TheBadPlaceundefined | Mullin visits town devastated by Hurricane Helene, promises reforms to FEMA
Markwayne Mullin, the new Department of Homeland Security secretary, made his first official trip to Chimney Rock, North Carolina – a small mountain town still reeling from Hurricane Helene’s September 2024 deluge that dumped 22.5 inches of rain, buried half the homes along the Rocky Broad River in a 15‑foot‑deep debris field, and closed Chimney Rock State Park for nine months. Inside the town’s fire department, Mullin told local leaders he intends to shift FEMA’s role from being the primary on‑scene responder to a funding conduit that empowers state and local governments to lead the initial “heavy lift” of disaster recovery.
During a round‑table with GOP Sen. Ted Budd, emergency responders, and FEMA officials, Mullin pledged to speed up approvals for the 22 open major disasters as hurricane season approaches on June 1. He highlighted recent FEMA actions – a $26 million buy‑out of 75 homes in high‑risk flood zones and a promise to pay FEMA workers for the first six weeks of a shutdown – while acknowledging a massive backlog of housing assistance and project approvals. Mullin also signaled a rollback of a controversial DHS memo that had required senior‑level clearance on contracts over $100,000, emphasizing that the administration wants “the dollar closer to the state” and is working to name a permanent FEMA administrator.
The visit underscored how the storm’s “thousand‑year” rainfall continues to haunt residents: broken roads, torn‑up flags recovered from the river, and trailers still lining the riverbank. Fire Chief Chris Melton, 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 – the federal government will help ease the pain, but it will not “take care of everybody’s problems” – and a commitment to streamline FEMA processes so that aid arrives before the next hurricane season.
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Kevin Stevens
Egberto Willies
Advocate.com
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Henk Prins