The chairman of the House Homeland Security subcommittee asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide details on what steps it had taken to prepare for Hurricane Helen after it became clear that catastrophic flooding would occur. I’m asking.
Helen made landfall in Big Bend, Florida, on September 26, causing flooding that devastated North Carolina, Tennessee, and other southern states, killing more than 200 people.
In a letter sent Saturday, Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, chairman of the House Emergency Management and Technology Subcommittee, wrote to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell that “FEMA’s advanced predictive models, “Information regarding deployment and coordination with the federal government.” State and local partners responded. ”
A FEMA spokesperson confirmed to NBC News that FEMA received the letter and will work with Congress on Hurricane Helen efforts.
RN.Y. D’Esposito cited local officials in Buncombe County, North Carolina, who claimed that requests for water before the storm began were delayed, making Asheville’s water shortage even worse.
At a White House briefing on Monday, Homeland Security Adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall told reporters that FEMA was focused on pre-positioning efforts in Florida’s Big Bend region, an effort that saved lives. said. After landing, there was a “surge in supply capacity where it was needed most.” She noted that western North Carolina has now been identified as the hardest hit region.
While former President Donald Trump has harshly criticized FEMA and the entire administration’s response to HELEN, going so far as to spread misinformation about FEMA, other North Carolina Republicans have praised the federal government’s actions.
On Friday, Sen. Thom Tillis defended the agency, telling reporters: They can always work harder, and there are always kinks in the fancy parts, we’re working them out behind the scenes, but the message is that we’re all working together. I think we’re here to give, and I’m pretty proud of this team and the effort that’s been made so far. ”
“Now, will we be silent about areas where we can do better? No, but now I’m here to say we’re doing a good job,” he added.
Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards, who represents much of western North Carolina, criticized the federal government’s response earlier in the week, but by Friday he had written a letter to voters explaining that his complaints had been immediately addressed. I was writing to.
“We were hearing from county after county that FEMA and the state were not meeting food and water needs quickly enough and there was very little cell phone service,” he wrote. “After FEMA and the North Carolina Emergency Management Agency’s efforts to respond were unsuccessful, I requested that the White House immediately provide three pallets of water and ready-to-eat meals to each of the seven hardest-hit counties. Buncombe County provided 20 pallets of MRE and 20 pallets of water, all delivered on the same day, for storage until state resources are finally delivered. It was done.”
Edwards also called for the construction of temporary cell towers in six counties, and said all six counties had at least temporary cell towers installed by the end of the day.
The spokesperson told NBC News that the agency has already provided more than $110 million in federal aid to help thousands of survivors begin their recovery. More than 6,400 federal employees, including FEMA personnel, are deployed to the affected areas. FEMA has distributed more than 13.2 million meals, 13.4 million liters of water, 157 generators and more than 492,000 tarps to support recovery efforts in the region, according to a FEMA spokesperson. It is said that he did.
