Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem on Saturday toured the damage left by flooding caused by Hurricane Helene in September 2024. During her stop in North Carolina, she said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency will speed up aid in future disasters despite President Donald Trump hinting at eliminating the agency.
On Saturday, Noem said that FEMA has resolved 80% of the cases remaining as of five days ago. She said that 2,600 additional families have registered for assistance since President Trump visited the region nearly two weeks ago.
According to FEMA, 153,000 households have received FEMA assistance since September 2024 in North Carolina related to the storm. FEMA said the types of assistance families have received include “rental assistance, money for basic repairs to their homes, sheltering in hotels, temporary housing in FEMA-provided mobile homes and travel trailers, funds for replacement of essential personal property, money for serious needs, and other assistance.”
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Thousands of households remain homeless. As of Friday, 2,596 households were in FEMA-paid hotels, and 150 households were in FEMA-provided temporary housing units. FEMA also said that 3,284 households have received rental assistance.
“FEMA can often be slow and confusing and a lot of paperwork. I heard that over and over and over again today. And we're going to fix that,” Noem said. “I'll promise you one thing—President Trump has committed, and I'm committed with him to bringing FEMA into the 21st century."
Days after taking office, President Trump said he would end the Federal Emergency Management Agency "right now" if it was up to him. "FEMA is a very expensive organization that really doesn't work out very well," he said.
Trump revealed that he would be signing an executive order that would overhaul FEMA or possibly "get rid" of the agency. He has yet to sign such an order, however. The president suggested the federal government could give money directly to states so they could respond to the disasters directly.
