Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) expressed enthusiasm for Donald Trump‘s return to the White House in a matter of days, saying that the president-elect needs to drastically improve the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s handling of natural disasters.
Budd said FEMA needs to communicate properly in its treatment of Hurricane Helene victims, citing how the agency was planning to “kick people out” of hotels shortly after a snowstorm before delaying the deadline to Jan. 25, five days after Trump’s inauguration. The North Carolina senator added that people were still getting kicked out of their housing, prompting him and other lawmakers to contact FEMA “late at night” and help those displaced from the hurricane to get their temporary shelter back.
“This is what FEMA needs to do: They need to be there for real instances like western North Carolina, and Trump can’t get here fast enough,” Budd said on Fox News’s Fox & Friends. “We know his administration is going to make some great changes, and they’re going to communicate better, and they’re going to make it have a much better operation for FEMA because it desperately needs it.”
During Wednesday’s hearings for Trump’s Cabinet nominees, Sean Duffy, the nominee for transportation secretary, told senators in his confirmation hearing that western North Carolina would be his “first visit.” Budd spoke favorably about Duffy, saying he would do “a great job” in the position.
Budd also encouraged Hurricane Helene victims living in North Carolina to visit his website or contact Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) to help them back into their permanent homes. Anyone who was unfairly kicked out of temporary shelter by FEMA is also encouraged to contact lawmakers so they can properly investigate FEMA’s decision.
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The North Carolina senator also said Hurricane Helene’s impact on the state was “a thousand-year” event, differing from the wildfires in Southern California that could have been prevented with proper policy and leadership. North Carolina’s hurricane recovery efforts, meanwhile, are expected to take years to fully set in.
Ahead of Trump’s inauguration next week, Gov. Josh Stein (D-NC) said he is eager to work with Trump on North Carolina’s recovery efforts, as over 100 people have been killed by the hurricane.