Latest news with #Helene-ravaged
New York Post
08-05-2025
- Climate
- New York Post
Hail threatens to damage Helene-ravaged North Carolina ahead of flash flood risk
The weather pattern that soaked parts of Texas and Louisiana earlier this week will shift to the east before stalling, setting up days of severe weather and a prolonged flash flood threat through early next week. According to the FOX Forecast Center, a broad area across the South and mid-Atlantic will face an increasing threat of thunderstorms beginning Thursday afternoon when a cluster of storms will develop across Middle Tennessee and move east into northern Alabama, North Georgia, and western North Carolina, an area that is still recovering from Hurricane Helene. Storms will track along a stalled cold front through the weekend with a widespread 3-5 inches of rain expected from Florida through the Carolinas, with some tallies reaching a foot and possibly more. Severe storms threaten Helene-ravaged western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee with damaging hail Thursday's severe storms will develop in the afternoon and could produce very large hail, greater than 2 inches, and severe wind gusts in an area covering cities like Knoxville, Tennessee, and Asheville, North Carolina, where many communities are still recovering from Helene's devastation last September. There is also a tornado threat associated with these storms. NOAA's Storm Prediction Center has issued a Level 2 out of 5 risk for severe thunderstorms for the region. 5 The weather pattern that soaked parts of Texas and Louisiana earlier this week will shift to the east before stalling, setting up days of severe weather and a prolonged flash flood threat. Getty Images Flash flood threat for Southeast lasts through the weekend The worst of this week's flooding appears to have impacted parts of southern Louisiana, where some communities reported over 8 inches of rainfall in just 24 hours. 'You had training storms just dumping buckets of rain over the same spots, which is why we're seeing a lot of clustering near Lake Charles, Louisiana, in between I-10 and I-49,' FOX Weather Meteorologist Haley Meier said while pointing out storm reports. A rather unusual weather pattern for May, known as an Omega block, is largely responsible for the stagnant system, with prolonged periods of warmth in some areas of the country and steady rain in others. 5 Thursday's severe storms will develop in the afternoon and could produce very large hail, greater than 2 inches, in cities like Knoxville, Tennessee, and Asheville, North Carolina, where many communities are still recovering from Helene's devastation last September. Getty Images The National Weather Service in New Orleans warns that the aftermath of the rain days later can be just as consequential, with many streams and rivers across the lower Mississippi Valley at moderate flood stage and likely facing weeks of high water levels. How much more rain is expected? Computer model forecasts show a widespread swath of 2-5 inches of rainfall over the next five days, with some communities possibly seeing totals upwards of a foot into next week. 5 Storms will track along a stalled cold front through the weekend with a widespread 3-5 inches of rain expected from Florida through the Carolinas, with some tallies reaching a foot and possibly more. Andrey Solovev – Cities such as Tallahassee, Florida; Savannah, Georgia; and Charleston, South Carolina, are all in the zone of potentially the heaviest precipitation, where rainfall totals could approach double-digits before the wet weather pattern winds down. 'A good 2 to 3 inches for a spot like Panama City, Florida, and, for Gulfport, Mississippi, 1 to 2 inches. But I do think if we have a couple storms that park overhead and can produce some pretty intense rain rates, which is what's projected, these numbers may be under-doing it just a touch,' Meier said. While the flash flood threat is elevated through the week and into the weekend, it is not currently near the top of the threat scale, thanks in part to many areas along the Eastern Seaboard being in drought conditions and in need of rainfall. 5 In addition to any storm potentially becoming strong to severe, with hail and damaging winds, it's the rainfall and associated flooding that have forecasters most concerned. wowkwasyl – 5 Flash flooding is the deadliest weather-related hazard in the U.S., according to reports. AP In addition to any storm potentially becoming strong to severe, with hail and damaging winds, it's the rainfall and associated flooding that have forecasters most concerned. Flash flooding is the deadliest weather-related hazard in the U.S., and, according to NOAA data, an average of 127 people die from it each year. According to National Weather Service forecasters, just 6 inches of fast-moving water can knock an adult off their feet, and a foot of floodwater can carry a car away.
New York Times
27-03-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Musk Targeted FEMA. Storm-Battered Communities Are Paying a Price.
A post from Elon Musk last month trumpeted a supposedly startling discovery by his team of government cost-cutters: The Federal Emergency Management Agency had provided $59 million to house undocumented immigrants in New York City. The money, he declared, was 'meant for American disaster relief and instead is being spent on high end hotels for illegals!' But if Mr. Musk's goal was to funnel more FEMA money to disaster aid, the fallout from his declaration had the opposite effect. A pair of Trump administration orders, issued soon after the Feb. 10 social media post, aimed to block any agency money from helping undocumented immigrants and 'sanctuary' jurisdictions protecting them left FEMA staff without sufficient guidance about how to proceed, effectively freezing payments on billions of dollars in disaster grants, according to two people briefed on the process and an internal document viewed by The New York Times. While the freeze did not stop aid going directly to disaster survivors, it has disrupted payments to states, local governments and nonprofits, with ramifications being felt across the country. In Florida, a nonprofit that helps hurricane survivors find housing and other services noticed its promised FEMA payments stopped coming, raising fears that it will have to trim operations. In southeastern Michigan, communities hit by devastating floods two years ago are waiting for federal money to cover the cost of rebuilding. And in Helene-ravaged western North Carolina, tiny Warren Wilson College, a liberal arts school that specializes in environmental and climate science, has been hoping to hear in recent weeks about an application for aid to repair damaged roofs and clear debris from research fields, but has heard nothing. 'There's a deep sadness when walking through all that debris, knowing all that was lost,' said Rosemary Thurber, a 22-year-old student at the college whose studies have been disrupted. She said that she and her fellow students were 'losing faith in our federal government.' The funding freeze illustrates the extraordinary power of Mr. Musk, the world's wealthiest man, who has increasingly pointed his Department of Government Efficiency at exposing funding that benefits undocumented immigrants and whose demands regularly prompt responses from senior government officials. In this case, Mr. Musk's 5:03 a.m. post on X, the social media platform he owns, was followed hours later by a memo from Cameron Hamilton, the acting head of FEMA, saying the agency had stopped payments under a variety of grant programs, and given DOGE 'full system access to our financial management system.' Nine days later, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose agency includes FEMA, signed the first of two agency orders that took aim at migrant funding and effectively spread the freeze across almost all of the agency's grants. After The New York Times submitted a list of detailed questions about the freeze on Monday, Ms. Noem on Tuesday signed a memo authorizing agency staff to exempt certain grants from the immigration-related orders, according to a person briefed on the change. It is not clear when or how quickly FEMA will go about releasing the money, and the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to The Times's questions. A representative for the White House and DOGE did not respond to questions this week. The FEMA press office said in a separate statement last week that it attributed to an unnamed homeland security official: 'FEMA is taking swift action to ensure the alignment of its grant programs with President Trump and Secretary Noem's direction that U.S. taxpayer dollars are being used wisely and for mission-critical efforts.' The freeze has played out against the backdrop of widespread upheaval at the disaster relief agency, highlighted by Ms. Noem's assertion during a Monday cabinet meeting that 'We're going to eliminate FEMA.' Ms. Noem's office has directed staff to develop a plan to disband the agency, according to a person familiar with internal deliberations who was not authorized to discuss the matter in public. It is not clear what government agencies, if any, would take over FEMA's role delivering aid to communities hit by disasters. Mr. Trump has mused about returning those duties to the states, or perhaps having the Defense Department carry more responsibility for responding to disasters. In the short term, however, many communities that see FEMA grants as a lifeline are still waiting. 'There are projects beyond our ability to address on our own,' Damián J. Fernández, the president of Warren Wilson College, said earlier this month on a campus still covered in debris from the September storm, his voice breaking. 'We have followed the rules. But the system is not working.' One storm leads to another FEMA's existential crisis arguably began last fall, when Hurricane Helene killed more than 100 people in North Carolina and damaged more than 73,000 homes. The destruction was shocking, especially in a region not accustomed to hurricanes, and quickly became part of the presidential campaign. Within a week of the hurricane reaching North Carolina, FEMA had provided more than $45 million in disaster relief and sent more than 1,500 personnel, according to the agency. But as survivors struggled to regain access to basic services, many concluded that FEMA was failing to do enough. That message was amplified by Mr. Trump and Mr. Musk, who began criticizing FEMA for spending its money to house illegal immigrants rather than help hurricane survivors. 'Kamala spent all her FEMA money, billions of dollars, on housing for illegal migrants,' Mr. Trump claimed at a rally soon after the storm, referring to Kamala Harris, then the vice president and his rival in the presidential race. Mr. Trump appeared to be referring to the Shelter and Services Program. Congress approved it under the Biden administration, directing FEMA to run a program for housing migrants who entered the United States and were released by federal officials. Congress gave the program $650 million last year for cities, states and nonprofits, but Mr. Trump's comments were inaccurate. FEMA's spending on migrants does not mean FEMA has less money to spend on disaster survivors. The money for migrants comes from the budget of Customs and Border Protection, not out of FEMA's budget. Money for disaster survivors comes directly from Congress. There is no overlap between those two funds. Soon after his return to the White House, Mr. Trump made Mr. Hamilton acting FEMA director. A former Navy SEAL and congressional candidate who campaigned on an anti-illegal immigration message, Mr. Hamilton did not have experience running a state or local emergency management agency. DOGE members arrived at the agency's downtown Washington headquarters in early February to begin going through contract and grant payments. Then came Mr. Musk's post. 'The @DOGE team just discovered that FEMA sent $59M LAST WEEK to luxury hotels in New York City to house illegal migrants,' Mr. Musk wrote, exaggerating the quality of hotel rooms that were used. He added that FEMA had in his view violated an executive order from Mr. Trump, which ordered the agency to pause money supporting undocumented migrants. 'A clawback demand will be made today to recoup those funds,' he wrote. The Trump administration response was swift. Ms. Noem accused 'deep state activists' of going rogue and circumventing her leadership to 'unilaterally' transfer money to the city in the first place. FEMA took the extraordinary step of abruptly clawing back $80 million in federal shelter funds from a New York City-owned bank account, including the $59 million Mr. Musk posted about, leading the city to sue the Trump administration. And Mr. Hamilton publicly pledged to punish anyone involved in the transfer of the money, leading FEMA to fire four people, including the agency's chief financial officer, Mary Comans. Privately, however, Mr. Hamilton offered a different account. In his Feb. 10 memo, distributed after Mr. Musk's post, he explained that a top homeland security official on Jan. 30 had given FEMA permission to keep making payments to state and local governments, which included funds for the migrant shelter program, according to a copy of the memo reviewed by The Times. In that memo, which laid out the steps FEMA had taken to halt funding after the Musk post, Mr. Hamilton also wrote that the FEMA officials who had signed off on payments for the migrant program 'believed they were acting in good faith and in line with intent and direction received' from D.H.S., President Trump and Mr. Musk's DOGE team. Mr. Hamilton did not respond to a request for comment. Ms. Comans is now suing FEMA, claiming the agency made her the scapegoat for a policy that the agency reversed after Mr. Musk complained about it. 'My client was actually following the directions of D.H.S./FEMA leadership,' said Mark S. Zaid, Ms. Comans's lawyer. But instead of backing off, Ms. Noem cracked down further. On Feb. 19, she issued a memo directing FEMA and other agencies within DHS to cut off funding for what she called 'sanctuary jurisdictions' — cities or states that fail to help federal authorities track down, arrest or hold migrants. On Feb. 28, FEMA imposed a 'manual review' on all grants, according to copies of the memos reviewed by The Times. The result: a freeze on payments that FEMA owed beneficiaries on grants valued at more than $100 billion, many of which are designed to stretch across multiple years. Real-world consequences For some, the impact of the freeze has been profound. French Broad Electric Membership Corporation, a small utility outside Asheville, N.C., spent about $18 million through the end of last year to pay workers and contractors for repairs to power lines, poles and wiring after Helene knocked out power to all of its 43,000 customers. The co-op got approved for an expedited grant under FEMA's public assistance program in early February, according to Jeff Loven, the co-op's general manager and CEO. It was supposed to get $9 million by the middle of last month, he added, but was still waiting for the money as of Wednesday afternoon. 'We've had to borrow money on short-term lines of credit to be able to pay these folks, as well as the vendors who supplied these materials,' Mr. Loven said. If the freeze continues, he added, 'we have to go borrow more money and get further in debt.' The interest on that line of credit is about $250,000 a month, Mr. Loven said, and that cost could end up falling on their customers unless the co-op gets the FEMA money soon. In Florida, when Hurricane Ian struck Fort Myers in September 2022, it destroyed the rental house that Hayley Riotto was living in. Ms. Riotto, who was then a 22-year-old single mother, wound up living out of her car with her two children, who were three and four. At one point, she found a campground and told her children they were on an extended camping adventure. Ms. Riotto eventually found her way to Compass 82, a nonprofit that connects survivors with charities and government services. The group helped her secure a deposit for a new rental home, as well as beds, dressers and a table to put in it, and clothing for her and her children. Once Ms. Riotto had a home again, she was able to get a job. 'My kids are just flourishing,' she said. Compass 82 has about 50 case managers who are working with more than 750 hurricane survivors around Florida, according to Susan Marticek, the group's executive director. But that work is funded by FEMA. On Wednesday, the group got a small payment, possibly a sign of the freeze being lifted. But Ms. Marticek said she is still waiting on about $1.3 million in reimbursements, for work done in November, December and January. Without that money, she said she expects she'll need to start laying off staff in two or three months — just as hurricane season starts. Pacific Gateway Center, a nonprofit in Hawaii that helps survivors of the 2023 Lahaina wildfire get back on their feet, last got money from FEMA in December, according to its executive director, Matthew Johnson. He had expected additional reimbursements to come early this year, but as of Wednesday that money had not yet arrived. He estimated that his group can hold out for maybe one or two months before it starts cutting case workers. FEMA's grants also pay part of the budgets for state and local emergency management agencies, the same offices that Mr. Trump has said he wants to shoulder more of the burden for responding to future disasters. Michigan's state emergency management agency was waiting on $112 million in funds, according to Lauren Thompson, a spokeswoman for the agency. Maryland's emergency management department was waiting for $81 million in frozen FEMA grants as of Wednesday, according to Jorge Castillo, a spokesman. At Warren Wilson College, staff got a call from FEMA in mid-March, two months after filing their application. Those 'expedited' applications are usually processed within 30 days, according to Christian Montz, vice president of emergency management at High Street Consulting, a group that helped the college work with FEMA. But FEMA wasn't calling to say the grant had been approved. Rather, an agency representative said FEMA had missed its internal deadline for processing the application. The college would need to file it again. Officials within FEMA who consider grant applications have been reluctant to issue approvals since Mr. Musk's Feb. 10 post about migrants and Ms. Comans's firing, for fear of being punished by the agency's leadership, according to three people inside FEMA who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal dynamics. While the college waits, its research fields are still unusable, causing much of Rosemary Thurber's studies to be disrupted. Outdoor classrooms near the river trail remain covered with debris that seemed to come from someone's kitchen, mixed with washed-up toys and shoes. 'I really look forward to times when we can be growing food out there again,' she said.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
North Carolina wildfires scorch 6,000 acres as lingering Helene damage hampers firefight: 'Absolute travesty'
POLK COUNTY, N.C. – The fight against destructive wildfires tearing through North Carolina is being significantly hampered by Hurricane Helene's lingering devastation, officials revealed, calling the situation "an absolute travesty." Evacuations Expand In Carolinas As Wildfires Rage In Hurricane Helene-ravaged Areas The powerful storm, which swept through the region in late September, left behind a trail of destruction that is now proving to be a major obstacle in containing the blazes that have consumed over 6,000 acres in the state. As evacuation orders remain in place for several neighborhoods, the stark reality of the intertwined disasters is becoming increasingly clear, North Carolina Forest Service Supervisor Nicholas Hoffmann said. "It is an absolute travesty that it's happened," he emphasized. "And the Helene damage is actually one of the biggest contributing factors to the difficulty in fighting this fire because of all the damage, the landslides, the lack of access that it has created … in addition to the steep, steep terrain and the high winds we're having right now." Fire officials are now grappling with a two-layered crisis. FOX Weather meteorologists spent weeks on the ground in North Carolina following Helene, and their reports painted a stark picture of the sheer volume of fallen trees and debris that would dry out and become potent fuel, increasing the fire risk. "You have thousands of trees that are just lying in the forest that have been drying up over the last couple of months, and it's a tinderbox," FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin said. "These are hard areas to access. That's what made it so challenging with Helene and the response efforts, and they're still trying to rebuild. Now, they have a second natural disaster pretty much on their hands." As fires continue to burn, Mother Nature is not doing the area any favors with another dry and windy day on tap for Wednesday. The FOX Forecast Center said westerly winds will descend on the east side of the Appalachians, where they'll be warm and dry. This will contribute to afternoon temperatures in the 60s and 70s, winds between 15 and 30 mph and relative humidity below 30%. These are ripe conditions for the spread of ongoing or new fires. Although it will remain dry on Thursday, the fire threat will not be as great as it is Wednesday, as high pressure moves in overhead and causes the winds to diminish. The destructive power of wildfires in Polk County has become evident after 11 homes were destroyed on Tuesday. Officials report that the Black Cove Fire, which was started by a downed power line, has burned over 3,000 acres and remains uncontained. The nearby Deep Woods Fire has also consumed nearly 3,000 acres with no containment. The smaller Fish Hook Fire is partially contained, but the situation led to the evacuation of 165 homes by Tuesday evening. By Tuesday evening, emergency management officials in Henderson County had mandated evacuations for the Summer Haven community and four other neighborhoods. An additional dozen nearby communities were also under pre-evacuation advisories. New Wildfire Nearly Traps Deputies Searching For Hiker Missing Weeks In South Carolina Wilderness Simultaneously, South Carolina also issued evacuation orders Tuesday evening in Greenville and Pickens counties due to the Persimmon Ridge Fire, which is part of the larger Table Rock Fire Complex. The South Carolina Forestry Commission said that good progress was made in battling the blaze on Tuesday, but later, "wind gusts dramatically increased fire activity." The Table Rock Fire has burned over 2,200 acres, and the Persimmon Ridge Fire has charred about 1,000 acres. Both are at 0% article source: North Carolina wildfires scorch 6,000 acres as lingering Helene damage hampers firefight: 'Absolute travesty'
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Evacuations ordered as wildfires burn in Helene-ravaged western North Carolina
Three wildfires in western North Carolina are proving challenging for firefighters to beat because of rough terrain and debris left behind by Hurricane Helene. The Black Cove, Deep Woods and Fish Hook fires continue burning in Polk County, an area devastated by Helene almost six months ago. The Black Cove Fire, which began on Wednesday and was started by a downed power line, has burned 1,239 acres and had no containment as of Sunday morning. Meanwhile, the Deep Woods Fire is the largest at 1,802 acres and also remains 0% contained. Evacuation orders are in place for several areas surrounding the Black Cove and Deep Woods fires, officials said. The Fish Hook Fire has burned 199 acres and is 50% contained. Officials said at least six structures have been lost in the fire. A burn ban is in effect throughout the state of North Carolina as low relative humidity levels create an increased fire danger through Sunday evening. Other wildfires have erupted over the past week: one in Wilkes County, another in Burke County and a third in Caldwell County. The Wilkes County fire, called the Old Highway 16 Fire, has burned 200 acres and is 50% contained. Video from the Wilkes County EMS on Facebook shows smoke rising up through the wooded hills from the Old Highway 16 Fire on Saturday afternoon. A "red" air quality alert was also issued for Polk County on Saturday. The North Carolina Forest Service alerted residents to not go outside for a prolonged period of article source: Evacuations ordered as wildfires burn in Helene-ravaged western North Carolina
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
North Carolina primed for showdown over Dem AG's ability to sue Trump
A North Carolina bill could become the nation's test case on whether a legislature can prevent a politically-opposed state prosecutor from suing the presidential administration on behalf of the state. The bill, Sb 58, would limit present and future North Carolina attorneys general from participating in litigation seeking to invalidate any executive order issued by the president of the United States. "The Attorney General shall not, as a party, amicus, or any other participant in an action pending before a state or federal court in another state, advance any argument that would result in the invalidation of any statute enacted by the General Assembly," the bill reads. "The attorney general shall not… an action that would result in the invalidation of an executive order issued by the President of the United States [or] advance any argument in a pending action that would result in the invalidation of any executive order issued by the president." Nc School Board Member Rips 'Mediocre White Men' In Screed Against Dei Critics The bill passed on a party-line vote last week in the GOP-controlled state Senate, and appears primed for consideration by the House — which lost its veto-proof majority by one vote last election. Read On The Fox News App Attorney General Jeff Jackson has already put his name to several suits against the feds since taking office in January. Jackson, a Democrat and former member of Congress for the western Charlotte suburbs, has to put politics aside in his role and instead represent the state as a whole, his spokesman, Ben Conroy, said Monday in pushing back on the legislation. "The attorney general's duty is to be a nonpartisan shield for the people of North Carolina. Nearly 90 federal executive orders have been issued. Attorney General Jackson has filed four federal lawsuits to protect billions in funding for western North Carolina, our public universities, and rural jobs," Conroy said. "In each case, judges across the country have agreed that the federal government's actions were likely unlawful or unconstitutional. Any legislation that undermines the independence of the Attorney General's Office is bad for our state and its people." In a WCNC interview earlier this year, Jackson defended joining a multi-state lawsuit against President Donald Trump's federal funding freeze, saying the funds add up to billions of dollars for North Carolina. Jackson said some of that money would go toward victims of domestic violence, veterans, law enforcement and "could really impact FEMA and the recovery work they're doing in Western North Carolina." The bill's sponsor, Sen. Tim Moffitt — who hails from Helene-ravaged Hendersonville — previously described it as a "housekeeping" measure and a response to attorneys general writ-large using the courts to determine public policy. The Senate-approved bill has been sent to the House Rules Committee, chaired by Majority Leader John Bell IV, R-Goldsboro. Bell did not respond to a request for comment, but a spokesperson for House Speaker Destin Hall, R-Lenoir, said the people of North Carolina voted for Trump three times, and therefore it is clear where they stand on his governance. "And, it's disappointing when Democratic officials try and obstruct his agenda," spokesperson Grant Lefelar said. "North Carolina House Republicans are taking a look at several ways to hold the Attorney General accountable for wasting time on partisan lawsuits instead of working to crack down on violent crime and illegal immigration," Lefelar added. Fox News Digital also reached out to the bill's other topline sponsors, including Reps. Eddie Settle, R-Elkin, and Bobby Hanig, R-Currituck. Bill opponent Sen. Graig Meyer, D-Hillsborough, told the Carolina Journal that Jackson's power should not be curtailed when "he has the opportunity to defend our state for jobs, for funding, for healthcare, for things that our people desperately need." While Democratic Gov. Josh Stein is expected to veto the bill if it reaches his desk, he also did not respond to a request for comment. If House Republicans can get one Democratic vote, they could override any Stein veto. Fox News Digital also reached out to House Minority Leader Robert Reives II, D-Pittsboro, for his view on the legislation and whether any Democrats might cross the aisle. Mitch Kokai, a representative for the North Carolina-centric libertarian-leaning John Locke Foundation, said it is "no surprise" GOP leaders are trying to restrain Jackson from continuing to affix his name to lawsuits against Trump. "The new law also forces Jackson to defer to the general assembly's lawyers and legal strategy when legislators decide to take part in a courtroom dispute," he said. Kokai said an attorney general's core role is defending North Carolina and fighting in-state scams and crime and that there is "no compelling reason" to use taxpayer resources to "cozy up" to other AGs. "He can build his resume for the next stop in his political career on his own time," he said, as Stein, Democratic predecessor Roy Cooper, and prior Republican Gov. Mike Easley all served as the state's top lawman before moving into the governor's mansion. While in many states the attorney general's office mirrors the state legislative majority, North Carolina is one of a handful of states where the attorney general and governor are both Democrats, but the legislature is held by the GOP. Arizona and Wisconsin notably have the same governmental setup as North Carolina but do not appear to have forwarded similar legislation as of article source: North Carolina primed for showdown over Dem AG's ability to sue Trump
