FEMA says North Carolina flooding from Hurricane Helene exceeded preparation; Criswell warns of landslides
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told CBS's Face the Nation she did not believe anyone could have been fully prepared for the amount of flooding and landslides North Carolina is experiencing from the remnants of Hurricane Helene. Helene — which made landfall last September as a Category 4 storm — continues to affect western North Carolina, where more than 6,800 people remain dependent on rental assistance or living in trailers or other mobile housing and communities like Swannanoa still face closed businesses, a shuttered post office and lingering debris.
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🔍 Key Facts
- Hurricane Helene made landfall last September as a Category 4 storm and swept through multiple states before impacting western North Carolina.
- FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, on CBS' Face the Nation, said she did not know that anyone could be fully prepared for the amount of flooding and landslides North Carolina is experiencing, explicitly framing the impacts as exceeding normal preparedness and highlighting landslides as a key hazard.
- Criswell's on‑the‑record assessment on a national broadcast could influence federal response posture or allocations.
- More than 6,800 people in western North Carolina remain dependent on rental assistance or are living in trailers or other mobile housing, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
- Local infrastructure and businesses in Swannanoa remain affected: the grocery store is closed, the post office has not reopened, and debris piles still mark the storm's path.
- Okie Dokies Smokehouse in Swannanoa was flooded and expects to reopen next month.
📰 Sources (2)
Face the Nation: Criswell, McMaster, Hogan
New information:
- FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell on CBS 'Face the Nation' said: "I don't know that anybody could be fully prepared for the amount of flooding and landslides that they are experiencing right now."
- The comment explicitly frames the North Carolina impacts from the remnants of Hurricane Helene as exceeding normal preparedness expectations and highlights landslides as a key hazard.
- The remarks are on‑the‑record in a national broadcast (CBS Face the Nation), providing a named federal official's assessment that may influence federal response posture or allocations.
A look at recovery efforts one year after Hurricane Helene
New information:
- Hurricane Helene made landfall last September as a Category 4 storm and swept through multiple states before impacting western North Carolina.
- More than 6,800 people in western North Carolina remain dependent on rental assistance or are living in trailers or other mobile housing, per the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
- Local infrastructure and businesses remain affected in Swannanoa: the grocery store is closed, the post office has not reopened, and debris piles still mark the storm's path; Okie Dokies Smokehouse was flooded and expects to reopen next month.