Federal Emergency Management Agency (fema) supervisor Marn’i Washington was fired last week after telling her staff to skip the homes of Hurricane Milton victims who had Trump campaign signs in their yards.

In an interview on Monday, Washington said she was just following fema policy.

‘Reprehensible’: fema fired Washington on Saturday after it was reported that she instructed her team assisting Hurricane Milton victims in Lake Placid, Florida, to “avoid homes advertising Trump.” At least 20 homes with signs or flags in support of President Donald Trump did not receive aid.

fema’s administrator on employee misconduct, Deanne Criswell, said Washington’s actions were “reprehensible” and a “a clear violation of fema’s core values and principles.” A fema spokesperson insisted to Fox News that it was an “isolated incident,” adding:

The employee who issued this guidance had no authority and was given no direction to tell teams to avoid these homes, and we are reaching out to the people who may have not been reached as a result of this incident.

fema policy: On Monday, Washington explained in an interview with YouTube podcaster Roland Martin that she gave the directions after some of her staff were verbally and physically threatened by hurricane victims with Trump signs.

She said the instructions followed fema’s “avoidance” and deescalation policy, adding that similar protocols were taking place in North Carolina.

They all allege that these actions were made in my own recognizance and that it was for my own political advances. However, if you look at the record, there is what we call a “community trend,” and, unfortunately, it just so happened that the political hostility that was encountered by my team … they just so happened to have the Trump campaign signage.

Senior leadership will lie to you and tell you that they do not know, but if you ask the dsa [disaster survivor assistance] crew leads and specialists what they are experiencing in the field, they will tell you. fema always preaches avoidance first and then deescalation, so this is not isolated. This is a colossal event of avoidance not just in the state of Florida, but you will find avoidance in the Carolinas.
—Marn’i Washington

Another anonymous fema official confirmed Washington’s statement. The official told the New York Post that for years the agency has been “skipping Trump-supporting houses—or avoiding ‘white or conservative-dominated’ disaster zones altogether.”

The official explained:

I have heard from other entities who are serving in North Carolina that there was clear guidance saying to be “mindful” of the types of people who are in western North Carolina—they’re largely Republican, very conservative—very derogatory sorts of references in their culture.

No help: Hurricane Milton hit Florida as emergency relief workers were aiding victims of Hurricane Helene that had swept through just two weeks before.

America was experiencing the deadliest natural disaster situation it has had in years, but the people could not rely on the government for help.

Learn more: Read “Kamala’s Katrina.”