RALEIGH — The Trump administration says its Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security are already making immense progress in helping North Carolinians impacted by Hurricane Helene.
During a Saturday visit to Swannanoa, Director of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said the federal government has drastically reduced FEMA’s open Hurricane Helene victim cases in western North Carolina had seen resolution over the previous five days.
“President Trump came in and visited this community, and in less than 20 days secured over $54 million for families in need and registered 2,600 families that needed assistance and hadn’t gotten that type of help to get signed up for the programs that we have,” said Noem. “In the past five days, we’ve decreased the number of open cases by almost 80%.”
Per FEMA, 153,000 households have received some form of assistance since the storm hit in September 2024.
“FEMA can often be slow and confusing and a lot of paperwork. I heard that over and over and over again today. And we’re going to fix that,” Noem said. “I’ll promise you one thing: President (Donald) Trump has committed, and I’m committed with him, to bringing FEMA into the 21st century.”
Former Navy SEAL Cameron Hamilton, Trump’s choice as the new interim director of FEMA, was with Noem during the visit. In a post on X, Hamilton said the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers has “already cleared 9,000 cubic yards of debris from the Swannanoa waterway” in less than a week. The day prior, Hamilton was in Yancey County meeting with first responders.
In an executive order issued Jan. 24, Trump established a review council to do a deep dive into FEMA’s workings and effectiveness.
The executive order created the “Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council (FEMARC),” which will look into FEMA’s current operations, including investigating the allocation of nearly $30 billion in annual disaster aid, allegations of political bias in disaster response and resource diversion to matters beyond its scope, such as immigration-related spending.
Per the order, FEMARC will consist of up to 20 members, including the secretaries of Homeland Security and Defense, along with other agency heads and nonfederal experts in disaster relief, emergency preparedness and related fields.
Known members of the FEMARC include Noem and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who will head up the council.
Trump also tapped Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley to help facilitate recovery efforts in North Carolina. Whatley hails from Gastonia and is the former chair of the North Carolina Republican Party. Additionally, U.S. Reps. Virginia Foxx (R-Banner Elk), Tim Moore (R-Kings Mountain) and Chuck Edwards (R-Flat Rock) will also serve on the council.
“It is an honor to be named by President Trump to the FEMA task force to fix how this broken agency works,” Edwards said in a statement. “After being on the ground throughout the Hurricane Helene response, it’s clear that an overhaul of FEMA is necessary to more effectively and efficiently respond to natural disasters.”
FEMARC is also directed to produce a comprehensive report analyzing FEMA’s performance over the previous four years, comparing federal responses with state and local efforts, examining FEMA’s historical context and evaluating potential reforms. The report will also assess whether FEMA can better serve as a support agency to states rather than supplanting state control of disaster relief.
The first public meeting of FEMARC is required within 90 days of Trump’s order and is required to submit its report within 180 days of that meeting. The order provides for administrative support through the Department of Homeland Security and stipulates that council members will serve without compensation but may receive travel expenses.
The FEMARC will terminate after one year unless extended by the president.
In a related Hurricane Helene recovery effort, Edwards announced on Jan. 29 the introduction of the Restoring Access to Mountain Homes Act. The act will allow states and local governments to pay for and complete permanent repairs to private roads and bridges and allows those entities to be reimbursed for the work by FEMA’s Public Assistance Program.
That bill is co-led by Reps. Don Davis (D-Snow Hill) and Moore in the House, and Sens. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) are driving a companion bill.
On the state level, the General Assembly unveiled its latest round of $500 million in Helene-related aid contained in House Bill 47. The measure overlaps with Congressional efforts to accelerate repairs of private roads and bridges with $100 million in funding for a Private Road and Bridge Repair Program.
This article has been updated to reflect Michael Whatley’s participation in Helene recovery efforts only and not in FEMARC.
