Latest news with #Helene-related
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Storms plague disaster response agency
Hurricane season starts June 1 and runs until Nov. 30 every year. This is expected to be an active season, and follows at least two dozen landfalling hurricanes in the mainland U.S. since 2016. News of Richardson's remark prompted outrage from former FEMA officials, Democrats in Congress and others concerned about the agency's ability to respond to disasters this year after more than a third of its staff was decimated by Trump administration and its Department of Government Efficiency cuts. Asked if Richardson would like to respond, FEMA sent USA TODAY a statement attributed to an unnamed DHS official. Under the leadership of Kristi Noem, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and the efforts of Richardson, FEMA is "fully activated in preparation for Hurricane Season," the statement read. "Despite meanspirited attempts to falsely frame a joke as policy, there is no uncertainty about what FEMA will be doing this Hurricane Season. FEMA is laser focused on disaster response, and protecting the American people." FEMA in the crosshairs In a statement to Reuters, Representative Bennie Thompson, the ranking Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, said "disaster response is no joke." "If you don't know what or when hurricane season is, you're not qualified to run FEMA," he stated. "Get someone knowledgeable in there." FEMA's future has been uncertain for months and the apparent joke in Monday's meeting is just the latest incident. President Donald Trump criticized the agency on the campaign trail last year and has called for it to "go away." The president told victims of the Hurricane Helene-related disaster in North Carolina after his January inauguration that residents needed "a good state government" rather than FEMA. Former acting administrator Cameron Hamilton was fired by Noem in early May after telling a House committee that it would not be his recommendation to abolish FEMA. After being appointed to replace Hamilton, Richardson told staff in his first meeting that he would "run right over" anyone who resisted change. In its response to criticism of Richardson, the adminstration again complained about FEMA: "It's not a secret that under Secretary Noem and Acting Administrator Richardson, FEMA is shifting from bloated, DC-centric dead weight to a lean, deployable disaster force that empowers state actors to provide relief for their citizens," the statement read. "The old processes are being replaced because they failed Americans in real emergencies for decades." Joking or not, cuts are real One former FEMA official told USA TODAY on June 3 that even if Richardson was joking in the meeting, it's worrisome the staff couldn't tell. "People were immediately confused," said Jeremy Edwards, a former FEMA deputy director of public affairs and now a communications advisor at the Century Foundation. The staff has voiced concerns about whether the agency is prepared for what may come this year and "we've seen internal memos that indicated the same," he said. "They've fired or laid off 2,000 of 6,000 employees, and they've created a culture of fear and toxicity where they've administered lie detector tests to employees." The current environment has prompted other senior employees to leave, he said. "How could they be prepared when they have top-level people leaving en masse? You're losing tons of expertise and knowledge based on the direction they're taking." Also on June 2, Richardson told staff they were going to scrap a draft strategic plan that had been expected to be released in May and revert back to the strategic plan used last year, Edwards said. The budget request put forward by the White House during the last week of May proposed cutting FEMA's budget by almost half from a year earlier. Carrie Speranza, a disaster executive who serves as president of the USA Council of the International Association of Emergency Managers, said she's hopeful state and local officials can successfully make their case to Congress about the need to restore FEMA's funding. "As the shock of grant reductions takes hold, remember this is a budget request. It is NOT the FY 2026 budget," Speranza said in a June 2 post on LinkedIn. "Think of it as the President's initial negotiation with Congress." The cuts pose a "tremendous risk, degrading public safety and national resilience," she said. "My key takeaway? We're still in the fight, and it's Congress's turn to up the ante." The administration's take on the agency's future Trump's 2025 budget does include $26.5 billion in disaster relief, the largest request ever, Speranza noted. During a June 3 briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said FEMA is taking hurricane season seriously. "Contrary to some of the reporting we have seen based on jokes that were made and leaks from meetings, Secretary Kristi Noem and the FEMA leadership are all over this," Leavitt said. "They are committed to ensuring that federal resources and tax dollars are there for Americans in need." However, she added: "The president has made it clear we're not going to enable states to make bad decisions with federal tax dollars and then have the federal government later have to bail these states out." Dinah Voyles Pulver, a national correspondent for USA TODAY, writes about hurricanes, violent weather and other environmental issues. Reach her at dpulver@ or @dinahvp on Bluesky or X or dinahvp.77 on Signal. Reuters contributed to this report. This story has been updated to add new information.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- USA Today
Joke or no joke, FEMA staff confused, concerned about budget cuts
Joke or no joke, FEMA staff confused, concerned about budget cuts The remark was made during a briefing by David Richardson, who has led the Federal Emergency Management Agency since early May. The U.S. hurricane season officially began on Sunday. Show Caption Hide Caption NOAA, FEMA cuts will impact hurricane season, experts warn The Trump administration's budget cuts at NOAA and FEMA will have an adverse affect on how the U.S. responds to hurricanes, experts warn. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA's parent agency, said the comment was a joke and that FEMA is prepared for hurricane season. Richardson was appointed as the new chief of FEMA last month after his predecessor, Cameron Hamilton, was abruptly fired. As the Atlantic hurricane season gets underway, storms are swirling again around the Federal Emergency Management Agency, tasked with helping communities recover from natural disasters. The latest erupted June 2 after reports surfaced that the agency's acting chief, David Richardson, said in a meeting with staff ‒ later explaining that it was a joke ‒ that he didn't know hurricane season had begun. Hurricane season starts June 1 and runs until Nov. 30 every year. This is expected to be an active season, and follows at least two dozen landfalling hurricanes in the mainland U.S. since 2016. News of Richardson's remark prompted outrage from former FEMA officials, Democrats in Congress and others concerned about the agency's ability to respond to disasters this year after more than a third of its staff was decimated by Trump administration and its Department of Government Efficiency cuts. Asked if Richardson would like to respond, FEMA sent USA TODAY a statement attributed to an unnamed DHS official. Under the leadership of Kristi Noem, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and the efforts of Richardson, FEMA is "fully activated in preparation for Hurricane Season," the statement read. 'Despite meanspirited attempts to falsely frame a joke as policy, there is no uncertainty about what FEMA will be doing this Hurricane Season. FEMA is laser focused on disaster response, and protecting the American people." FEMA in the crosshairs In a statement to Reuters, Representative Bennie Thompson, the ranking Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, said "disaster response is no joke." "If you don't know what or when hurricane season is, you're not qualified to run FEMA," he stated. "Get someone knowledgeable in there." FEMA's future has been uncertain for months and the apparent joke in Monday's meeting is just the latest incident. President Donald Trump criticized the agency on the campaign trail last year and has called for it to "go away." The president told victims of the Hurricane Helene-related disaster in North Carolina after his January inauguration that residents needed "a good state government" rather than FEMA. Former acting administrator Cameron Hamilton was fired by Noem in early May after telling a House committee that it would not be his recommendation to abolish FEMA. After being appointed to replace Hamilton, Richardson told staff in his first meeting that he would "run right over" anyone who resisted change. In its response to criticism of Richardson, the adminstration again complained about FEMA: "It's not a secret that under Secretary Noem and Acting Administrator Richardson, FEMA is shifting from bloated, DC-centric dead weight to a lean, deployable disaster force that empowers state actors to provide relief for their citizens," the statement read. "The old processes are being replaced because they failed Americans in real emergencies for decades." Joking or not, cuts are real One former FEMA official told USA TODAY on June 3 that even if Richardson was joking in the meeting, it's worrisome the staff couldn't tell. "People were immediately confused," said Jeremy Edwards, a former FEMA deputy director of public affairs and now a communications advisor at the Century Foundation. The staff has voiced concerns about whether the agency is prepared for what may come this year and "we've seen internal memos that indicated the same," he said. "They've fired or laid off 2,000 of 6,000 employees, and they've created a culture of fear and toxicity where they've administered lie detector tests to employees." The current environment has prompted other senior employees to leave, he said. "How could they be prepared when they have top-level people leaving en masse? You're losing tons of expertise and knowledge based on the direction they're taking." Also on June 2, Richardson told staff they were going to scrap a draft strategic plan that had been expected to be released in May and revert back to the strategic plan used last year, Edwards said. The budget request put forward by the White House during the last week of May proposed cutting FEMA's budget by almost half from a year earlier. Carrie Speranza, a disaster executive who serves as president of the USA Council of the International Association of Emergency Managers, said she's hopeful state and local officials can successfully make their case to Congress about the need to restore FEMA's funding. "As the shock of grant reductions takes hold, remember this is a budget request. It is NOT the FY 2026 budget," Speranza said in a June 2 post on LinkedIn. "Think of it as the President's initial negotiation with Congress." The cuts pose a "tremendous risk, degrading public safety and national resilience," she said. "My key takeaway? We're still in the fight, and it's Congress's turn to up the ante." The administration's take on the agency's future Trump's 2025 budget does include $26.5 billion in disaster relief, the largest request ever, Speranza noted. During a June 3 briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said FEMA is taking hurricane season seriously. "Contrary to some of the reporting we have seen based on jokes that were made and leaks from meetings, Secretary Kristi Noem and the FEMA leadership are all over this," Leavitt said. "They are committed to ensuring that federal resources and tax dollars are there for Americans in need." However, she added: "The president has made it clear we're not going to enable states to make bad decisions with federal tax dollars and then have the federal government later have to bail these states out." Dinah Voyles Pulver, a national correspondent for USA TODAY, writes about hurricanes, violent weather and other environmental issues. Reach her at dpulver@ or @dinahvp on Bluesky or X or dinahvp.77 on Signal. Reuters contributed to this report. This story has been updated to add new information.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New trails and parking unveiled at Old Fort post-Hurricane Helene
OLD FORT, N.C. (WNCT) — After months of Helene-related repair work, new trails and additional parking areas have opened in Old Fort, N.C. Thanks to the USDA Forest Service's Grandfather Ranger District and McDowell County, the 8 miles of trails will provide new connections in the Old Fort Trail system. In total, 20 of the 42 miles under the Old Fort Trail project are now open for hikers, bikers and equestrians. The new trails include: Catawba View Trail. Deep Cove Trail. Camp Rock Trail. Jerdon Connector. Stagecoach. The Old Fort Trails Project hopes improve the health and wellness of residents, grow the local economy through outdoor recreation, and build community through shared spaces on public lands. New parking areas will also be open at the Gateway Trailhead (new Meadows Parking) and at Camp Grier's Allison Trailhead on Mill Creek Road. Hazards are still present in the forests due to Hurricane Helene, so be sure to lookout for trees that may be weakened or washouts on access roads while you explore these trails. For more information on trail conditions in the Grandfather Ranger District, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
DOT Secretary Duffy announces $1.5B for Hurricane Helene, other disaster recovery
Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced Wednesday that the Department of Transportation will provide more than $1.5 billion in federal funding to help states and U.S. territories repair roads, bridges and other transportation infrastructure damaged by natural disasters, with $683 million targeted to Hurricane Helene recovery efforts. The funding, part of the Federal Highway Administration's Emergency Relief program, will support repair projects in 36 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Duffy, who visited the hardest-hit areas as one of his first official actions upon taking office, said the administration is committed to expediting recovery. 'Under President Trump's leadership, this Department will leave no state behind. We are expediting the process to remove unnecessary barriers for urgent projects so communities can rebuild in real time,' he said. 'Within the first 100 days of the Administration, we announced repairs to North Carolina's I-40 highway, washed out by Hurricane Helene, that are projected to save two-thirds in both cost and time — amounting to hundreds of millions of hard-earned tax dollars.' Hurricane Helene, which struck in September 2024, caused catastrophic damage across the Southeast, particularly affecting transportation networks in North Carolina and Tennessee. The storm destroyed sections of key highways, including I-40 and I-26, both critical routes for freight transportation in the hurricane's impact was especially severe on railroad infrastructure. More than 40 miles of CSX's former Clinchfield Railroad between Erwin, Tennessee, and Spartanburg, South Carolina, was washed away, including two bridges. Norfolk Southern also suffered extensive damage, with many sections along 50 miles of its line between Marshall and Old Fort, North Carolina, through Asheville destroyed by flooding. I-40, which straddles the North Carolina-Tennessee border, has been particularly affected. While some sections have recently reopened with limited capacity — including the stretch between Exit 7 in North Carolina and Exit 447 in Tennessee — many areas remain under construction. Currently, only one lane is open in each direction between exits 15 and 20 in North Carolina. Of the $1.5 billion allocated, North Carolina will receive $415 million, with more than $400 million dedicated to Hurricane Helene recovery. Tennessee will get $227 million, including more than $178 million for Helene-related repairs. Additional allocations include $68.8 million to South Carolina (with over $50 million for Helene), $44.6 million to Florida (including $43 million for damage from hurricanes Milton, Helene and Debby), and $26.4 million to Georgia (with $23 million for Helene recovery). This emergency funding builds on previous allocations, including a $352.6 million 'quick release' package and $167 million initially provided to North Carolina and Tennessee for emergency relief following the funds will be used to restore transportation routes that are essential to regional productivity and economic recovery. Projects include rebuilding damaged sections of I-40 and I-26, repairing bridges, and restoring roads that support tourism by connecting Americans to the region's natural resources. 'The Federal Highway Administration has been working closely with states across the country to restore vital transportation networks and provide safe travel for the public,' said FHWA Chief Counsel Jay Payne. 'As we continue to provide disaster relief, we remain steadfast in our commitment to provide the federal resources needed until all highway transportation links are restored.' The damage from Helene has had significant economic impacts beyond just infrastructure. CSX reported losing approximately $1 million per day in revenue during the first quarter due to hurricane damage and related network constraints. The railroad continues to rebuild its 60-mile line through eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina, with reconstruction expected to continue 'through the better part of this year' before completion in October or November, according to CSX Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Sean Pelkey. Duffy emphasized that the Department of Transportation will continue assisting affected states throughout the recovery process. 'We will continue to support impacted states and regions every step of the way as they make emergency repairs and get critical transportation infrastructure back up and running as quickly and safely as possible,' he said. The post DOT Secretary Duffy announces $1.5B for Hurricane Helene, other disaster recovery appeared first on FreightWaves.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Answer Man: Fires, fields and gardens: What to do with the giant mulch piles from Helene debris?
Editor's note: The Asheville Citizen Times and Times-News will answer your Helene-related questions in our Sunday column. Email Executive Editor KChavez@ Your question and answer could appear in an upcoming issue. Question: What are the plans for the mountains of wood chips left over from (post-Helene) cleanup efforts? I drove by Mills River Park just today and the wood chip piles look to cover acres. Are there plans to sell the wood chips, use them on state and county projects, give them to residents to control erosion or for other projects? Collecting the debris is only part of the effort, disposal is the next step. Answer: As anyone in Western North Carolina is aware, Tropical Storm Helene uprooted and toppled countless trees last fall with its catastrophic flooding and severe high winds, sometimes topping 100 mph according to the National Weather Service. Local governments have been making steady progress toward cleaning up the pervasive debris, from brush to entire trees that fell on cars and houses. After it's collected it's often fed through woodchippers to reduce its volume and more efficiently store it. The Times-News spoke with Henderson County Engineer Marcus Jones, who's in charge of the debris removal effort. He had updates on how that massive, 'unprecedented' undertaking is moving along and offered some answers to what will happen to all the material from the county's three debris removal programs: removing debris from the roadside, from waterways and from private property. He said the county has handled more than 750,000 cubic yards of debris, much of which has been chipped. There's around 5% left to be collected and processed, he said, 'but that's 5% of a whole lot, there's not (just) a few sticks out there.' The Asheville Citizen Times reported in April that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had removed 4.12 million cubic yards of Helene debris in Western North Carolina. Most of that, 2.1 million cubic yards, was removed from waterways in Polk, Buncombe and McDowell counties, the towns of Chimney Rock and Lake Lure and the City of Asheville by disaster remediation contractor Ash Britt. Another 1.9 million cubic yards were collected from the sides of roadways as part of the Army Corps of Engineers' right-of-way debris removal program. Asheville and Buncombe's private property debris removal program ended April 15, the Citizen Times reported. The towns of Woodfin and Weaverville had their own independent debris removal programs, which wrapped up their application process in March and April. There is 'many times more than the normal routine appetite for (mulch) in this region,' Jones said, so some will need to be shipped somewhere else. 'We're finding a home for it,' slowly but surely, he said. 'The only problem we're having is finding enough people to haul it.' One issue that the county's been dealing with is maintaining the woodchip piles once they're mounded up. Jones said that there have been several fires from spontaneous combustion — when moist, decomposing wood generates heat, like a compost pile, to the point that it catches on fire. 'You should be concerned about big mulch piles catching on fire,' he said. 'It does ignite' of its own accord. But, he said, those fires are manageable with the same heavy equipment used to process and mound the chips, which can also be used to put it out. Jones said that, as far as environmental impact, the piles aren't perfect, but that they're all permitted by the Department of Environmental Quality and are a strictly temporary measure. FEMA contractor Southern Disaster Recovery is tasked with collecting and disposing of Henderson County's debris. To answer one seemingly obvious solution: no, the material can't simply be sent to a landfill as garbage. 'Wood chips are banned from landfills,' Jones said. That said, they can be used in a landfill as 'daily cover,' or the layer, usually of dirt, that landfills are required to bury a day's deposit of garbage under. That's only making a dent, though. Jones said the county was burning mulch, using a method called air curtain burning where wood is burned in a metal container or a pit and air is blown onto it with a 'huge' fan. This makes the wood burn hotter and produce much less smoke that open burning. It 'eliminates a good bit of the pollutants,' Jones said. Still, the county shut that operation down after neighbors of the Edneyville-area site raised concerns about the still-significant amount of smoke. Some of the woodchips will be sold to wholesalers, who will turn it into your normal, garden-variety landscaping mulch. The county's also giving loads of mulch to farmers 'for rehabilitating their fields that … lost topsoil from the storm.' Clearing the backstock of woodchips could take 'months and months,' Jones said, but said that he's been happy to be wrong about that kind of estimate before. 'I thought we would be doing the roadside debris program for 12 months, and it's turned out to be seven, eight.' May 1 was the deadline to put debris out along the roadside for pickup, but the county is still in the thick of picking up all of it. Jones said in a May 21 Board of Commissioners Meeting that he hopes to finish that process by the end of June. More: 4.2 million cubic yards of Helene debris has been removed. What to know about debris deadlines More: Henderson County shares storm debris update, spending concerns, at Board meeting Citizen Times reporter Will Hoffman contributed to this report. George Fabe Russell is the Henderson County Reporter for the Hendersonville Times-News. Tips, questions, comments? Email him at GFRussell@ This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Answer Man: Where is Hurricane Helene debris going?
