Following Hurricane Helene’s devastating landfall, there have been questions about the agency charged with providing recovery assistance to the region: the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
This week, members of Congress considered the functions of the agency as its leader, Administrator Deanne Criswell, advocated for additional funding.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in a Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management subcommittee held a meeting on the issue called, “In the Eye of the Storm: Oversight of FEMA’s Disaster Readiness and Response.”
“Early on in their reports, from North Carolina in particular, residents were concerned about FEMA’s slow reaction pace to the storm and feeling as though they were left to fend for themselves,” Committee Chairman Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) said. “In fact, there are still areas FEMA has not reached to assess damage,” he said.
A FEMA spokesperson told BPR that it is still working to assess damages in all areas of WNC.
“FEMA staff continues to work side by side with local and state government officials, along with other federal partners such as the USDA and US Army Corps of Engineers in every designated county to inspect and gather detailed information on damaged infrastructure to complete emergency and long-term repair work. This information will help local and state officials to make informed decisions as communities move forward with their recovery,” the spokesperson said in an email.
Rep. Chuck Edwards, who represents the 11th Congressional District in North Carolina, spoke at the hearing about how long it may take the region to recover.
“The economic damage in North Carolina alone is estimated at $53 billion dollars with only about 5% of this damage covered by insurance,” Edwards said.
Edwards has been on the ground in Western North Carolina since the storm and has shared resources from FEMA throughout the storm and disavowed misinformation that the federal government was not helping the region.
While Edwards thanked FEMA for their work, he said there was room for improvement in terms of communication.
“It took up to three days before there was any real visibility from FEMA, and that’s just simply not good enough,” Edwards said. In his written testimony, he outlined examples such as Transylvania County where FEMA did not set up a disaster recovery center until October 17, almost three weeks after the storm.
Edwards also stated that FEMA was unable to answer his questions about recovery centers or provide detailed information about when they were first on the ground in the region.
“On day three after the storm, FEMA announced to me that it had delivered 400 palettes of desperately needed water to Western North Carolina. But when asked where those supplies had been delivered, FEMA couldn’t provide one single location,” Edwards said in the meeting.
“They deferred responsibility to the state which left local officials in the dark about where resources were going and who could also not answer my simple question.”
FEMA told BPR in October that it moved pallets of water and food into local areas before the storm that the state could then draw from but was not specific about where those supplies were located.
FEMA confirmed Wednesday that water and food were shipped to state warehouses at Estes Charlotte Terminal, Charlotte, NC and Baldwin Logistics Supply Center, New London, NC before the storm.
A FEMA spokesperson said the state delivered these supplies to Asheville and other locations but deferred to the state for that confirmation.
During the meeting, Perry criticized the agency for their pace in delivering temporary housing trailers to communities in Western North Carolina, living without power and heat.
The first family moved into FEMA provided housing units on Nov. 1. So far, 11 families have moved into FEMA-provided housing units and more are being licensed each day, according to FEMA.
More than 4,800 households are still using Transitional Sheltering Assistance hotels and motels, a program of FEMA, across North Carolina.
Representatives questioned FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell about the role of the agency in housing and aid for migrants at the southern border.
Criswell explained that the Shelter and Services Program (SSP) is funded by the Center for Domestic Preparedness administered by FEMA as demanded by Congress. Congress appropriated $650 million for SSP in 2024.
“SSP provides financial support to non-federal entities to provide sheltering and related activities to noncitizen migrants following their release from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS),” according to FEMA’s website. “The intent is to support CBP in the safe, orderly, and humane release of non-citizen migrants from short-term holding facilities.”
Resources available for disaster assistance are different from resources available for migrants, Criswell explained.
A number of representatives asked why the disaster funding couldn’t be taken from the SSP program. Criswell explained to members of Congress that the program is a congressional program.
A number of representatives also recommended a “universal” application process for disaster survivors to apply for all types of federal aid in one place to streamline the aid and reimbursement processes.
Criswell addresses staffing concerns
Throughout the meeting, a number of representatives asked Criswell if FEMA is understaffed or underfunded.
Rep. Larsen (D-WA) said he was concerned about staffing.
“I’m troubled by reports that 47% of calls made to FEMA during the week of October 14th to 20 were not answered and that of the more than 260,000 survivors that registered for FEMA assistance, nearly 50% have been denied. Difficulty accessing this assistance is not unique to this disaster,” Larsen said, citing a nationwide U.S. government accountability office report between 2016 – 2020 that found issues with FEMA staffing.
“FEMA often responds to high denial rates by saying survivors can appeal their award decision. That is not an adequate response nor is that an adequate solution,” he said.
Criswell pushed back against the critique, explaining that FEMA has “layered” staffing which allows the organization to call on staff across the federal government as needed.
“We appreciate tools like the Crew Act that was passed recently that give us the flexibility to recruit more people into our reservists, our intermittent workforce, which are really the heart of what we do,” Criswell said. “That’s the workforce that we need to continue to focus on because we don’t need everybody every day. But given the amount of disasters that we are experiencing. This surge need, this surge availability of our intermittent, our reservist workforce is critical to us being able to do the work.”
Funding is key issue
At the heart of the issue, is the need for Congressional appropriations of funding to keep FEMA running, Criswell said.
At the hearing, she laid out the case for more funding to the agency, noting that the current balance within the disaster relief fund is just under $5 billion. In August, the organization paused reimbursement to other communities that are rebuilding to prioritize paying for immediate needs projects.
“Many of these small rural communities often can’t move on to the next project until they get reimbursed from the one that they are waiting for. And so this has a significant impact on a community’s ability to have an effective recovery when they don’t have the cash flow because they’re waiting for the federal government to reimburse them for what they are eligible for under the disaster declaration,” Criswell said.
Larsen said Congress has failed to approve critical long-term recovery funds for disasters in 2023 and 2024 in 21 states ranging from Alabama and Arkansas to Texas, Vermont and Washington State.
Rep. Mike Ezell of Mississippi asked Criswell directly about specific projects in the state that have not received funding promised after Hurricane Katrina.
“This upcoming August will be 20-year anniversary for Hurricane Katrina. 20 years. That’s nearly two decades [that] the city of Biloxi is still waiting on some of their infrastructure projects. How is it 20 years later that there are still unresolved projects from Katrina?” Ezell asked.
“Congressman, recovery is very complicated and every project has its own unique situation. I’m happy to look into the specific projects,” Criswell said.
A North Carolina delegation, including U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis and Ted Budd, and U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards sent a letter to urging President Biden to send Congress the request for supplemental appropriations, which is money that can be spent outside federal budgets and is usually allocated after the fiscal year has begun this week, BPR reported.
On Monday, President Biden also sent a letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives requesting additional funding for disaster relief.
“I urge the Congress to take immediate action, and I look forward to your partnership in delivering this critical relief to the American people,” Biden said in the letter.
Till spoke to the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday to call for additional relief funding.
Emergency aid could be attached to any spending bill designed to keep federal agencies operating after current funding expires Dec. 20.
BPR reported that in October, South Florida Congressman Jared Moskowitz, (D-FL), filed a bill for $15 billion in supplemental appropriations for disaster relief from Congress. The bill has not moved from the House Committee on Appropriations since it was filed.
