As Hurricane Helene left a path of devastation across North Carolina, many families were left waiting for federal aid that, for some, never arrived. Derek Roberts, the mayor of Newland, a small town of just over 700 residents, has come forward to expose the glaring failures of the Biden-Harris administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in helping those impacted by the storm, including his own daughter.
Mayor Roberts, in a recent interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, expressed his frustration with FEMA’s inadequate response, highlighting the harsh reality that many victims of the hurricane are now facing. His own daughter, whose home was completely destroyed by the storm, received only $300 from FEMA—far short of the $750 that Vice President Kamala Harris publicly promised victims would receive.
“My daughter, whose house got completely wiped out—she has no flood insurance—meets with a FEMA person, applies for everything, doesn’t get the $750 that Kamala says she’s supposed to get. Gets approved for $300 for personal items. What is that gonna do?” Roberts said in disbelief.
As the mayor pointed out, $300 doesn’t even cover the cost of replacing what was lost in the refrigerator, let alone begin to repair the extensive damage to his daughter’s home. Roberts painted a grim picture of the post-hurricane landscape, questioning how FEMA could expect families to rebuild their lives on such a paltry sum. “Her entire first floor is literally wiped out. Everything is gone. So where is FEMA?” he demanded.
Roberts’ experience is far from isolated. His testimony directly contradicts the narrative pushed by the Biden-Harris administration, which claims that FEMA and the federal government have been responsive and effective in delivering relief to hurricane victims. Yet, on the ground, many residents—especially in rural, conservative-leaning areas—are left wondering where the promised aid is.
Even more concerning, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas recently admitted that FEMA is struggling with funding to handle the 2023 storm season. This revelation has sparked outrage among conservatives, who argue that the Biden administration’s failure to secure the border has drained federal resources, leaving American citizens short-changed in times of crisis.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) recently penned a letter to Mayorkas, blasting FEMA’s mismanagement and raising serious concerns about the misuse of taxpayer dollars. “My office has been in contact with whistleblowers in numerous emergency-management functions at the federal, state, and local levels, and they all point to the same critical mismanagement issues. FEMA has wasted taxpayer funds, misappropriated funds, and left other federal, state, and local responders without deployment orders on the ground,” Gaetz stated.
The Florida congressman went on to highlight an alarming trend of FEMA resources being misused to assist illegal migrants rather than American citizens. “It is also public that NGOs have purchased airline tickets for migrants through the use of FEMA funds,” Gaetz revealed. These claims, if true, only deepen concerns that the federal government is prioritizing its political agenda over the needs of Americans in crisis.
While FEMA employees and Department of Defense personnel reportedly sat idle, awaiting orders in hotels, families like Mayor Roberts’ daughter struggled to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives with little to no assistance.
The Biden-Harris administration’s failures on this front are impossible to ignore. As Mayor Roberts and countless others have learned the hard way, the promises of “compassionate government” ring hollow when the rubber meets the road. Families in North Carolina and beyond deserve better—much better—from their government.
The real question now is whether FEMA will finally step up and provide the aid it promised, or if this administration’s focus will continue to be diverted elsewhere. For the sake of hurricane victims like Mayor Roberts’ daughter, we can only hope it’s the former.
