Just 21 days before early voting began, Hurricane Helen wreaked biblical-level destruction on the hills, depressions, and mountains of North Carolina. The storm caused devastating flooding that killed 232 people, half of them residents of the state, and buried entire riverside communities in muddy rivers.
Residents are currently struggling to secure daily necessities. More than 2,500 families are homeless. Crowded shelters are well above capacity. Hundreds of roads and bridges have been closed, disrupting transportation and critical aid deliveries.
One-fifth of the state's 7.3 million registered voters live in the disaster area. Do candidates’ visits and pledges of support resonate with voters?
Two days after the storm, Gov. Roy Cooper issued a request: Major disaster declaration Required by the federal government to surge aid to state and local agencies and provide immediate relief to suffering North Carolinians. FEMA claimed In a news release, the company said it sent 25 trailers of food and 60 trailers of water to North Carolina. But Hendersonville resident Andrea Cohn said she has yet to meet any state or federal employees.
After the storm, Cohn, a 55-year-old accountant more accustomed to preparing tax forms for local businesses than organizing relief efforts, set out to rescue elderly victims in Henderson County. An ATV group was formed. Most roads and bridges had collapsed or been washed away, and many people had to leave the roads to reach them.
Andrea and her husband, a volunteer firefighter, delivered supplies to victims stranded in secluded “cries for crying out loud.” After Helen's visit, many residents lost power for more than a month. Samaritan's Purse, a non-denominational evangelical Christian charity, distributed solar-powered lights to illuminate the dark night.
abandoned by the nation
Long before the storm hit, a culture of self-reliance pervaded the mountain towns of western North Carolina. Residents call it “WNC Strong.” However, in the wake of Helen, residents needed critical assistance that only the government could provide, including large-scale search and rescue operations, power and water restoration, and infrastructure repairs.
Today, many of these residents feel abandoned by state and federal officials. One question that looms over the recovery efforts is whether they will affect voting behavior in Tuesday's election. “They're supposed to be standing up for us, but we feel forgotten,” Cohn said. “Reconstruction will require a lot of money, and the government is sending that money to Ukraine.”
Chuck Edwards, Republican Congressman representing western North Carolina; said State emergency officials cannot explain the whereabouts of 400 pallets of food and water provided by FEMA for hurricane relief. he has requested 1,180 FEMA trailers to house thousands of evacuees.
In Buncombe County, local artist and photographer Anna Hitorova said volunteers, not government workers, brought needed supplies after the storm. “All I saw on the ground in Buncombe was the church and Samaritan's Purse,” she said.
Hitlova said she experienced a “black moment” as she drove through neighboring Swannanoa. She saw families camping on the property where a house once stood. They had no generators, no phones, nothing. “I was in shock. I was crying,” she explained. “I was shocked at how terrible it is to be cut off from the rest of the world. People were dying and governments waited to respond.”
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported most of the deaths in the state. buncombe countyhome of Asheville and Swannanoa. “When I learned that FEMA was using funds to house illegal immigrants, and when I saw that the government was giving billions of dollars to Ukraine while my family was receiving $750, I was furious. ” said Hitlova.
Some help came from unexpected sources. For example, billionaire Elon Musk has stepped forward to help. SpaceX CEO donated 500 Starlink internet receivers provided to groups throughout the affected area. Musk's donation came later. prompt A story between Congressman Danny Britt from his home state and former President Donald Trump.
“Here, people lost their homes and had nothing, but they painted signs that said 'God bless Elon,'” Hitlova said. “I realized that Elon gave people a lifeline that the government couldn’t.”
Election day effects
North Carolina is a battleground state with 16 electoral votes. Trump narrowly won the state in 2016, but won even narrower in 2020. RCP average The former president's lead is just 1.5 points. President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have visited areas devastated by the storm while campaigning.
During my visit on October 5th, Harris Meets with the Mayor of Asheville and leaders of progressive organizations including: NC count. After the Vice President attended a local FEMA briefing, was praised State and federal employees are grateful for “the nobility of their work and mission.”
Two weeks later, President Trump appeared At the Asheville recovery site were many North Carolina politicians and local business owners, including Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley, who is from the area.
The former president said the true heroes of the recovery effort were the American people, and that state and local governments had failed victims. President Trump said he came to express a simple message to the region: “I am with you, and the American people will always be with you.”
One-fifth of the state's 7.3 million registered voters live in the disaster area. Do visits and pledges of support resonate with voters in predominantly red Henderson County? “Despite the challenges, we were shocked to see the level of willingness of people to vote this year,” said Brett Calloway, chairman of the Henderson County Republican Party.
Andrea Cohn said voting access is a top concern for Helen victims. “Some needed food, some were homeless, and the first thing they asked was to vote,” she said. “That was all that really mattered to them.” Some residents told her they hadn't voted in 20 years.
Cohn recently closed her accounting firm so employees could help staff election sites. Calloway also said people are eager to help with the campaign. A week after the storm, a man came to the Republican office asking about volunteering. “I have to do it around the time of my wife's funeral,'' the man said with tearful eyes. “My country needs me.”
As of Friday, nearly 58% of registrants voters People in the county cast their votes. Voter turnout this year is 19% higher than in 2020. “Many of the voters we're seeing are on inactive voter rolls,” Calloway said. “Only 7% of the electorate is eligible to vote on Election Day, so there is no risk of cannibalization of Election Day votes,” he said.
By Friday morning, 3.7 million North Carolinians had voted, surpassing the total number of early voters in 2020. The State Board of Elections subsequently reported more than 4 million votes cast. cast By 2024, more than half of registered voters will participate.
“This year, voting is a symbolic act for me,” declared Anna Khitlova. Once a Democrat but now an avowed conservative activist, she says she has “given up” with the current administration. “I'm going to vote, I'm going to vote for Trump, and I'm going to vote on the first day of early voting in the progressive city of Asheville.”
Editor's note:This article was originally published by RealClearPolitics and made available via RealClearWire.
