UNITED STATES—On Friday, October 4, multiple storm victims reported FEMA not being on the ground in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene until four to five days after the category four Hurricane struck rural areas of North Carolina, South Carolina, East Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia, and Florida.
The Southeastern United States has been devastated by Hurricane Helene, Hurricane Isaac was at its heels, when United States Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas publicly announced that FEMA did not have enough funds to last the hurricane season.
FEMA had money ready for natural disasters such as these, and the Biden-Harris Administration was financially unprepared after diverting $640 Million to aid migrants entering the country illegally.
On April 12, the Department of Homeland Security announced that $300 Million in Direct Funding to Communities Receiving Migrants and $340 Million for a New Competitive Awards Process. The latter was reportedly to be used for sheltering migrants. The full text of the press release is below.
Department of Homeland Security Announces 300 Million in Direct Funding to Communities Receiving Migrants and 340 Million for a New Competitive Awards Process
On October 5, Fox weather headlines read, “Rescue and recovery from Helene’s catastrophic devastation continues as death toll rises to over 230 in the Southeast.” Hundreds of people are still missing and unaccounted for.
First responders, volunteers, and rescue teams were unable to get to all of the bodies being washed away in flood waters. Multiple news reports highlight Asheville North Carolina. There were many people trapped in an area up on Black Mountain in communities like Old Fort and Spruce Pine. They were reportedly both the hardest hit by flooding and the hardest to reach. It’s been a week since the Hurricane first hit land on U.S. soil.
Though some non-profits such as Samaritan’s Purse were able to offer aid, they could not get to everyone. Some of the storm victims remained trapped in rubble, others died in their vehicles submerged in the flooding.
On Friday, October 4, storm victims able to get through to the Sean Hannity show reported they did see FEMA vehicles driving around 4-5 after the hurricane hit. Asheville Police Department is using their social media pages to encourage those who fell victim of the storm to still apply for FEMA aid.
According to Asheville Police Department Deputy Chief Sean Aardema, his agency is still investigating 75 active missing persons cases. Their agency found and rescued three survivors who had been trapped in rubble all week and got them to medical treatment — two who were trapped in debris inside the Swannanoa River and another person who had been trapped in their home.
Initial reports from CoreLogic estimate damage already incurred by the hurricane to be anywhere from $30 to $47.5 Billion.
