On Jan. 24, 2025, just five days into his presidency, Donald Trump traveled to Western North Carolina, a region devastated by Hurricane Helene. Standing before a desperate but hopeful crowd, he pledged, “I’ll be taking strong action to get North Carolina the support that you need to quickly recover and rebuild.”
That was more than two and a half months ago. Today, those words ring hollow. Even with Congress approving $110 billion in disaster relief in December, Western North Carolina has yet to receive a single dollar in federal aid.
Helene left a staggering toll in its wake: more than 200 lives lost, 150,000 homes badly damaged, over 2,000 landslides and 12,000 people still displaced. Over 8,000 roads and bridges were destroyed, and entire communities were wiped out. It’s estimated that recovery from the hurricane — the deadliest storm to hit the U.S. mainland since Katrina — will require more than $60 billion.
And yet, in the absence of federal funding, recovery has been paralyzed. Thousands remain in unwinterized tents, sheds and RVs. Tarps still cover rooftops. The basic infrastructure needed to rebuild has not materialized.
Now, a new crisis threatens to deepen the devastation. Wildfires, fueled by hundreds of thousands of downed trees left untouched since the storm, recently burned more than 10,000 acres in Western North Carolina.
In Buncombe County alone, home to Asheville, 40 percent of all trees were felled by Helene. With key roads and bridges still impassable, firefighters are struggling to reach the fires. The same neglect that has stalled recovery is now making ongoing disaster response nearly impossible. Yet Washington remains silent.
The administration’s promises of swift action have not translated into relief. The people of Western North Carolina are not just waiting — they are suffering. Every day without federal aid is another day families live in tents or sheds, another day people are unable to pay their mortgage. Every day without aid is another day that someone loses their small business or gets evicted. And every day is another day the region remains abandoned by those who vowed to help.
But this is not just Washington’s failure — it is America’s. While social media buzzes with memes about the new administration, an entire region is being forgotten. The people of Appalachia deserve more than empty promises. They deserve action. They deserve the help they were promised.
And they deserve it now.
Lynne Russo a communications professional and a Hurricane Helene advocate who lives in Western North Carolina. Find her on Instagram @lynnerusso.