Residents of western North Carolina are confused about the Federal Emergency Management Agency's role in helping local residents recover from disasters after Hurricane Helen.
Local residents are especially confused as FEMA plans to end temporary housing assistance for about 2,000 North Carolinians on Saturday amid a snowstorm that is expected to bring temperatures below 20 degrees across the Appalachian Mountains.
The housing program was originally scheduled to end Friday, but FEMA pushed the deadline to Saturday.
“We're actually talking to some people who have lost their FEMA vouchers,” said Ryan McClymonds, founder of Operation Boots on the Ground, a volunteer group in WNC and East Tennessee. he told FOX News Digital on Friday. “They are scared that after today ends there will be no place for their families to stay. But we found out quite late last night… that FEMA has extended the extension by a whopping 24 hours. I found out.”
Two Hurricane Helen victims, four family members and a talented Vietnam veteran camper will be honored on Christmas Day.
“We lost everything in the floods and we need help,” couple Victoria and Jeff say in Asheville, North Carolina, on Oct. 29, 2024, after their camper was destroyed by Hurricane Helen about a month ago. He was standing on the street with his dog holding up a sign with a message written on it. (Photo by YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP via Getty Images)
FEMA told FOX News Digital that its Transitional Shelter Assistance (TSA) program is providing hotel rooms to thousands of survivors of Hurricane Helen, WNC.
On January 3, FEMA began notifying some families who checked into hotel or motel rooms that they were ineligible for the program due to one of the following reasons: We cannot be contacted to update housing needs that have been shown to be habitable, have refused inspection, or have been refused inspection by FEMA.
About 3,600 households were still eligible to stay in FEMA-sponsored hotel or motel rooms as of last Saturday, an increase from the 2,100 eligible households reported by FEMA. Local news station WLOS on Thursday.
Americans spend Thanksgiving in tents as heat, electricity and food remain difficult to obtain
Snow covers parts of Swannanoa, North Carolina, which was devastated by Hurricane Helen on January 10, 2025. (Steve Antle)
About 2,000 families are still expected to be vacated from their hotel rooms on Saturday. Continuation eligibility will be determined on a case-by-case basis. If eligibility ends, FEMA will notify survivors approximately seven days prior to checkout date.
The agency will also close disaster recovery centers in the region until Monday “due to winter weather.”
“This is unfair and definitely criminal.”
“Biden and Mayorkas bankrupted FEMA to pay for housing illegal immigrants, and now Hurricane Helen “Americans who lost their homes because of this are effectively being told to fuck off.” “This is unfair and certainly criminal. The good news is that President Trump will be back soon and will once again put the American people first.”
Hurricane Helen forces North Carolina residents to sleep in tents where their homes once were
FEMA announced it has provided shelter to 13,000 families evacuated by Helen since the storm made landfall in late September 2024. The agency told Fox News Digital that 5,600 households are currently checking into hotels.
“We're told we can expect power outages and possibly water outages. Well, we're not too happy about that.”
“We got this notification on our phones, I think it was yesterday… it was a severe weather notification,” Swannanoa resident Asha Wilde told Fox News Digital. “We're told we can expect power outages and possibly water outages. Well, I'm not very happy about it. And we're in the cold.”
Swannanoa residents walk through devastating flood damage from the Swannanoa River in western North Carolina on Sunday, September 29, 2024. (Travis Long/The News & Observer/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
When Helen destroyed her hometown and dozens of other mountains, killing 104 people in North Carolina alone, Wilde lost her home to nine feet of flooding.
Since Helen, the power grid and other critical infrastructure in some areas remain so weak that residents fear they will once again find themselves without electricity, water, gas, or even food. are. Volunteers from across Western North Carolina and across the state have been volunteering in the affected areas for several months. Generous donors across the country pay the funds to deliver campers to people in need of housing or storage.
North Carolina family who lost 11 people in Hurricane Helen mudslide says community sacrificed 'life and limb' to save each other
Snow covers a store in Swannanoa, North Carolina, that was destroyed by Hurricane Helen on January 10, 2025. (Steve Antle)
Long lines of cars can be seen lining up to pick up propane and other necessities from various donation drives in the area.
Puppies rescued from Hurricane Helen return to military and first responders
Video: North Carolina volunteers donate propane to those affected by Helen
Zach Bumgarner, vice president of Bumgarner Oil, told Fox News Digital that the company has “given away 22,000 gallons of product since the storm hit.” Since late September, the company has hosted six propane drives, where people can bring their empty propane tanks to designated locations and his company will fill them for free.
“You've got people in tents, you've got temporary shelters, things like that. Add to that very cold temperatures and it certainly creates a dangerous situation,” Bumgarner said. “So, hopefully what we're doing can help bridge that gap a little bit and keep someone warm. That's what we're really trying to do.”
Hurricane Helen: 'Spine of America' helps Southeast farmers lose billions in crops and land
Attention: Drivers line up for propane gas
Wilde said she asked a friend who works at a local grocery store, which she has been going to for 18 years, about the situation.
“He said, ‘Yeah, people are losing their minds,’ and you could see it was clean,” Wilde said.
Former North Carolina police officer delivers thousands of dollars in supplies and food to Helen survivors
Mekenzie Craig dusts off the mud from her wedding photo that survived the Sept. 27 mudslide that killed her in-laws. (Adam Eugene Willis, Fox News Digital)
Former Asheville Police Officer Steve Antle, who has been in touch with FOX News Digital since the day after Hurricane Helen destroyed parts of WNC, said some areas are recovering well, while others are recovering well. remains “frozen in time,” he said. Even in wealthy areas, piles of rubble and fallen trees still remain.
Since the aftermath of the hurricane, Antle has been working with people in and outside of his community to purchase and deliver thousands of dollars worth of critical supplies to his hometown of Fairview and surrounding towns.
Doctors warn that hurricane's impact will cause 'significant' health damage to Americans
Aerial view of buildings destroyed and damaged by Hurricane Helen's flooding in Batcave, North Carolina, on October 8. (Tama Mario/Getty Images)
Some local residents still live in tents or campervans, primarily because they do not want to leave their property. Other areas remain without heating or electricity.
“I have given up trying to understand anything about this administration and how FEMA operates.”
“I don't know what they're thinking,” Antle said of the agency. “You know, I'd like to blame it on government incompetence because that's the better option. … And I don't want to think that.”
Mr McClymonds, from Operation Boots on the Ground, became emotional about the people he has been supporting since September.
Drone footage of the damage after Hurricane Helen passed through Asheville, North Carolina on September 29th. (Reuters/Marco Bello)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“Don’t forget about them,” he said. “I saw so much during my time in the military, and to come out here and see the lack of response and the lack of help is heartbreaking. I've heard and they need help and work with families who lost loved ones in the storm.''
FEMA said it is important for storm survivors to stay in contact with FEMA and provide regular updates on the situation. If you have questions regarding eligibility, please contact the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362.
