 team recruiting rankings.

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Florida

Hurricane Milton Live Updates: More Than 3 Million Without Power—But DeSantis Says Storm ‘Not The Worst Case Scenario’

Published

13 hours ago

October 10, 2024

Press Room

Hurricane Milton Live Updates: More Than 3 Million Without Power—But DeSantis Says Storm ‘Not The Worst Case Scenario’

Topline

More than 3 million homes and businesses were without power early Thursday as Hurricane Milton pulled away from Florida as a category 1 storm after spawning multiple tornadoes and major flooding as it moved through the state overnight.

Debris and an awning of a gas station sits on the ground the morning after Hurricane Milton hit the … [+] region, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Key Facts

8 a.m. EDT, Oct 10 —The National Hurricane Center placed Hurricane Milton about 75 miles east-northeast of Cape Canaveral, Florida, with maximum wind speeds of 85 mph.

The only remaining hurricane warning in effect at 8 a.m. was for Florida’s east coast from Sebastian Inlet northward to the Flagler/Volusia County line.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for Florida’s east coast south of Sebastian Inlet to the Palm Beach/Martin County line, Lake Okeechobee, and north of the Flagler/Volusia County line to Edisto Beach, South Carolina.

6 a.m. EDT, Oct 10 — Orlando Police and Orlando Fire officials were “back on the road” early on Thursday after having to shelter in place during the hurricane, while Hillsborough County Sherriff’s Office also said it has begun rescue operations.

4:40 a.m. EDT, Oct 10 — According to the National Hurricane Center, Milton has now moved past Florida’s east coast but was still producing “damaging hurricane-force winds” and heavy rains in the state’s east-central region.

4 a.m. EDT, Oct 10 — Almost a million more customers have lost power across Florida in the last few hours; more than 3 million homes and businesses are now facing outages, according to PowerOutage.US.

3:45 a.m. EDT, Oct 10 — Authorities in Plant City, located in the Tampa Bay Area, warned residents to avoid standing water due to the “possible danger of live electrical lines” and wastewater contamination—while officials in city of St. Petersburg were forced to shut down the drinking water supply at midnight due to a potential line break.

2:15 a.m. EDT, Oct 10 — A large crane collapsed and smashed into the side of a building in downtown St. Petersburg, the Tampa Bay Times reported, adding that the incident occurred near the newspaper’s main office and smoke was billowing out of the affected building.

According to the Associated Press the crane had been set up the construction site of a 515-foot-tall luxury high-rise building and local fire officials said there are no reports of any injuries from the collapse.

2 a.m. EDT, Oct 10 — The National Hurricane Center update showed Milton has weakened to a Category 1 storm as it moves through Central Florida but the agency warned that “damaging winds and heavy rains” will continue to pose a threat.

12:45 a.m. EDT, Oct 10 — The National Weather Service said the center of the Hurricane is now moving inland towards Central Florida after battering the Tampa Bay area with peak wind speeds of above 100 mph on Wednesday night.

12:30 a.m. EDT, Oct 10 — Strong winds from Milton appeared to damage a portion of the roof of Tropicana Field—the Tampa Bay Rays’ home venue—although there were no reports of any injuries to people inside the stadium. According to the Associated Press, the ballpark is being used as a staging site for workers who have been brought in to deal with the hurricane’s aftermath.

11:45 p.m. EDT, Oct. 9 — A tornado outbreak in Florida’s St. Lucie County and the East Coast resulted in multiple fatalities earlier on Wednesday, the local sheriff’s office said.

11:15 p.m. EDT, Oct. 9 — According to PowerOutage.US around 2 million customers were without power across Florida amid reports of the hurricane spawning multiple tornadoes across its path on Wednesday night.

8:30 p.m. EDT, Oct. 9 — Milton made landfall near Siesta Key in Sarasota County as a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph.

7 p.m. EDT, Oct. 9 — The “northern eyewall” of Milton was moving into the Tampa Bay area, with forecasters urging those in the area to “shelter in place.”

6:36 p.m. EDT, Oct. 9 — The National Weather Service issued an extreme wind warning for Pinellas, Hillsborough and Manatee counties in the Tampa Bay area as “extreme winds, associated with the eyewall of Hurricane Milton, were moving onshore,” telling those in the warning area to “Treat these imminent extreme winds as if a tornado was approaching and move immediately to the safe room in your shelter.”

6 p.m. EDT, Oct. 9 — Hurricane-force wind gusts of 77 mph have been recorded at a WeatherFlow station at Egmont Channel at the mouth of Tampa Bay, about 15 minutes from St. Petersburg, according to the National Hurricane Center.

4 p.m. EDT, Oct. 9 — The NHC warned tropical-storm-force winds and heavy rain had reached the western coast of Florida, and urged anyone in a tornado watch area to be ready to quickly shelter (see below).

11:30 a.m. EDT, Oct. 9 — Tampa’s Sunshine Skyway Bridge closed to all traffic as wind speeds pick up.

11:12 a.m. EDT, Oct. 9 — Waffle House announced dozens of its locations in Tampa, Fort Myers, Orlando and beyond would be closed starting Wednesday afternoon, marking Milton as a “red” on the federally recognized “Waffle House Index” (see below).

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Where Is Hurricane Milton Headed Next?

Hurricane Milton is pulling away from Florida’s east coast and is expected to pass to the north of the Bahamas and be back to the Atlantic by Thursday afternoon, but the NHC still predicted “strong gust winds and heavy rainfall” near the space coast. It also warned of tropical storm conditions in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina as a result of Milton. The storm will continue moving east-northeast through Thursday before taking a turn east Thursday night.

Crucial Quote

“The storm was significant but thankfully this was not the worst case scenario,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a press conference Thursday. “The storm did weaken before landfall and the storm surge, as initially reported, has not been as significant overall as what was observed for Hurricane Helene.”

What To Watch For

The total number of casualties from the storm. DeSantis said Thursday “it seems very likely that there were some with the tornadoes” and recognized there had been reports of deaths—officials in St. Lucie County confirmed on Thursday there were at least four deaths from tornadoes in the area—but said his office has not yet confirmed any.

What Is Storm Surge And Where Could It Be The Worst?

Storm surge is the abnormal rise of seawater level caused by a storm. The NHC warned the combination of storm surge and the tide will cause areas that are normally dry near the coast to be flooded. Officials warned of storm surge as high as 13 feet in some parts of Florida. As of Thursday morning’s 8 a.m. EDT update, the storm surge warning for Florida’s west coast was discontinued, though a warning was in effect for Sebastian Inlet, Florida, to Altamaha Sound, Georgia, including the St. Johns River.

What Have Politicians Said About Hurricane Milton?

President Joe Biden addressed the country from the White House Tuesday morning and called Hurricane Milton “a matter of life and death.” He encouraged Florida residents in the path of the storm to evacuate “now” and postponed a planned international trip to Germany and Angola “in order to oversee preparations for and the response to Hurricane Milton.” Vice President Kamala Harris and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have been in a strange he-said-she-said about the incoming storm, with Harris accusing DeSantis of not taking her calls and “playing political games” DeSantis said Harris “has no role in this” and that he’s been communicating just fine with Biden, who also said he has been in touch. Biden said he gave DeSantis his personal phone number and told him to call if there is anything the federal government can do to help. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said in an interview with CNN, “I can say without any dramatization whatsoever: If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you’re going to die.” Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday afternoon told CNN even if the category of the storm changed, “that is not actually a downgrade in terms of the danger and the dangerous potential of it,” urging Floridians to not rely on the designation “to their detriment.”

How Is Travel To Florida Impacted By Hurricane Milton?

Tampa International Airport closed at 9 a.m. Tuesday with plans to reopen “as soon as it is safe” later this week and Orlando International Airport closed at 8 a.m. Wednesday. More than 2,224 flights into and out of the United States were canceled as of 8 a.m. on Thursday, and another 423 were delayed. Orlando saw by far the most cancellations, with 485 flights originating there being canceled and 447 flights arriving there being canceled, followed by Tampa with about 220 canceled each way, according to Flight Aware. Major airlines have told passengers they can change their plans without paying a fare difference. Walt Disney World Resort is closed its parks beginning Wednesday morning—news that came after Goldman Sachs predicted the company is likely to take a nine-figure hit financially from the storm. Universal Resort Orlando announced Tuesday afternoon it will close at 2 p.m. EDT Wednesday and remain closed Thursday. Legoland Florida Resort and SeaWorld Orlando will both be closed on Wednesday and Thursday, and Busch Gardens Tampa is now closed through Thursday.

Have Waffle Houses Closed For Hurricane Milton?

Yes. Tampa-area locations of Waffle House, the breakfast food chain, closed ahead of Milton’s projected landfall. The company cited the so-called “Waffle House Index” in a social media post explaining the decision, a reference to a scale invented by former Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) administrator Craig Fugate to judge the severity of a natural disaster. If Waffle Houses in an area are open and serving a full menu, it’s a green on the index, a limited menu is a yellow on the scale, meaning the local area could be without electricity or water, and the index goes to red if the locations close down, indicating the local community will be in need of significant help.

Key Background

Milton was the second major hurricane to hit Florida in two weeks. Hurricane Helene hit the state on Sept. 26, killing at least 20 in Florida, before going on to devastate parts of the southeastern United States. More than 220 people have died and hundreds more are still missing, with western North Carolina taking the brunt of flooding that the state’s governor says wiped communities “off the map.” In Florida, people are still working to clear debris from Helene as the next storm bears down. Before Hurricane Milton made landfall, Hillsborough County, home to Tampa, ordered evacuations for areas near Tampa Bay and for all mobile and manufactured homes by Tuesday night. Lee County, home to Fort Myers, issued a mandatory evacuation order for the island of Fort Myers Beach. Other mandatory evacuation orders were issued in Pinellas County, Pasco County and Manatee County. DeSantis said on Tuesday he wasn’t sure exactly how many people planned to evacuate for Hurricane Milton, but that he thought those who saw Hurricane Helene would be particularly motivated to leave the area.

Tangent

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has said it is grappling with “extremely damaging” false narratives circulating about Hurricane Helene, which hit the U.S. two weeks ago. FEMA chief Deanne Criswell said misinformation about the storm and the federal government’s response is the “worst” she’s ever seen as former President Donald Trump and his allies slam the agency. Trump incorrectly claimed FEMA couldn’t respond appropriately to the storm because it diverted so much money to helping migrants on the order of Vice President Kamala Harris. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the agency is “meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have.” Other rumors include that FEMA has been withholding aid from areas that have historically voted Republican and that the agency is only giving $750 to disaster survivors to support their recovery.

Siladitya Ray contributed to this report.

Hurricane Milton Live Updates: Storm Weakens To Category 1 But Remains Dangerous As It Moves Over Central Florida

Published

20 hours ago

October 10, 2024

Press Room

Hurricane Milton Live Updates: Storm Weakens To Category 1 But Remains Dangerous As It Moves Over Central Florida

Topline

More than 2 million homes and businesses faced power outages on Wednesday night just hours after Hurricane Milton spawned multiple tornadoes and triggered flash flooding hours after making landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast— where millions have been told to evacuate as forecasters warn it could be be “one of the most destructive hurricanes on record” for the west-central part of the state.

Palm trees bend in the wind after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Brandon, Florida.

AFP via Getty Images

Key Facts

2:15 a.m. EDT, Oct 10 — A large crane collapsed and smashed into the side of a building in downtown St. Petersburg, the Tampa Bay Times reported reported adding that the incident occurred near the newspaper’s main office and smoke was billowing out of the affected building.

2:00 a.m. EDT, Oct 10 — The National Hurricane Center latest update showed Milton has weakened to a Category 1 storm as it moves through Central Florida but the agency warned that “damaging winds and heavy rains” will continue to pose a threat.

12:30 a.m. EDT, Oct 10 — Strong winds from Milton appeared to damage a portion of the roof of Tropicana Field—the Tampa Bay Rays’ home venue—although there were no reports of any injuries to people inside the stadium. According to the Associated Press, ballpark is being used as a staging site for workers who have been brought in to deal with the hurricane’s aftermath.

11:45 p.m. EDT, Oct. 9 — A tornado outbreak in Florida’s St. Lucie County and the East Coast resulted in multiple fatalities earlier on Wednesday, the local sheriff’s office said.

11:15 p.m. EDT, Oct. 9 — According to PowerOutage.US around 2.2 million customers were without power across Florida amid reports of the hurricane spawning multiple tornadoes across its path on Wednesday night.

8:30 p.m. EDT, Oct. 9 — Milton made landfall near Siesta Key in Sarasota County as a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph.

7 p.m. EDT, Oct. 9 — The “northern eyewall” of Milton was moving into the Tampa Bay area, with forecasters urging those in the area to “shelter in place.”

6:36 p.m. EDT, Oct. 9 — The National Weather Service issued an extreme wind warning for Pinellas, Hillsborough and Manatee counties in the Tampa Bay area as “extreme winds, associated with the eyewall of Hurricane Milton, were moving onshore,” telling those in the warning area to “Treat these imminent extreme winds as if a tornado was approaching and move immediately to the safe room in your shelter.”

6 p.m. EDT, Oct. 9 — Hurricane-force wind gusts of 77 mph have been recorded at a WeatherFlow station at Egmont Channel at the mouth of Tampa Bay, about 15 minutes from St. Petersburg, according to the National Hurricane Center.

4 p.m. EDT, Oct. 9 — The NHC warned tropical-storm-force winds and heavy rain had reached the western coast of Florida, and urged anyone in a tornado watch area to be ready to quickly shelter (see below).

11:30 a.m. EDT, Oct. 9 — Tampa’s Sunshine Skyway Bridge closed to all traffic as wind speeds pick up.

11:12 a.m. EDT, Oct. 9 — Waffle House announced dozens of its locations in Tampa, Fort Myers, Orlando and beyond would be closed starting Wednesday afternoon, marking Milton as a “red” on the federally recognized “Waffle House Index” (see below).

A hurricane warning is in effect for the west coast of Florida from Bonita Beach at the southern tip of the state to the Suwannee River near the panhandle, for the East Coast from the St. Lucie/Martin County Line northward to Ponte Vedra Beach near Jacksonville and for most inland portions of central and north-central Florida, including Orlando.

A storm surge warning is up for the west coast of Florida from Flamingo to Yankeetown, including Charlotte Harbor and Tampa Bay and the Atlantic coast from Sebastian Inlet, Florida, to Altamaha Sound, Georgia, including the St. Johns River.

Hurricane Milton is expected to bring 6 to 12 inches of rain, with localized totals up to 18 inches, across parts of the Florida Peninsula and the Keys through Wednesday night, which could cause “life-threatening flash, urban and areal flooding,” according to the NHC.

Crucial Quote

“I’ve said many times that (if) you want to pick a fight with Mother Nature, she’s winning 100 percent of the time,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said. “And individuals that are in these, say you’re in a single-story home. Twelve feet is above that house. So, if you’re in it, you know, basically that’s the coffin you’re in.”

What Is Storm Surge And Where Could It Be The Worst?

Storm surge is the abnormal rise of seawater level caused by a storm. The NHC warned the combination of storm surge and the tide will cause areas that are normally dry near the coast to be flooded. From Anna Maria Island to Boca Grande, the storm surge could be nine to 13 feet above the ground. The surge is forecast to reach eight to 12 feet between Boca Grande and Bonita Beach, and could also reach those heights in Charlotte Harbor. For Tampa Bay, six to nine feet of surge is expected.

Where Have Tornado Warnings Been Issued?

Numerous tornado warnings were issued Wednesday afternoon in southern Florida and across the Interstate 95 corridor. Tornado watches are in effect for most of central and southern Florida through Wednesday night. The NHC noted a “risk of strong tornadoes” will continue through Wednesday evening.

What Have Politicians Said About Hurricane Milton?

How Is Travel To Florida Impacted By Hurricane Milton?

Tampa International Airport closed at 9 a.m. Tuesday with plans to reopen “as soon as it is safe” later this week and Orlando International Airport closed at 8 a.m. Wednesday. More than 1,700 flights into and out of the United States were canceled as of 8:50 a.m. on Wednesday, and another 350 were delayed. Orlando saw by far the most cancellations, with 398 flights originating there being canceled and 423 flights arriving there being canceled, followed by Tampa with about 190 canceled each way, according to Flight Aware. Major airlines have told passengers they can change their plans without paying a fare difference. Walt Disney World Resort is closing its parks beginning Wednesday morning—news that came after Goldman Sachs predicted the company is likely to take a nine-figure hit financially from the storm. Universal Resort Orlando announced Tuesday afternoon it will close at 2 p.m. EDT Wednesday and remain closed Thursday. Legoland Florida Resort and SeaWorld Orlando will both be closed on Wednesday and Thursday, and Busch Gardens Tampa is now closed through Thursday.

Have Waffle Houses Closed For Hurricane Milton?

Yes. Tampa-area locations of Waffle House, the breakfast food chain, will close ahead of Milton’s projected landfall. The company cited the so-called “Waffle House Index” in a social media post explaining the decision, a reference to a scale invented by former Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) administrator Craig Fugate to judge the severity of a natural disaster. If Waffle Houses in an area are open and serving a full menu, it’s a green on the index, a limited menu is a yellow on the scale, meaning the local area could be without electricity or water, and the index goes to red if the locations close down, indicating the local community will be in need of significant help.

Key Background

Milton will be the second major hurricane to hit Florida in two weeks. Hurricane Helene hit the state on Sept. 26, killing at least 20 in Florida, before going on to devastate parts of the southeastern United States. More than 220 people have died and hundreds more are still missing, with western North Carolina taking the brunt of flooding that the state’s governor says wiped communities “off the map.” In Florida, people are still working to clear debris from Helene as the next storm bears down. Ahead of Hurricane Milton, Hillsborough County, home to Tampa, ordered evacuations for areas near Tampa Bay and for all mobile and manufactured homes by Tuesday night. Lee County, home to Fort Myers, issued a mandatory evacuation order for the island of Fort Myers Beach. Other mandatory evacuation orders have been issued in Pinellas County, Pasco County and Manatee County. DeSantis on Tuesday said he wasn’t sure exactly how many people plan to evacuate for Hurricane Milton, but that he thinks those who saw Hurricane Helene will be particularly motivated to leave the area.

Tangent

Hurricane Milton Live Updates: Extreme Wind Warning Issued For Tampa As Eyewall Moving Onshore

Published

1 day ago

October 9, 2024

Press Room

Hurricane Milton Live Updates: Extreme Wind Warning Issued For Tampa As Eyewall Moving Onshore

Topline

Hurricane Milton is approaching Florida’s Gulf Coast, where millions have been told to evacuate as forecasters warn it could be be “one of the most destructive hurricanes on record” for the west-central part of the state.

Dan Jones points toward a destroyed roof in his backyard after a tornado hit in Fort Myers, Florida … [+] on Oct. 9, 2024, as Hurricane Milton approaches.

AFP via Getty Images

Key Facts

7 p.m. EDT, Oct. 9 — The “northern eyewall” of Milton was moving into the Tampa Bay area, with forecasters urging those in the area to “shelter in place.”

Milton is located about 35 miles west-southwest of Sarasota and is moving northeast at 15 mph.

11:30 a.m. EDT, Oct. 9 — Tampa’s Sunshine Skyway Bridge closed to all traffic as wind speeds pick up.

What Time Will Hurricane Milton Make Landfall?

The National Hurricane Center said Milton will likely make landfall as a major hurricane near or just south of the Tampa Bay region Wednesday night and will move off the east coast of Florida on Thursday afternoon.

Crucial Quote

What Is Storm Surge And Where Could It Be The Worst?

Storm surge is the abnormal rise of seawater level caused by a storm. The NHC warned the combination of storm surge and the tide will cause areas that are normally dry near the coast to be flooded. From Anna Maria Island to Boca Grande, the storm surge could be nine to 13 feet above the ground. The surge is forecast to reach eight to 12 feet between Boca Grande and Bonita Beach, and could also reach those heights in Charlotte Harbor. For Tampa Bay, six to nine feet of surge is expected.

Where Have Tornado Warnings Been Issued?

What Have Politicians Said About Hurricane Milton?

How Is Travel To Florida Impacted By Hurricane Milton?

Tampa International Airport closed at 9 a.m. Tuesday with plans to reopen “as soon as it is safe” later this week and Orlando International Airport closed at 8 a.m. Wednesday. More than 1,700 flights into and out of the United States were canceled as of 8:50 a.m. on Wednesday, and another 350 were delayed. Orlando saw by far the most cancellations, with 398 flights originating there being canceled and 423 flights arriving there being canceled, followed by Tampa with about 190 canceled each way, according to Flight Aware. Major airlines have told passengers they can change their plans without paying a fare difference. Walt Disney World Resort is closing its parks beginning Wednesday morning—news that came after Goldman Sachs predicted the company is likely to take a nine-figure hit financially from the storm. Universal Resort Orlando announced Tuesday afternoon it will close at 2 p.m. EDT Wednesday and remain closed Thursday. Legoland Florida Resort and SeaWorld Orlando will both be closed on Wednesday and Thursday, and Busch Gardens Tampa is now closed through Thursday.

Have Waffle Houses Closed For Hurricane Milton?

Could Hurricane Milton Be A Category 6 Hurricane?

No. There is currently no such thing as a Category 6 hurricane. The National Hurricane Center measures storm intensity using the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which ranks storms up to a Category 5, but some scientists think it may be time for a change. Earlier this year, researchers proposed adding a sixth hurricane category to describe storms with wind speeds above 192 mph and adjusting the current Category 5 description to include storms with winds between 157 and 192 mph. Using that proposed scale, five storms between 1980 and 2021 would have been classified as a Category 6, none of which threatened to make landfall in the United States. The National Hurricane Center in February said it has no plans to add a Category 6 to its hurricane scale.

Key Background

Tangent

Federal Emergency Management Agency has said it is grappling with “extremely damaging” false narratives circulating about Hurricane Helene, which hit the U.S. two weeks ago. FEMA chief Deanne Criswell said misinformation about the storm and the federal government’s response is the “worst” she’s ever seen as former President Donald Trump and his allies slam the agency. Trump incorrectly claimed FEMA couldn’t respond appropriately to the storm because it diverted so much money to helping migrants on the order of Vice President Kamala Harris. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the agency is “meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have.” Other rumors include that FEMA has been withholding aid from areas that have historically voted Republican and that the agency is only giving $750 to disaster survivors to support their recovery.