Tennessee Hurricane Relief Volunteer Gets Armed Anti-FEMA Group to Leave, Return with Donations: 'You Can Say There's No Volunteers But I'm Standing In Front of You'

Volunteers pray together before going out to do relief work at a distribution and relief coordination center early morning in Burnsville, North Carolina, October 5, 2024, after the passage of Hurricane Helene. (Credit: Allison Joyce/Getty Images)

When a group of armed individuals confronted FEMA workers in Tennessee, cooler heads prevailed as a local volunteer diffused the tension, inspiring the protesters to return with donations, according to a local report.

Tracy Elder, president of the International Alliance of Community Chaplains, was leading disaster relief efforts in Carter County following severe flooding, responding to a request from the Elk Mills Volunteer Fire Department. While assisting at a local command center, Elder found herself in the middle of a confrontation between FEMA workers and an armed group upset with the federal agency, according to WHJL.