undefined | Mullin visits town devastated by Hurricane Helene, promises reforms to FEMA
MarkwayneâŻMullin, the new Department of Homeland Security secretary, made his first official trip to ChimneyâŻRock, NorthâŻCarolina â a small mountain town still reeling from HurricaneâŻHeleneâs SeptemberâŻ2024 deluge that dumped 22.5âŻinches of rain, buried half the homes along the Rocky Broad River in a 15âfootâdeep debris field, and closed ChimneyâŻRock State Park for nine months. Inside the townâs fire department, Mullin told local leaders he intends to shift FEMAâs role from being the primary onâscene responder to a funding conduit that empowers state and local governments to lead the initial âheavy liftâ of disaster recovery.
During a roundâtable with GOP Sen.âŻTedâŻBudd, emergency responders, and FEMA officials, Mullin pledged to speed up approvals for the 22 open major disasters as hurricane season approaches on JuneâŻ1. He highlighted recent FEMA actions â a $26âŻmillion buyâout of 75 homes in highârisk flood zones and a promise to pay FEMA workers for the first six weeks of a shutdown â while acknowledging a massive backlog of housing assistance and project approvals. Mullin also signaled a rollback of a controversial DHS memo that had required seniorâlevel clearance on contracts over $100,000, emphasizing that the administration wants âthe dollar closer to the stateâ and is working to name a permanent FEMA administrator.
The visit underscored how the stormâs âthousandâyearâ rainfall continues to haunt residents: broken roads, tornâup flags recovered from the river, and trailers still lining the riverbank. Fire ChiefâŻChrisâŻMelton, whose hometown was devastated, received a framed flag as a symbolic gesture from Mullin, while locals gathered at the River Watch Bar to watch the federal team assess the damage. Mullin left with a cautious promise â the federal government will help ease the pain, but it will not âtake care of everybodyâs problemsâ â and a commitment to streamline FEMA processes so that aid arrives before the next hurricane season.
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