FEMA faces mounting backlash after announcing it will evict North Carolina Hurricane Helene survivors from temporary housing, leaving many struggling to find stable shelter as they try to rebuild their lives in freezing cold temperatures. The decision is a shock to thousands relying on FEMA’s assistance in the wake of devastating storms, raising questions about the agency's commitment to helping those most in need. Critics argue that the move is premature and demonstrates a lack of empathy and understanding of survivors' long-term challenges when rebuilding their homes and communities. With recovery efforts still far from complete, this latest development has sparked outrage and fear among displaced families, many of whom now face an uncertain future.
Just as a winter storm is set to hit the Carolinas, FEMA’s voucher program, the“Transitional Sheltering Assistance” program, will expire on Saturday, Jan. 11. The agency said Helene survivors could stay at the hotels Friday night but would have to check out the next day. The program’s deadline was extended in December. However, officials say there are no plans to expand it past Saturday despite unprecedented weather conditions, with temperatures expected below 20 degrees.
The housing assistance program provided temporary homes to nearly 2,000 residents who lost everything in the hurricane.
On January 3, FEMA notified certain families staying in hotel or motel rooms that they were no longer eligible for the program. The reasons include an inspection determining their home is habitable, refusal of an inspection, or the agency’s inability to contact them for an update on their housing status.
North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) reacted to the news and criticized FEMA, accusing them of making “no progress in providing direct housing solutions for those most affected by Hurricane Helene.” He vowed to hold the agency accountable for its inaction.
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“Thousands of North Carolina families, already devastated by the destruction of Hurricane Helene, are now being left in a state of uncertainty when it comes to securing housing. FEMA’s failure to act swiftly and decisively is not only unacceptable, but it is also putting vulnerable families at even greater risk. Despite the urgent and pressing need for assistance, FEMA has made little to no progress in providing direct housing solutions for those most affected by Hurricane Helene,” Tillis said in a statement. “I remain committed to holding FEMA accountable for its inaction, ensuring that every available federal resource is immediately deployed to Western North Carolina and that red tape and bureaucratic barriers preventing families from accessing housing are eliminated. We cannot allow the suffering of these families to be prolonged any longer.”
Newly sworn-in Gov. Josh Stein (D-NC) expects to provide more temporary housing to Helene survivors in 2025. He promised that one of his first executive orders would expedite the delivery of FEMA’s temporary emergency trailer homes.
Just two days before Thanksgiving, FEMA delivered 27 homes. By December 4, 2024, that number had increased to 46, still less than half of the agency's promised target for that timeframe.
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