Hurricane Helene Relief: A Paltry $750 for Victims as FEMA Announces Funding Shortfall

Mollie Mercer works on salvaging items at the Kizmet Yogawear shop in the River Arts District in Asheville, N.C.Photo byAndrew Nelles, The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network

It’s been a week since Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida, ripping a path upwards through Virginia and leaving behind catastrophic destruction and loss, with at least 215 confirmed fatalities. Over half of the lives lost occurred in North Carolina in a near 'worst-case scenario.' The rapid intensification of the Hurricane over the Gulf, the moisture in the surrounding environment, and the historical rainfall amounts, combined with the warmer atmosphere, created a cataclysmic event. The aftermath of the extreme flooding has revealed widespread destruction of homes, roads, and highways, the erasure of entire communities, and a geographical reshaping of the region where flowing rivers have carved their way into the landscape.

In the wake of the immense destruction and casualties, relief efforts have been hindered by the damaged infrastructure. Reports of volunteers on mules transporting essentials like food, water, and insulin to Helene victims in mountainous parts of western North Carolina have been making headlines. Federal agencies are focused on restoring shredded power grids and rebuilding damaged water and cell infrastructure.

A pack of mules navigates treacherous roads to deliver much-needed add to trapped residents in North Carolina.Photo byMountain Mule Packer Ranch/Facebook

In response to the crisis, Vice President Kamala Harris announced a federal aid initiative to provide $750 to each affected North Carolina family to help cover immediate expenses such as food, clothing, and shelter. However, much more is needed with families dealing with extreme price gouging, massive housing scarcity, and unknown costs of attempting to repair their homes, land, businesses, and property loss. The situation has sparked debate over federal spending priorities and the urgency of support for long-term recovery, highlighting the need for immediate action.

Residents work hard to shovel the mud out of Marshall, N.C.'s natural grocery store. The local nearby river crested over 24 feet.Photo byGerard Albert III/BPR News

The announcement of the $750 aid comes amid reports that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has nearly exhausted its disaster relief funds. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas set off outrage Wednesday when he told reporters that FEMA “does not have the funds” to see Americans through the rest of this Atlantic hurricane season. Before Hurricane Helene hit Florida and the Southeast, FEMA announced that its significant disaster relief funding was nearly depleted, limiting the agency to cover only immediate needs like lifesaving operations and staff salaries. Consequently, longer-term projects are on hold, impacting recovery operations from past disasters across various states.

The same week that Hurricane Helene was making landfall, members of Congress left Capitol Hill for a six-week recess without resolving FEMA’s funding issues.

Congress is in recess in the leadup to Election Day, but will return afterward for a lame-duck session.Photo byJennifer Shutt/States Newsroom

Numerous organizations (including The Council of State Governments, the National Association of Counties, and the National Emergency Management Association), state and local officials released a joint statement;

“For the second time in two years now, state and local governments and emergency managers have been forced to manage a unique and wholly avoidable disaster… This unpredictability places an undue burden on disaster survivors and complicates already onerous programs.”

Despite these challenges, Congress extended FEMA's funding until December 20 with some spending flexibility. However, due to conservative opposition, significant cuts were made to the proposed disaster relief in the final bipartisan funding bill. This decision has left FEMA underfunded and unable to commit to numerous pending recovery projects, raising serious concerns about the agency's ability to respond to future disasters.

The announcement from FEMA has sparked backlash, with some questioning the prioritization of federal spending. Before leaving for recess with the Hurricane looming and knowing the funding for the FEMA issue, Congress made one funding decision: approving an $8.7 billion aid package for a foreign country.

Porter Edwards, 10, helps his father clean up debris Monday at Mad Co. Brew House in Marshall, N.C., in the aftermath of Helene.Photo byJabin Botsford/The Washington Post

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii previously blasted congressional inaction on disaster relief in the year since the Maui fires killed 102 people, stating about the current situation;

“They’ve lost loved ones. They’ve lost homes. They’ve lost businesses. They’ve lost livelihoods. And all they want is help and a little hope to get their lives back to something close to normal... What are we doing in Congress if we can’t even deliver help to our fellow Americans when disaster strikes?”