"Hunting FEMA" email
| Tracking # |
2025-FS-R8-01078-F |
| Submitted | Oct. 14, 2024 |
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Communications
From: Matthew Petti
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:
- The email sent by a Forest Service official to other federal agencies on October 12 warning about armed militias in North Carolina in the context of disaster relief efforts.
- Any other emails sent between October 12 and October 14 in that reply thread.
According to the Washington Post, on October 12, "an official with the U.S. Forest Service, which is supporting recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene along with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, sent an urgent message to numerous federal agencies warning that 'FEMA has advised all federal responders Rutherford County, NC, to stand down and evacuate the county immediately. The message stated that National Guard troops "had come across x2 trucks of armed militia saying there were out hunting FEMA."'" https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/10/13/federal-officials-nc-temporarily-relocated-amid-report-armed-militia-email-shows/
If the emails contain any attachments, please include those attachments as well.
I request that I be properly classified as a media requester. I am an assistant editor at Reason Magazine who has written numerous articles on topics of public interest, and I am requesting these documents in an editorial capacity. Please contact me if you have any questions about my media status.
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Matthew Petti
From: U.S. Forest Service
October 18, 2024 Dear Matthew Petti:
Attached please find the Forest Service's interim response to the subject FOIA request, as well as the responsive records.
Thank you for your request to the Forest Service.
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Southern Regional FOIA Service Center
Forest Service
Southern Region
sm.fs.r8foia@usda.gov 1720 Peachtree Rd., NW
Atlanta, GA 30309
www.fs.usda.gov
From: U.S. Forest Service
Good afternoon.
A copy of the signed document (both the Word and PDF document) is attached for your review.
The following Correspondence is archived in the Mercury database, Work Package FY 2025 - 677847
This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email immediately.
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6270_FOIA #2025-FS-R8-01078-F
