FEMA can’t help with SC wildfires due to travel restrictions? Fact-checking viral claim
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South Carolina Wildfires
Wildfires impacted more than 1,600 acres in the Myrtle Beach area, with flames burning within a few feet of homes in communities close to Carolina Forest.
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Could South Carolina be missing out on needed federal assistance as the state deals with spreading wildfires?
That’s the claim in a recent viral social media post, with Bluesky account Mueller, She Wrote posting on Tuesday: “A source tells me that response teams for FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) set to deploy to the South Carolina wildfires are unable to travel because their government issued travel cards have had their limits reduced to $1. FEMA response team cards were supposed to be exempt.”
The post had received more than 11,000 reposts as of Wednesday afternoon, but it’s unclear if the claim boasts any merit.
The Sun News left a message Tuesday with a media representative for FEMA’s region covering South Carolina asking about potential response to the wildfire, but no official response was provided prior to publication.
Tiffanie Barrett, a spokeswoman for the SC Emergency Management Division, which coordinates state efforts with FEMA, told The Sun News that FEMA has representatives present in Columbia that have been assisting with recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene, which damaged thousands of homes last September.
Barrett noted the FEMA officials were aware of the wildfires, but not currently involved in any assistance efforts. She forwarded The Sun News’ request for information in relation to the social media post’s claims to a FEMA representative, but no one has reached back out to the newspaper.
The largest wildfire currently impacting South Carolina is in the Carolina Forest section of Horry County. The blaze, which began Saturday, has expanded to more than 2,000 acres of nonresidential land, but it has not destroyed any structures.
The Mueller, She Wrote social media account is connected to Allison Gill, a military veteran and former U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs employee, who previously hosted a podcast by the same name that centered on Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential election.
FEMA has been one of numerous federal agencies highlighted for potential cuts by President Donald Trump since he re-entered office earlier this year, according to various news reports. Trump suggested “getting rid of” FEMA altogether amid complaints the agency is biased against Republicans, Axios reported, and he signed an executive order in January creating a task force to review FEMA operations and recommend changes.
This story was originally published March 6, 2025 at 11:39 AM with the headline "FEMA can’t help with SC wildfires due to travel restrictions? Fact-checking viral claim."
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