ASHEVILLE, N.C. — North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis defended FEMA during a news briefing in Asheville on Friday. This comes after some said FEMA was nowhere to be seen when they needed food, water and other basic necessities after Helene.

“I’ve lived in North Carolina for almost 30 years, I’ve seen a lot of storms come through this state," Tillis said. "I’m impressed with how much attention was paid to a region that wasn’t likely to experience the impact that they did."

What You Need To Know

  • N.C. Sen. Thom Tillis defended FEMA after some said the federal disaster response agency was nowhere to be found when they needed food, water and other necessities after Helene  
  • FEMA on Saturday announced disaster aid was available to the state for recovery efforts in the areas affected by Helene
  • Rumors have been circulating online that FEMA has said it would provide only limited amounts of assistance to disaster survivors 
  • Another false narrative is that FEMA doesn’t have enough money to provide disaster assistance

On Saturday, the day after Helene deluged the western part of the state, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced disaster assistance would be available to supplement recovery efforts.

“This is a new playbook for anybody who thinks that any level of government, anybody here could have been prepared precisely for what we are dealing with here, clearly are clueless,” Tillis said.

Some of the hardest-hit areas have been tough to get to because roads and highways have been closed and power has been out for many throughout the region. High winds also meant responders couldn’t fly into some of the most impacted areas.

In Buncombe County, the county manager says they have everything they need now.

“We’re feeling pretty good," Avril Pinder said. "At the beginning, the first 72 hours it was hard to get any help in here. But they are here on the ground with us. I was told that we have over a thousand responders coming in from across this country, helping us."

She said that now, "we have lots of resources." 

Rumors have been circulating online that FEMA said it will provide only $750 to disaster survivors to support their recovery. FEMA says that’s false.

Another claim is that FEMA doesn’t have enough money to provide disaster assistance. FEMA says that’s not true either.

“We’re grateful for the passage of the continuing resolution which gives me the ability to spend against the president’s budget for 2025. We have the funding we need to support all of these states that have been impacted," FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell said. "But hurricane season isn’t over yet and so we need to watch very closely what impacts other storms might have.” 

Related: Mayorkas warns FEMA doesn’t have enough funding to last through hurricane season

FEMA says it has personnel on the ground in all six states directly affected by Helene.

“That included search and rescue teams. That included the Army Corps of Engineers,” Criswell said.

Although some have criticized FEMA for its recovery efforts, the response time for Helene is similar the response time for previous natural disasters.

The agency’s main roles when responding to a disaster include conducting damage assessments, supporting local emergency management operations and providing financial assistance for individuals and governments.

To learn more about the disaster assistance application, click here.