Echoes of Appalachia

Six months after Hurricane Helene, federal support is drying up while the need remains high

FEMA has denied North Carolina’s request to continue covering 100% of the costs tied to Hurricane Helene recovery—leaving Appalachian communities to carry a heavier load just as a new hurricane season approaches.

In a letter sent Friday to Governor Josh Stein, acting FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton said the agency no longer sees full federal support as necessary.

But folks in the mountains of North Carolina are still living with the storm’s destruction—roads remain washed out, homes are gutted, and piles of debris have yet to be cleared.

“The need in western North Carolina remains immense — people need debris removed, homes rebuilt, and roads restored,” Gov. Stein said. “I’m extremely disappointed and urge the President to reverse FEMA’s bad decision, even for just 90 more days. Six months on, the people of Appalachian North Carolina are doing everything they can to rebuild their lives. FEMA should be standing with them, not backing away.”

FEMA has not responded to requests for comment.

After Hurricane Helene hit in late September, the Biden administration initially approved a 100% federal reimbursement for essential emergency expenses like debris removal and protective services. That helped the state move quickly on urgent needs in hard-hit areas. In December, FEMA reduced the reimbursement rate for most categories to 90%, but extended the full coverage for debris cleanup through the six-month mark.

Now that window has closed, and the federal government has ended that added support—despite repeated appeals from state and local leaders to extend it. The decision, which comes as political debates swirl around the future of FEMA itself, has left many feeling abandoned.

This is politics being played with people’s lives, these aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet—these are families trying to dig out of the mud, fix their roofs, and find some sense of normal.

With hurricane season looming once again, the timing of FEMA’s decision has raised alarm. Communities that haven’t even finished cleaning up from the last storm now face the threat of another, all with less federal help.

U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards, who represents a large portion of western North Carolina, told the Asheville Citizen-Times that a further extension of 100% support would have been highly unusual.

“Edwards said “Instead of pushing for something unprecedented, I’m focused on other ways to make a difference,” “That includes helping individual survivors navigate FEMA and working with the administration to find additional sources of relief.”

The state has 30 days to formally appeal the decision. For now, the people of North Carolina are left to push forward—carrying both the physical and financial weight of recovery on their own.

-Tim Carmichael