Nine months after it hit, a North Carolina town is still dealing with the aftermath of a deadly hurricane, and a lack of federal aid is leaving its residents "in limbo."
What's happening?
Last September, Hurricane Helene ravaged the Southeast. The storm, which landed as a Category 4 hurricane, killed more than 230 people across six states.
More than 100 of those deaths occurred in North Carolina, and new photos published in The Guardian show the small town of Lake Lure is still dealing with the hurricane's devastation.
The town's century-old dam barely held up against the storm's floodwaters, but major damage left the town needing countless repairs, including an estimated $200 million to rebuild the dam, according to Reuters.
Originally, town officials believed the Federal Emergency Management Agency would come to their aid, giving the town much-needed relief. However, since President Donald Trump took office, FEMA has declined funding requests for projects to protect against future storms from six states, leaving Lake Lure's future up in the air.
"I think what we're seeing is a de-scoping of FEMA," town commissioner Dave DiOrio told Reuters. "If it does, that leaves us in limbo land."
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Why is this important?
As Raleigh-based WRAL reports, when North Carolina's 100% cost-share period with FEMA for debris removal and emergency protective measures expired, FEMA did authorize 90% funding for debris removal in the state when the usual coverage tops out at 75%. Nonetheless, in June, Trump said he plans to dismantle FEMA after this year's hurricane season, instead putting the onus for disaster recovery on the states.
"We want to wean off of FEMA, and we want to bring it down to the state level," Trump said. "A governor should be able to handle it."
His administration has also put forth plans to significantly slash staff at the Office of Community Planning, a part of the Department of Housing and Urban Development that funds recovery efforts after natural disasters.
All of this is happening at a time when natural disasters are happening more than ever before. As air pollution causes the planet to warm, extreme weather occurs with more severity and/or more frequently.
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Definitely 🙁 What can I do about natural disasters?
By understanding the issues that lead to more frequent severe weather, we can start to make helpful changes in our everyday life. Small changes like relying less on plastic or taking public transportation more often all contribute to lowering our carbon footprint and slowing the rate at which the Earth warms.
With that knowledge, we can also use our voices to advocate for larger-scale changes, whether it's by supporting eco-friendly companies or voting for politicians who will make our future a little more green.
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