A video shared on X allegedly shows a “FEMA Disaster Preparedness Meeting” in which someone says “We should focus our efforts on LGBTQIA people.” 

FEMA Disaster Preparedness Meeting:

“We should focus our efforts on LGBTQIA people… they struggled before the storm”

“FEMA relief is no longer about getting the greatest good for the greatest amount of people…. It’s about disaster equity.” pic.twitter.com/IqXeKI8OTT

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) October 7, 2024

Verdict: False

The video has been miscaptioned. Neither of the quotes listed in the caption appear in the video.

Fact Check: 

A man in North Carolina was arrested after allegedly threatening workers for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) who were assisting with hurricane response in the area, according to ABC News. The man was armed with a handgun and a rifle and said something about “harming FEMA employees” according to the Rutherford Country Sheriff’s Office statement to the outlet.

An X video claims to show FEMA showing a bias towards LGBTQ+ individuals during a meeting to discuss disaster preparedness. The post’s caption claims the video shows a “FEMA Disaster Preparedness Meeting.”

“We should focus our efforts on LGBTQIA people… they struggled before the storm,” the caption reads, suggesting it was said in the video. “FEMA relief is no longer about getting the greatest good for the greatest amount of people…. It’s about disaster equity.”

The clip was taken from a significantly longer video uploaded by FEMA and titled “Helping LGBTQIA+ Survivors Before Disasters: Preparedness and Mitigation Considerations.” It was not a “FEMA Disaster Preparedness Meeting,” as it had a specific focus on helping LGBTQ+ people. This video was uploaded in March 2023, long before recent hurricanes. 

Neither of the quotes from the post were actually said in the video. In the X clip around the 0:10 mark, FEMA emergency management specialist Tyler Atkins says, “LGBTQIA people and people who have been disadvantaged already are struggling. They already have their own things to deal with so you add a disaster on top of that … We’re not paying attention to this community.” (RELATED: Explaining JD Vance’s Claim That FEMA Is Used To Help Deal With Illegal Immigration)

The quote about disaster equity in full begins around the 1:04 mark in the X clip and is from Maggie Jarry, who does not work for FEMA, but instead is the emergency coordinator for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

“The shift that we’re seeing right now is a shift in emergency management from utilitarian principles, where everything is designed for the greatest good for the greatest amount of people, to disaster equity. But we have to do more,” Jarry says. “This topic is intersecting, I think, with a number of other topics where we have to look at policies and understand, to what extent, they have disadvantaged communities that had less assets, communities that had pre-existing vulnerabilities in accessing disaster-related recovery supports.”

Check Your Fact reached out to FEMA for comment.