The federal government has mounted a sprawling response following routine protocol, sending supplies, meals and more than 1,000 personnel; taking aid applications from affected residents and coordinating with state and local agencies. Search-and-rescue efforts are ongoing in remote areas. Some residents have complained about waiting for on-the-ground aid, and the aftermath will require the type of lengthy recovery that often includes issues and obstacles.

Trump has sought to blame the hurricane devastation on immigration, on Thursday falsely saying that those affected by the hurricane are getting "no help" because the federal government has instead spent its money "on people that should not be in our country."

FEMA, like other government agencies, has long struggled with funding issues and sometimes draws frustration from communities following disasters. Some residents in areas hit by Helene have complained that federal aid has not yet reached them. But those problems are unrelated to immigration, and misinformation makes it more difficult for disaster victims to understand what's going on and how to access aid, experts say.