A week after Hurricane Helene made its deadly, destructive landfall and swept across the interior Southeast, the storm’s victims say they still haven’t seen much help from the Biden-Harris administration.
“I haven’t seen any federal folks. I haven’t seen FEMA or local emergency crews. It’s just neighbor helping neighbor,” said North Carolina state Rep. Donnie Loftis told The Washington Times.
Mr. Loftis, a Republican, was delivering much-needed supplies on Thursday to a local church in Hendersonville, which sits about 30 minutes north of Asheville, in one of the hardest hit areas in the state. He said the church is providing supplies, water, and pet food to those impacted by the storm.
Those supplies, Mr. Loftis said, came from nearby churches that rose to the occasion, not the state or federal government.
“I think it is insufficient,” he said. “People say they’ve seen nothing from the federal government out here. It’s just neighbor helping neighbor.”
The death toll from the hurricane now tops 200 people, and about a third of those are in North Carolina.
In addition to supplies, Mr. Loftis said the church is giving out hot dogs cooked on a grill because it has no power. The hot dogs are the only warm meal some of the affected have eaten all week.
“In times of destruction and tragedy, Americans show their resilience,” he said. “They’re here, helping each other, providing to each other in their time of need. We don’t ask, ’Are you a Republican or are you a Democrat?’ We just ask, ’What do you need? How can I help?’”
He said he was frustrated with the federal response and particularly bothered that neither President Biden nor Vice President Harris was in Washington as the storm battered North Carolina. Mr. Biden was at his beach house in Delaware, and Ms. Harris was in California for two high-dollar fundraisers.
“I would want my president or the vice president on watch to be fully prepared to address the needs of the nation,” he said. “This story didn’t suddenly blow in overnight. There was plenty of warning from the time it hit the Florida panhandle until the time it came through Asheville.”
“The president or vice president should have a plan of action or at least be at the desk directing the federal response,” he said.
Amid all the destruction, Mr. Loftis said he’s witnessed powerful moments of people coming together to help each other.
Earlier this week, a man arrived at the church and told the pastor that he hadn’t had water in a long time and was very thirsty. The pastor handed him a 20-pack of bottled water. With tears in his eyes, the man told the pastor that he just needed a hug, according to Mr. Loftis.
The pastor responded, “I’ll do more than that. I’ll give you a hug and pray for you.”
The next day, the same man returned to the church, only this time handing out food to storm victims because he’s “reenergized” by the experience, Mr. Loftis said.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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