Victims of Hurricane Helen are complaining about the federal government's response to the storm, which devastated communities and killed more than 200 people.
Western North Carolina appeared to be the hardest hit, with the towns of Asheville, Chimney Rock, Swannanoa, and Biltmore Village the most affected by flash flooding.
An Asheville woman answered “no” when asked by an NBC News anchor if she had “faith” in receiving aid from the government. no. “
“No one will help us… we don't know what we will do,” a resident said from a pile of rubble.
Jordan Lanning, another Asheville resident who lost a friend in the floods, told Fox News' Jesse Watters that the response “took too long.”
“It took Biden five days to get here, and he didn't think it was worth us coming to see him personally. He had to be flown in on the way to Raleigh.” he said in an interview Thursday.
“It's shameful…I mean, they keep saying, 'We the people.' No, 'We the people' doesn't exist. It’s them versus us,” Lanning continued. “Like, they're not for us. It's all up to them and they tell us what we need instead of listening to us.”
Vice President Kamala Harris' announcement received backlash from across the country. Only $750 Just days after Helen and President Joe Biden's administration takes office, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) begins emergency assistance to Helen victims. pledged Another $8 billion to Ukraine.
Watters asked if $750 was just $50 more than the victim's amount. 2023 Maui Fire Just receiving it was enough, Lanning said.
“Some people have lost everything…I don't have any expectations.” [them] They give us thousands of dollars, but they can do more than that,” said a disgruntled Asheville man.
After the $750 aid received negative attention from local residents and people from across the United States, FEMA said,fact check” and said victims may receive “other forms of assistance” if they are “eligible”.
Another woman from North Carolina told Newsmax. wake up america Audience members said she felt “abandoned” by the Biden-Harris administration.
“We were hearing that Biden was just flying around, and as our president, we were like, where are the guidelines?” she asked. “You're supposed to help us out here…It's almost an abandoned feeling. …It's mostly just the community coming together and helping each other through all of this.”
“How could the government do something like this to us? And how could the entire country forget about us?” a TikTok user named Yeehaw Jace tearfully asked. I asked.
@yehawjace @Kamala HQ, you broke my heart. #wc #WesternNorth Carolina #Appalachia
“Where is our f*cking government?” he continued, before revealing that he had been a “big supporter” of Harris before this incident.
“I can’t do it anymore? I can’t send any more support. Is there any help? Fuck you!
in letter Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) sent a letter Friday to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas saying that federal, state, and local military personnel and first responders are on standby in North Carolina. A whistleblower told the office that Awaiting orders from FEMA:
“My office has reported and further confirmed that hundreds, if not thousands, of military personnel have been sent to North Carolina by the Department of Defense and are waiting for FEMA without doing anything.” Gates wrote.
“We have confirmed that FEMA personnel are waiting in hotels 24 hours a day for orders. Pre-disaster assistance from FEMA has been withheld, making the emergency situation even worse,” said a Florida lawmaker. added.
