EXCLUSIVE: A top Republican lawmaker sent a scathing letter demanding several facts and figures from FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell after discovering nearly half of a recent congressional appropriation for disaster relief was spent on non-hurricane-related interests.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said that FEMA lifted its August restrictions on immediate needs funding (INF) on Oct. 1 – right after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida.

While recently-criticized FEMA funds used for migrant issues is formally partitioned from disaster relief (DRF), Roy said COVID-19 response-related funding falls in the disaster relief pot.

“The American people have legitimate concerns regarding the availability of FEMA funding to respond to these hurricanes and future events in the near term,” wrote Roy, who sits on the House Budget Committee.

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“FEMA is rapidly spending billions out of the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) on non-immediate needs, including billions in unnecessary funding for COVID-19, which threatens to deplete the fund despite there being nearly two months left in hurricane season,” he added.

Roy called the decision to lift the INF restrictions “questionable” and said that as of Wednesday, FEMA has spent $344 million on Helene response efforts with more reportedly on the way.

He questioned the “sheer amount” of funding going to COVID-19 relief nearly two years after the official coronavirus “emergency” ended.

$1.2 billion has gone to the state of California alone, and nearly half of DRF funding initially delayed due to INF restrictions went to COVID-19 projects, according to a FEMA document obtained by Roy.

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Swannanoa residents walk through devastating flood damage from the Swannanoa River in western North Carolina on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024.  (Travis Long/The News & Observer/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Roy went on to demand Criswell answer as soon as possible as to why FEMA lifted INF restrictions as images of devastation in the Smokies were very much public.

He also asked for specific figures for appropriations for COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 projects, as well as appropriations for Helene and Milton recovery efforts.

“Please explain how FEMA will ensure that COVID-19 projects do not continue to jeopardize FEMA’s ability to use the DRF in the future to respond to disasters, absent a massive increase in congressional appropriations,” he added, floating the idea that Congress could ban DRF funds from going to COVID-19 projects any longer.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) speaks during a news conference. (Getty Images)

“If we are going to appropriate dollars for disaster relief, both FEMA and Congress should ensure the DRF prioritizes individuals impacted by disasters . . .” he said.

Hurricane Helene ravaged parts of Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia – leading to the Pigeon River completely washing out crucial Interstate 40 in Haywood County, N.C. Cities like Asheville, N.C., Newport, Tenn., and Damascus, Va., were deluged with floodwaters despite their collective altitudes.

Effects of the massive storm were felt as far west as Tishomingo, Miss., and up into the Cumberland Plateau of Kentucky.

Within days, Hurricane Milton made landfall south of Tampa Bay and spawned several tornadoes on the other side of the Sunshine State, where multiple people died near Port St. Lucie.

Fox News Digital has reached out to FEMA and its overarching agency DHS for comment.

Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

A woman and her mother drove a total of 54 hours to take their family member out of Hurricane Milton’s path.

Jennifer Seaman and her mom, Sue Schaffnit, began to worry about Schaffnit’s mother who was living in Venice, Florida, in an assisted living home. 

Seaman’s grandmother, 93, was located just south of Sarasota, Florida, where residents were affected by the Category 3 hurricane landfall. 

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Seaman told SWNS that she and her mother wanted to make sure their family member was safe during the storm — but all flights out of the area were full. 

“Around 9:00 p.m. [Oct. 6] when things started to get more severe, I was talking to my mom,” she said, adding, “We were back and forth on the phone, checking flights, but everything was booked.”

An hour later, the pair decided to get in the car and drive from Peoria, Illinois, to Venice and pick up Grandma themselves.

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Seaman said, “I went to my mom’s house, and we spent about five minutes deciding what we were going to do and went. We didn’t pack bags or have a change of clothes.”

The two women spent 20 hours driving in the car before arriving in Venice — a 1,210-mile journey. 

Seaman and her mother drove from Illinois to Florida to pick up their 93-year-old family member. The round-trip car ride took 54 hours to complete. (SWNS)

Seaman said the home her grandmother was staying in had planned to shelter in place and encouraged the residents to stay through the storm. 

“I think for my mom and I, if something bad was to happen or if the storm was to take a massive turn and wipe people out, the last thing we wanted was my grandma to have died without family with her,” she said. 

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After picking up Grandma, the women got back on the road to leave Florida — sitting in gridlocked traffic for six hours while only moving 100 miles.

“As we were getting out, the storm was picking up intensity,” Seaman told SWNS. 

Jennifer Seaman, 40, (left) and her grandmother (right) took the trip back to Illinois from Florida just ahead of Hurricane Milton making landfall. (SWNS)

The three of them found a hotel outside of Atlanta, Georgia, where they checked in for a three-hour power nap, according to the outlet.

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After that, they got on the road and drove the remaining way back to Illinois.

A woman and her mother drove 54 hours to pick up their family member from Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton. They said the drive wasn’t easy, but everyone made it home safe. (SWNS)

Seaman told SWNS that her grandmother was “very relieved” to leave before the hurricane hit, but wants to get back to Florida. 

“She is anxious to get back and see how everything is, but we have seen the flooding in Venice and the power is out, so we can’t contact her assisted living home,” Seaman said. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Seaman for additional comment.