It’s hard to read stories like this without shaking your head. Ronald Reagan’s famous quip about the government and its supposed “help” feels all too relevant when you examine the circus that is FEMA’s handling of disaster relief under the Biden administration. Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina months ago, yet thousands of people are still stuck in limbo, living in hotel rooms or scrambling for alternatives as FEMA pulls the rug out from under them. It’s a tale of inefficiency, mismanagement, and the ever-predictable federal government over-promising and under-delivering.
Let’s take stock. In the wake of Hurricane Helene, FEMA swooped in with its Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) program, offering temporary hotel accommodations for displaced families. On paper, that sounds reasonable. But fast forward to January, and you’ve got 3,500 households being told they no longer qualify for assistance—with just days to figure out their next move. The cherry on top? Winter weather is rolling in, with snow expected in parts of the region and temperatures dipping into the low 30s. How’s that for “help”?
Western North Carolina Hurricane Helene victims living in motels and hotels will be kicked to the streets starting tomorrow while snow falls and it’s 17 degrees. FEMA says 3,500 households don’t meet eligibility requirement for continued stays.
This is insanity.
Once again -… pic.twitter.com/U3bgCZfnyo
— Frank Fighting For Faith & Freedom 🕊️🇺🇸 (@thinktankfranks) January 9, 2025
FEMA’s reasons for cutting people off vary. Some homes are supposedly habitable again, some inspections were declined, and in other cases, FEMA simply couldn’t reach the applicants. But does that justify tossing families onto the streets in freezing weather? One Asheville woman interviewed by local news laid it out plainly: “I have nowhere else to go but the streets.” Another is preparing to surrender her dog to an animal shelter because she can’t guarantee she’ll have a roof over her head come Saturday. These are heartbreaking, avoidable scenarios—and they shouldn’t be happening in the richest country in the world.
Let’s not forget that FEMA’s response to Hurricane Helene was a mess from the start. In the small town of Bat Cave, some residents waited weeks for inspections that never materialized because FEMA workers refused to bypass “road closed” signs. Many locals resorted to cleaning up and rebuilding on their own—yurts included. Imagine relying on a federal agency, only to realize you’re better off handling things yourself. That’s the real kicker: for all the government’s big talk, it’s often the community, neighbors, and local organizations that step up when the chips are down.
Of course, FEMA defends itself with polished statistics. They’ve completed 91,500 inspections and are allegedly wrapping up the rest in record time. Great—but tell that to the families who have to vacate their hotel rooms in the middle of January. Speedy inspections are cold comfort when you’re staring down homelessness in the dead of winter.
This debacle is just another reminder of the broader failures of the Biden administration. From the inflation crisis to the border disaster to this fumbling of disaster relief, it’s clear that federal agencies are overwhelmed, underprepared, and out of touch with the people they’re supposed to serve. And as usual, the most vulnerable are the ones left holding the bag.
Perhaps the most tragic irony here is that many North Carolinians who were abandoned by FEMA have echoed the sentiment that they didn’t want the agency involved to begin with. Can you blame them? When the government can’t even execute its basic functions competently, self-reliance starts to look like the only sane option.
The victims of Hurricane Helene deserved better. Let’s hope that under new leadership, the federal government starts to prioritize action over optics. Until then, Americans would do well to remember Reagan’s warning: when someone from the government says they’re here to help, take it with a grain of salt—and maybe a good amount of skepticism.
