The claim: Americans affected by Hurricane Helene receive ‘only $750’ in aid
An Oct. 2 Instagram post ( direct link , archive link ) by conservative commentator Benny Johnson includes a clip of Vice President Kamala Harris talking about financial assistance for victims of Hurricane Helene.
“Kamala just told Americans they will be receiving $750 to those who ‘truly need it’ for hurricane relief,” reads on-screen text, which is a screenshot of a post on X , formerly Twitter, from Johnson. ” We can send BILLIONS to Ukraine but Americans who have lost everything only get $750 dollars?!”
The Instagram post was liked more than 80,000 times in five days. Johnson’s X post was shared on the platform more than 30,000 times in the same time frame.
Our rating: False
The $750 payments are the initial support provided under a new FEMA program, not the sole financial assistance available. Applications can be made for multiple additional forms of financial support for those affected by the hurricane.
Funds are for immediate needs
Hurricane Helene cut a path of destruction through Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia after making landfall on Sept. 26. The death toll surpassed 200 as of Oct. 7, and losses attributable to the storm may exceed $30 billion, USA TODAY reported …