Noem announced to reporters on her tour Saturday that the embattled agency, threatened with potential dissolution by President Donald Trump owing to its past ineffectiveness, has resolved 80% of its remaining caseload from Helene as of Tuesday.
Referring to Trump’s comments on FEMA, Noem said, "You've heard him make comments that he might even want to end it and have it be a process where the federal government sends block grants or sends the dollars to the state or to the local communities, and they decide how it's spent," according to USA Today.🚨 HOLY CRAP: Kristi Noem has announced FEMA has resolved 80% of Western North Carolina cases in just FIVE DAYS
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) February 8, 2025
INCREDIBLE!
I know Helene victims are SUPER grateful for this. They were abandoned for MONTHS. pic.twitter.com/5nVI5fO8gs
As reported by Scripps News, approximately 2,600 new families have registered for aid since Trump personally visited the area shortly after taking office.
Data from FEMA indicates that 153,000 households were issued FEMA assistance following the September 2024 storm in relation to it. The agency reported that the assistance has ranged from “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,” according to Scripps.
Noem explained, “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.”
She added, “I'll promise you one thing—President Trump has committed, and I'm committed with him to bringing FEMA into the 21st century."
Describing the recovery efforts to Fox Carolina Noem added, “We didn’t know that this was going to happen or have warning like we do many times in hurricane situations, but we could be more thoughtful on how we re-deploy educational programs and also where assets are located.”
Writing in a post to X Noem said, “Today, I had a chance to witness firsthand the resiliency of the people of North Carolina. @realDonaldTrump and I have your back. We are committed to getting Americans the aid and resources they need to rebuild quickly.”Today, I had a chance to witness firsthand the resiliency of the people of North Carolina. @realDonaldTrump and I have your back. We are committed to getting Americans the aid and resources they need to rebuild quickly. pic.twitter.com/RFPsHG98XC
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) February 9, 2025
