An inspection agency that works as a contractor for the Federal Emergency Management Agency has ordered its employees in western North Carolina to cease inspections over the weekend and return to hotels, WBTV has confirmed.
Sunday evening, the Washington Post first reported messages about reports of threats to FEMA-affiliated workers in Rutherford County. WBTV has independently confirmed that reporting with sources with direct knowledge of the threats.
The news comes after FEMA workers across Hurricane Helene’s disaster zone in western North Carolina have been targeted with misinformation and rumors about the federal government’s recovery operations in the area.
Messages that WBTV has reviewed, sent to employees of a contracting agency that works with FEMA for inspections, appear to show an impact area across western North Carolina.
“Effective immediately, disaster wide — cease inspections today and return to your hotels,” an alert from Vanguard Inspection Services read on Saturday. “FEMA received news that the Title 10 (active military unit deployed to NC) came across some trucks of militia units who said they were out hunting FEMA personnel.”
Vanguard was not immediately available for comment.
Late Sunday evening, a second message from the company told employees to continue their standdown throughout Monday until further notice.
Earlier Sunday morning in a Facebook post, the Ashe County Sheriff’s Office acknowledged threats to FEMA employees and contractors in western North Carolina, but said there had been no reports in Ashe County.