FEMA abandons NC town hit by hurricane

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has abandoned a North Carolina town that was nearly destroyed by Hurricane Helene. 

The New York Post reports that FEMA did so merely because there was a "road closed" sign on their journey there.

Per the outlet:

Residents of a tiny North Carolina town that was almost totally destroyed by Hurricane Helene have been fending for themselves after FEMA told them that a “Road Closed” sign is an insurmountable obstacle for the agency to navigate.

This is quickly turning into a disaster for Vice President Kamala Harris's presidential campaign.

The details

The Post spoke with local residents of Bat Cave, North Carolina, about the situation.

Chelsea Atkins told the outlet:

FEMA called me and told me they wanted to inspect my house, then called me back to say they couldn’t drive around the "Road Closed" sign. They weren’t allowed. You can drive it by car for sure. It’s not that bad, you just have to drive around the "Road Closed" sign. I explained that to them. They said they couldn’t.

Accordingly, locals such as Atkins have had to essentially take care of themselves in the aftermath of the hurricane - and they have.

"Left to fend for themselves, Bat Cave residents banded together — opening the roads and starting the arduous work of cleanup and recovery," the Post reports.

It adds, "Residents told The Post that they don’t need FEMA now — and at this point, they don’t even want the disaster relief agency to come."

Team Trump responds

Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump had some choice words for FEMA during a recent appearance on CNN.

There, Trump said:

I hear every day from people on the ground there, and they are desperate for help. It is a dire situation there. I actually think we don’t even know the extent yet of truly how bad it is there.

Trump especially took issue with how the Biden-Harris administration has been spending FEMA money since the hurricane.

The Post separately reports:

She also hit FEMA for spending more than $1.4 billion since the fall of 2022 to tackle the migrant crisis. The $1.4 billion figure includes $780 million from the FEMA Emergency Food and Shelter Program and $640.9 million from the Shelter and Services Program.

Trump said:

You have migrants being housed in luxury hotels in New York City. We have paid so much money from our tax dollars into a crisis that didn’t need to happen. We could redirect money to help people immediately on the ground in North Carolina.