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The Federal Emergency Management Agency has resumed door-to-door neighborhood outreaches in some areas afflicted by Hurricane Helene as one man is accused of making a threat against its employees.

Amid reports of militia involvement, the agency told CNN it was the subject of several threats and the alleged threat from the man later arrested was the main one it was aware of when it decided to pull back on outreach.

“I wanted to make sure we protected our staff on the ground while we worked diligently with local law enforcement to understand the full situation,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said.

“The threat was more limited than initially reported and mitigated by law enforcement,” FEMA said Monday.

A former FEMA administrator told CNN threats in the field have been rare in the past. “This is unprecedented. I know we’ve had individuals but not an area or a group that’s threatening FEMA,” said Craig Fugate, who was the agency’s head from 2009 to 2017.

FEMA has approved more than $96 million for 75,000 households in North Carolina, part of the $507 million approved for residents and communities in states hit by Helene and Hurricane Milton, the agency also announced Monday.

Here is what we know about relief efforts after the two latest major hurricanes:

A man who was in possession of a handgun and rifle has been charged with a misdemeanor, Going Armed to the Terror of the Public, according to the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office.

CNN has reached out to William Jacob Parsons, 44, who is free on bail, but didn’t reach him at any of his listed numbers. He was taken into custody Saturday outside a grocery store that is functioning as a storm relief site, the sheriff’s office said.

The initial report to deputies said a truckload of militia were involved in making threats, but investigators determined Parsons acted alone, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.

While Parsons’ alleged threat was the primary concern, the agency had been the target of threats and harassment of employees for several days, a FEMA spokesperson told CNN.

FEMA then temporarily moved its field teams to disaster recovery centers – there are four in North Carolina – and worked with law enforcement to assess the nature of the threats.

The agency announced Monday it had resumed outreach efforts in communities after about a day.

“Thanks to our close partnership with Gov. Roy Cooper and his team, as well as local law enforcement, FEMA teams will soon be back doing what they do best – meeting people where they are and going door to door to register survivors for assistance,” Criswell said. “FEMA and the entire federal family will be in North Carolina for as long as it takes to help these communities recover.”

After disasters like hurricanes and the Maui wildfires, FEMA has had to deal with wild rumors about its relief efforts, which include an initial $750 payment to many victims.

But “the contours of this misinformation are unlike anything we’ve seen before,” a senior administration official told CNN last week.

Senior US officials have instructed public affairs teams at federal agencies to ramp up social media posts from government accounts with photos illustrating how federal workers are clearing debris and dispensing aid, a US official familiar with the effort said.

The misinformation has prompted FEMA to launch a webpage to respond to rumors and confirm facts related to the Hurricane Helene response and recovery, such as disaster assistance and funding for disaster response.

Last week Criswell said said she thinks the “dangerous narrative” is political.

“It’s really a shame that we’re putting politics ahead of helping people, and that’s what we’re here to do,” Criswell said October 6 on ABC.

A rumor promoted by former President Donald Trump and X owner Elon Musk, among others, suggested the federal government was diverting aid. Another claims the Biden administration – along with Gov. Cooper, a Democrat – was withholding or diverting relief funds because the hardest hit areas are prominently Republican.

Trump has also baselessly claimed that some of the diverted funds were being used to help migrants who are in the country illegally.

“We have had the complete support of the state. We have had the local officials helping to push back on this dangerous – truly dangerous narrative that is creating this fear of trying to reach out and help us or to register for help,” Criswell said.

Cooper said Monday he was directing the state’s Public Safety Department to help FEMA officials coordinate with law enforcement to ensure the safety of FEMA’s teams.

The governor didn’t give specifics about which elements of the department, which includes the highway patrol and the National Guard, would be involved.

“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 a statement.

National Guard troops are already on the ground in western North Carolina, part of a task force of more than 1,500 soldiers and airmen.

FEMA has approved $507 million in relief funds for residents and communities and $351 million for debris removal in states affected by Hurricane Helene.

“Disaster survivors in certain areas of Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia can begin their recovery process by applying for federal assistance through FEMA,” the agency said.

The agency broke down the disaster assistance figures by state:

There are three primary ways to apply for FEMA assistance: phone, online or at a recovery center.

Voters in storm-ravaged parts of the Southeast could face new hurdles at the ballot box this year following the destruction wrought by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, back-to-back disasters that have sparked a flurry of new outreach from states, parties, and even campaigns themselves in a bid to expand voters’ access to the polls and ensure their votes are counted.

Though the efforts in the hurricane-hit southern states have taken very different shapes, the shared goal is to increase engagement and participation in the 2024 presidential race, in which candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump remain locked in a virtual dead heat with less than a month until Election Day.

In North Carolina, efforts have been focused on helping displaced residents access polling locations in the wake of Hurricane Helene, which barreled onto shore last month as a Category 4 storm, killing more than 220 people and causing billions of dollars in destruction.

The bulk of the storm’s destruction was concentrated in western North Carolina and in Georgia, two competitive states that could play a key role in determining the next president. Roughly 17% of North Carolina’s registered voters reside in the counties that were designated as disaster areas in the aftermath of Helene, Michael Bitzer, a professor of politics and history at Catawba College, previously told Fox News.

‘CAN’T WAIT TILL THE LAST MINUTE’: NC CONGRESSMAN RAISES ALARM ON VOTER ACCESS IN AREAS HARD HIT BY HELENE

To that end, the North Carolina State Board of Elections voted last week to approve changes for 13 counties in the region, whose access to infrastructure, polling locations and postal services is believed to remain “severely disrupted” through Election Day. State election officials also announced coordination with FEMA and North Carolina Emergency Management to set up portable restrooms, generators and trailers to support the more than 500 polling places in the state’s western region — and an area of devastation that spans some 25 counties.

Meanwhile, the Trump campaign also hinted at new efforts to help transport voters to the ballot boxes in hurricane-hit states. Speaking to Fox News in an interview Monday, Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the campaign has been in contact with state and local election officials in the Southeast to survey the damage and ensure voters have access to the ballots.

The campaign leadership, she said “has sent a letter “to state and local officials on the ground in North Carolina saying, ‘You need to provide as many accessible voting locations as possible on the ground,’” Leavitt told Fox News, adding: “Our campaign is reviewing how we can possibly provide transportation for voters who need to get to the polls and ensuring they have access to the ballot box.”

In Florida, which was battered by both Hurricanes Helene and Milton, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order granting election officials in hard-hit counties additional flexibility to alter their election procedures — including polling locations and requests for mail-in ballot addresses to be changed at the last minute.

Meanwhile, Democrats suffered a blow in Georgia last week after a federal judge ruled that she will not order the state to reopen its voter registration process or extend its voter registration deadline in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, rejecting arguments from the Georgia conference of the NAACP, the Georgia Coalition of the People’s Agenda, and the New Georgia Project, which said disruptions from the storm had unfairly deprived them of their right to register.

The ruling could have a major impact in Georgia, a key battleground state that narrowly selected Biden by just 12,000 votes in 2020. (A federal judge in Florida also rejected a similar request brought in the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, filed by the Florida chapter of the League of Women Voters.) 

Federal judges in both states claimed that voters had ample time to register for the November election.

Biden speaks to reporters in front of damage from Hurricane Milton in Florida. (Getty Images)

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It is unclear what — or if — the Harris campaign is providing in terms of transport or options for voters in North Carolina or other states that were impacted by the natural disasters, or what specific actions might be taken by Trump’s campaign.

Campaign officials did not respond to Fox News’ request for comment.

Breanne Deppisch is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the 2024 election and other national news.

Week 7 of the 2024 North Carolina high school season is complete for some schools. Many games in the western part of the state were postponed due to the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, but some did play and we are highlighting the top performances from those who did take the field.

Congratulations to last week’s winner: Killian Burr of West Davidson.

SBLive voting polls are intended to be a fun way to create fan engagement and express support for your favorite high school athletes and teams. Unless expressly noted, there are no awards for winning the voting. Our primary focus is to highlight the abilities and accomplishments of all the athletes and teams included in our poll. You can vote as often as you wish and are encouraged to share our polls with others. The use of voting bots and other forms of automated voting are not allowed. Individuals will be removed from the poll if any form of automated voting can be verified. – SBLive Sports

Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 20. The winner will be announced in the following week’s poll. Here are this week’s nominees:

The junior quarterback keeps putting up incredible numbers for the undefeated Rams. In a 57-41 win over West Stokes, Neal was 24-of-31 for 335 yards and 2 touchdowns without a turnover. On the ground, he ran 11 times for 111 yards and 3 touchdowns. The 5-foot-9, 160-pounder, who is being recruited by colleges as a wide receiver, has completed 79 percent of his passes this season.

Jackson accounted for five touchdowns as the undefeated Cardinals rolled past Carver 53-24. He threw two touchdown passes, ran for two more touchdowns and scored on a 35-yard pick-six.

The undefeated Red Tornadoes’ quarterback fired four touchdown passes in a 44-6 rout of North Iredell. Stober, who was recently selected to play in the Shrine Bowl, is a Samford commit.

The 5-foot-10, 190-pound senior tailback put on a spectacular performance as Warriors outscored Cannon/Concord Academy 61-40. Williams ran for 361 yards and 7 touchdowns. It only took him 15 carries to put up those numbers.

Simco, the Wildcats’ quarterback, ran for 231 yards and 4 touchdowns as his team swamped Croatan 42-14. His touchdown runs were 59, 4, 42 and 66 yards. Simco also had 123 yards passing with 3 interceptions.

McCormick threw six touchdown passes in the Bears’ 56-12 rout of Northside-Jacksonville. Five of those touchdowns came in the first half. The junior quarterback has 22 touchdown passes for the season.

Atkinson tossed four touchdown passes – three more than 40 yards – as the Rams dismantled previously unbeaten Millbrook 35-0.

The Tennessee commit was nearly perfect, completing 13-of-14 passes for 232 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 49-7 pounding of Ragsdale. Brandon also had 34 yards rushing on 3 carries.

The 5-foot-10, 200-pound sophomore linebacker was a dominant force in the Grizzlies’ 17-0 shutout of North Davidson. Byrd made 16 tackles to go along with an interception, a sack and 4 hurries.

McKnight was close to perfection in the Greyhounds’ 42-7 runaway win over Surry Central. The senior quarterback was 15-of-17 for 281 yards and 3 touchdowns.