Tom Homan wants all government officials to listen to Laken Riley tapes: 'Shame on you'
The incoming border czar is warning sanctuary city officials they will not stop the Trump administration from deporting illegal migrants.
"You're not going to stop us doing what we're going to do," incoming Trump border czar Tom Homan said recently on "The Ingraham Angle."
"We'll move them to a state where we can detain them. There is plenty of sheriffs across this country who are willing to give us empty beds. They want the funding, and we can put them in jail all across the country," he continued. "We'll have no problem finding a place to detain these people. It's going to cost money, so we've got to have the money to do it, but President Trump's going to do everything he can to make sure we have the funds to do this. So, they will be arrested, detained, put on an airplane and go home."
Homan said he gets "emotional" about illegal immigration because he has "seen so much tragedy" after illegal migrants have sexually abused and raped children "as young as nine years old."
He mourned the death of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student who was killed by an illegal immigrant while she was going for a run.
"I want every mayor, every governor of a sanctuary jurisdiction to listen to that tape, listen to this young girl fight for her life, fight for her breath, trying to survive, terrified," he said. "I want you to understand what she went through."
Homan cautioned federal officials to not "cross the line," pointing to a statute that makes it a federal crime to knowingly harbor illegal immigrants.
"For any governor or mayor who doesn't want public safety threats taken out of their communities, he should resign your office, because your number-one responsibility is to protect those communities," he said. "We have ways of finding people. . . . We will find many of these folks. They will be arrested, they'll be detained, and they'll be removed."
Homan said there will be due process, but if a federal judge orders someone to be removed, they will be removed.
"For those governors and mayors that are saying they're going to stop Tom Homan, they're going to stop President Trump: Shame on you. Your responsibility is to protect your communities, and that's what we want to do, is protect your community."
I want republicans to listen to all school shooting tapes
"If you can’t keep up with the conversation, best not try to join in." (from the film 'Hannibal')
You good with this Jose? I’m not. There are people in Western North Carolina living in tents. Why is this acceptable to you?
I live in NYC and I am ok with this. The people need somewhere to live so they don't have to live on the streets. They need help getting on their feet when they first come here. Maybe, in North Carolina they can open a hotel for their people as well so they don't have to live in tents. There are a lot of foreign investors in NYC real estate, so I doubt this is the only building where rent is being paid to a foreign entity.
You good with this Jose? I’m not. There are people in Western North Carolina living in tents. Why is this acceptable to you?
You mean the same idiots who were told by folks like yourself to refuse FEMA help those those people nope I don’t give a fuck about them! Why worry these immigrants in hotels will all be gone on day 1 but those idiots in NC will still be in tents , maybe your king will sign EO to build them new trailer homes including flag pole holder by the front door
Texas could implement a plan to bus migrants directly to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in an effort to get them processed for deportation, according to media reports.
The move would be a departure from the state's program, part of Operation Lone Star, that has bussed thousands of migrants to sanctuary cities, a source told the New York Post. It has yet to be approved by Gov. Greg Abbott.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Abbott's office.
"We are always going to be involved in border security so long as we’re a border state," a Texas government source told the newspaper. "We spent a lot of taxpayer money to have the level of deterrent that we have on the border, and we can’t just walk away."
Abbott has been especially aggressive in combating illegal immigration, bussing migrants to blue cities in an effort to bring attention to the border crisis. Under the proposed plan, buses chartered by Texas from border cities will be taken to federal detention centers to help ICE agents process migrants quickly, the Post reported.
Texas has been in a legal fight with the Biden administration over its efforts to curb illegal immigration. On Wednesday, an appeals court ruled that the state has the right to build a razor wire border wall to deter migrants.
Officials have also offered land to the incoming Trump administration to build deportation centers to hold illegal immigrant criminals.
"My office has identified several of our properties and is standing by ready to make this happen on Day One of the Trump presidency," Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham said during a visit to the border Tuesday.
Authorities have also warned of unaccompanied migrant children being caught near the border. On Thursday, a 10-year-old boy from El Salvador told state troopers in Maverick County, Texas, that he had been lost and left behind by a human smuggler.
The boy was holding a cellphone and crying, Texas Department of Public Safety Lt. Chris Olivarez posted on X. The child said his parents were in the U.S.
On Sunday, troopers encountered an unaccompanied 2-year-old girl from El Salvador holding a piece of paper with a phone number and her name. She told authorities that her parents were also in the U.S.
That morning, state troopers also encountered a group of 211 illegal immigrants in Maverick County. Among the group were 60 unaccompanied children, ages 2 to 17, and six special interest immigrants from Mali and Angola.
"Regardless of political views, it is unacceptable for any child to be exposed to dangerous criminal trafficking networks," Olivarez wrote at the time. "With a record number of unaccompanied children and hundreds of thousands missing, there is no one ensuring the safety & security of these children except for the men & women who are on the frontlines daily."
He noted that the "reality is that many children are exploited & trafficked, never to be heard from again."
FUCK YES! LET'S USE THE SAME STRATEGY WE USED TO WIN THE ELECTION THIS YEAR - GIVE IT EVERYTHING WE'VE GOT - ALL OF THE TIME, 24/7!
IT WAS BRILLIANT OF GOV. ABBOTT TO SHIP THE ILLEGALS TO RICH BLUE CITIES TO RAISE AWARENESS OF THE ISSUE, BUT NOW THAT GOAL HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED.
I SAY, GET 'EM THE HELL OUT HERE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, USING AS MANY METHODS AS WE CAN THINK OF!
GO! GO! GO!
This is great news. Mass deportations can’t start soon enough.
and this is why you get labelled as nazis.
I think this is a bit extreme. Trump often hides behind ambiguous wording just to get everyone riled up. When talking to the right, he can make blanket statements like this against all immigrants with no recourse, but the left will speak up. Then he can backtrack and say he obviously meant undocumented immigrants, and that as usual liberal Democrats are liars. The unfortunate thing is, if/when he backtracks, it’s a fair statement (whether or not you agree with the economics of it). A country has a right to defend its borders and institute its own choice of immigration policy.
In my opinion, and we’ll see if this is true in a couple of months, he’s using his words as a litmus test to see how much he can get away with without public recourse, without government recourse, and to gauge the popularity of statements and policies. I think his strategy is something like “ask for the moon so that when your second act is slightly less ridiculous, it looks reasonable”. Again, all opinions here.
I have no issue with deportations of illegal immigrants or ones that have been found breaking the law. It's how it is said that is important. "mass deportations can't start soon enough" is nazi-like language. I stand by that statement.
Hugh hearts drama.
Why are you obsessed with me?
"Oh Canada...you're beautiful when you're drunk" -EV 8/14/93
Texas could implement a plan to bus migrants directly to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in an effort to get them processed for deportation, according to media reports.
The move would be a departure from the state's program, part of Operation Lone Star, that has bussed thousands of migrants to sanctuary cities, a source told the New York Post. It has yet to be approved by Gov. Greg Abbott.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Abbott's office.
"We are always going to be involved in border security so long as we’re a border state," a Texas government source told the newspaper. "We spent a lot of taxpayer money to have the level of deterrent that we have on the border, and we can’t just walk away."
Abbott has been especially aggressive in combating illegal immigration, bussing migrants to blue cities in an effort to bring attention to the border crisis. Under the proposed plan, buses chartered by Texas from border cities will be taken to federal detention centers to help ICE agents process migrants quickly, the Post reported.
Texas has been in a legal fight with the Biden administration over its efforts to curb illegal immigration. On Wednesday, an appeals court ruled that the state has the right to build a razor wire border wall to deter migrants.
Officials have also offered land to the incoming Trump administration to build deportation centers to hold illegal immigrant criminals.
"My office has identified several of our properties and is standing by ready to make this happen on Day One of the Trump presidency," Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham said during a visit to the border Tuesday.
Authorities have also warned of unaccompanied migrant children being caught near the border. On Thursday, a 10-year-old boy from El Salvador told state troopers in Maverick County, Texas, that he had been lost and left behind by a human smuggler.
The boy was holding a cellphone and crying, Texas Department of Public Safety Lt. Chris Olivarez posted on X. The child said his parents were in the U.S.
On Sunday, troopers encountered an unaccompanied 2-year-old girl from El Salvador holding a piece of paper with a phone number and her name. She told authorities that her parents were also in the U.S.
That morning, state troopers also encountered a group of 211 illegal immigrants in Maverick County. Among the group were 60 unaccompanied children, ages 2 to 17, and six special interest immigrants from Mali and Angola.
"Regardless of political views, it is unacceptable for any child to be exposed to dangerous criminal trafficking networks," Olivarez wrote at the time. "With a record number of unaccompanied children and hundreds of thousands missing, there is no one ensuring the safety & security of these children except for the men & women who are on the frontlines daily."
He noted that the "reality is that many children are exploited & trafficked, never to be heard from again."
FUCK YES! LET'S USE THE SAME STRATEGY WE USED TO WIN THE ELECTION THIS YEAR - GIVE IT EVERYTHING WE'VE GOT - ALL OF THE TIME, 24/7!
IT WAS BRILLIANT OF GOV. ABBOTT TO SHIP THE ILLEGALS TO RICH BLUE CITIES TO RAISE AWARENESS OF THE ISSUE, BUT NOW THAT GOAL HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED.
I SAY, GET 'EM THE HELL OUT HERE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, USING AS MANY METHODS AS WE CAN THINK OF!
GO! GO! GO!
This is great news. Mass deportations can’t start soon enough.
and this is why you get labelled as nazis.
I think this is a bit extreme. Trump often hides behind ambiguous wording just to get everyone riled up. When talking to the right, he can make blanket statements like this against all immigrants with no recourse, but the left will speak up. Then he can backtrack and say he obviously meant undocumented immigrants, and that as usual liberal Democrats are liars. The unfortunate thing is, if/when he backtracks, it’s a fair statement (whether or not you agree with the economics of it). A country has a right to defend its borders and institute its own choice of immigration policy.
In my opinion, and we’ll see if this is true in a couple of months, he’s using his words as a litmus test to see how much he can get away with without public recourse, without government recourse, and to gauge the popularity of statements and policies. I think his strategy is something like “ask for the moon so that when your second act is slightly less ridiculous, it looks reasonable”. Again, all opinions here.
I have no issue with deportations of illegal immigrants or ones that have been found breaking the law. It's how it is said that is important. "mass deportations can't start soon enough" is nazi-like language. I stand by that statement.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
You good with this Jose? I’m not. There are people in Western North Carolina living in tents. Why is this acceptable to you?
I live in NYC and I am ok with this. The people need somewhere to live so they don't have to live on the streets. They need help getting on their feet when they first come here. Maybe, in North Carolina they can open a hotel for their people as well so they don't have to live in tents. There are a lot of foreign investors in NYC real estate, so I doubt this is the only building where rent is being paid to a foreign entity.
FEMA seems to be very confused why the people of #WNC are choosing to NOT use the hotel vouchers they are handing out...
Let me explain:
a) You're living in Swannanoa NC when the river rises 22 feet and sweeps away your home and 2 vehicles.
b) You have a family of 4 depending on you to make ends meet and work starts back in a few days.
c) FEMA hands you a hotel voucher an hour's drive from your now-destroyed home.
d) You tell the FEMA rep, "Look, I don't have a car and I can't live in a hotel 40 miles away from work and the home I need to start fixing"
e) FEMA says, "Ok, well your temporary home is 3 months away, sorry, so go live in the hotel."
f) You say, "If I go live in that hotel, I'll lose my job, I won't be able to repair my home, and everything we've worked so hard for will be gone."
g) FEMA says, "We still don't understand why you won't go live in a free hotel."
h) You decide to it's actually LESS RISKY to live in a makeshift tent outside of your home and pray a volunteer will deliver you an RV than go live in a hotel an hour away and lose everything.
This is what FEMA cannot seem to understand.
People are generally very logical, they don't WANT to sleep in tents.
Government policies tend to be broadly applied to all situations and the hotel vouchers are just not gonna cut it for a lot of people in #WNC, for the reason I mentioned above.
***It is very easy to forget the hell that some of our fellow Americans in North Carolina are still induring EVERY day and night since Hurricane Helene struck them in late September 2024. It's COLD outside! We Pearl Jam fans are a relatively well-off group (witness the recent success of the "Mystery Bag" sales at, I believe, $80. a pop, with many people buying multiple bags). There are many ways that YOU can help today. I use and recommend www.samaritanspurse.org. to donate, but please choose whichever mode you are comfortable with and donate today. THANK YOU in advance!
You good with this Jose? I’m not. There are people in Western North Carolina living in tents. Why is this acceptable to you?
I live in NYC and I am ok with this. The people need somewhere to live so they don't have to live on the streets. They need help getting on their feet when they first come here. Maybe, in North Carolina they can open a hotel for their people as well so they don't have to live in tents. There are a lot of foreign investors in NYC real estate, so I doubt this is the only building where rent is being paid to a foreign entity.
FEMA seems to be very confused why the people of #WNC are choosing to NOT use the hotel vouchers they are handing out...
Let me explain:
a) You're living in Swannanoa NC when the river rises 22 feet and sweeps away your home and 2 vehicles.
b) You have a family of 4 depending on you to make ends meet and work starts back in a few days.
c) FEMA hands you a hotel voucher an hour's drive from your now-destroyed home.
d) You tell the FEMA rep, "Look, I don't have a car and I can't live in a hotel 40 miles away from work and the home I need to start fixing"
e) FEMA says, "Ok, well your temporary home is 3 months away, sorry, so go live in the hotel."
f) You say, "If I go live in that hotel, I'll lose my job, I won't be able to repair my home, and everything we've worked so hard for will be gone."
g) FEMA says, "We still don't understand why you won't go live in a free hotel."
h) You decide to it's actually LESS RISKY to live in a makeshift tent outside of your home and pray a volunteer will deliver you an RV than go live in a hotel an hour away and lose everything.
This is what FEMA cannot seem to understand.
People are generally very logical, they don't WANT to sleep in tents.
Government policies tend to be broadly applied to all situations and the hotel vouchers are just not gonna cut it for a lot of people in #WNC, for the reason I mentioned above.
***It is very easy to forget the hell that some of our fellow Americans in North Carolina are still induring EVERY day and night since Hurricane Helene struck them in late September 2024. It's COLD outside! We Pearl Jam fans are a relatively well-off group (witness the recent success of the "Mystery Bag" sales at, I believe, $80. a pop, with many people buying multiple bags). There are many ways that YOU can help today. I use and recommend www.samaritanspurse.org. to donate, but please choose whichever mode you are comfortable with and donate today. THANK YOU in advance!
I am very sorry for what the victims of the Hurricane have to endure. No one should have to live in a tent. And I understand the reluctance to go to a hotel far from home. I really hope they can get some help soon. However, you were berating the fact that we were providing shelter to people in NYC who also need shelter. I was just pointing out that in my opinion there is nothing wrong with giving them shelter. I don’t know much about NC but can other hotels near where people live offer some type of temporary shelter? I do donate to many causes. I will check out your link.
You good with this Jose? I’m not. There are people in Western North Carolina living in tents. Why is this acceptable to you?
I live in NYC and I am ok with this. The people need somewhere to live so they don't have to live on the streets. They need help getting on their feet when they first come here. Maybe, in North Carolina they can open a hotel for their people as well so they don't have to live in tents. There are a lot of foreign investors in NYC real estate, so I doubt this is the only building where rent is being paid to a foreign entity.
FEMA seems to be very confused why the people of #WNC are choosing to NOT use the hotel vouchers they are handing out...
Let me explain:
a) You're living in Swannanoa NC when the river rises 22 feet and sweeps away your home and 2 vehicles.
b) You have a family of 4 depending on you to make ends meet and work starts back in a few days.
c) FEMA hands you a hotel voucher an hour's drive from your now-destroyed home.
d) You tell the FEMA rep, "Look, I don't have a car and I can't live in a hotel 40 miles away from work and the home I need to start fixing"
e) FEMA says, "Ok, well your temporary home is 3 months away, sorry, so go live in the hotel."
f) You say, "If I go live in that hotel, I'll lose my job, I won't be able to repair my home, and everything we've worked so hard for will be gone."
g) FEMA says, "We still don't understand why you won't go live in a free hotel."
h) You decide to it's actually LESS RISKY to live in a makeshift tent outside of your home and pray a volunteer will deliver you an RV than go live in a hotel an hour away and lose everything.
This is what FEMA cannot seem to understand.
People are generally very logical, they don't WANT to sleep in tents.
Government policies tend to be broadly applied to all situations and the hotel vouchers are just not gonna cut it for a lot of people in #WNC, for the reason I mentioned above.
***It is very easy to forget the hell that some of our fellow Americans in North Carolina are still induring EVERY day and night since Hurricane Helene struck them in late September 2024. It's COLD outside! We Pearl Jam fans are a relatively well-off group (witness the recent success of the "Mystery Bag" sales at, I believe, $80. a pop, with many people buying multiple bags). There are many ways that YOU can help today. I use and recommend www.samaritanspurse.org. to donate, but please choose whichever mode you are comfortable with and donate today. THANK YOU in advance!
I am very sorry for what the victims of the Hurricane have to endure. No one should have to live in a tent. And I understand the reluctance to go to a hotel far from home. I really hope they can get some help soon. However, you were berating the fact that we were providing shelter to people in NYC who also need shelter. I was just pointing out that in my opinion there is nothing wrong with giving them shelter. I don’t know much about NC but can other hotels near where people live offer some type of temporary shelter? I do donate to many causes. I will check out your link.
this also assumes at least some of those folks didnt choose to stay in tents.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
You good with this Jose? I’m not. There are people in Western North Carolina living in tents. Why is this acceptable to you?
I live in NYC and I am ok with this. The people need somewhere to live so they don't have to live on the streets. They need help getting on their feet when they first come here. Maybe, in North Carolina they can open a hotel for their people as well so they don't have to live in tents. There are a lot of foreign investors in NYC real estate, so I doubt this is the only building where rent is being paid to a foreign entity.
FEMA seems to be very confused why the people of #WNC are choosing to NOT use the hotel vouchers they are handing out...
Let me explain:
a) You're living in Swannanoa NC when the river rises 22 feet and sweeps away your home and 2 vehicles.
b) You have a family of 4 depending on you to make ends meet and work starts back in a few days.
c) FEMA hands you a hotel voucher an hour's drive from your now-destroyed home.
d) You tell the FEMA rep, "Look, I don't have a car and I can't live in a hotel 40 miles away from work and the home I need to start fixing"
e) FEMA says, "Ok, well your temporary home is 3 months away, sorry, so go live in the hotel."
f) You say, "If I go live in that hotel, I'll lose my job, I won't be able to repair my home, and everything we've worked so hard for will be gone."
g) FEMA says, "We still don't understand why you won't go live in a free hotel."
h) You decide to it's actually LESS RISKY to live in a makeshift tent outside of your home and pray a volunteer will deliver you an RV than go live in a hotel an hour away and lose everything.
This is what FEMA cannot seem to understand.
People are generally very logical, they don't WANT to sleep in tents.
Government policies tend to be broadly applied to all situations and the hotel vouchers are just not gonna cut it for a lot of people in #WNC, for the reason I mentioned above.
***It is very easy to forget the hell that some of our fellow Americans in North Carolina are still induring EVERY day and night since Hurricane Helene struck them in late September 2024. It's COLD outside! We Pearl Jam fans are a relatively well-off group (witness the recent success of the "Mystery Bag" sales at, I believe, $80. a pop, with many people buying multiple bags). There are many ways that YOU can help today. I use and recommend www.samaritanspurse.org. to donate, but please choose whichever mode you are comfortable with and donate today. THANK YOU in advance!
I am very sorry for what the victims of the Hurricane have to endure. No one should have to live in a tent. And I understand the reluctance to go to a hotel far from home. I really hope they can get some help soon. However, you were berating the fact that we were providing shelter to people in NYC who also need shelter. I was just pointing out that in my opinion there is nothing wrong with giving them shelter. I don’t know much about NC but can other hotels near where people live offer some type of temporary shelter? I do donate to many causes. I will check out your link.
I'm just passing along a news article I saw that answers your question regarding why motels aren't the answer for many of these hurricane victims in western North Carolina. They need to stay local in order to keep their jobs, and repair their homes on the weekends, but it's a rural area and the motels are too far away. These folk need heated RVs and campers to stay in and charities like Samaritan's Purse are doing their best to come up with them. I'm donating what I can and I'm asking others here to please do what they can. Thank you all very much.
You good with this Jose? I’m not. There are people in Western North Carolina living in tents. Why is this acceptable to you?
I live in NYC and I am ok with this. The people need somewhere to live so they don't have to live on the streets. They need help getting on their feet when they first come here. Maybe, in North Carolina they can open a hotel for their people as well so they don't have to live in tents. There are a lot of foreign investors in NYC real estate, so I doubt this is the only building where rent is being paid to a foreign entity.
FEMA seems to be very confused why the people of #WNC are choosing to NOT use the hotel vouchers they are handing out...
Let me explain:
a) You're living in Swannanoa NC when the river rises 22 feet and sweeps away your home and 2 vehicles.
b) You have a family of 4 depending on you to make ends meet and work starts back in a few days.
c) FEMA hands you a hotel voucher an hour's drive from your now-destroyed home.
d) You tell the FEMA rep, "Look, I don't have a car and I can't live in a hotel 40 miles away from work and the home I need to start fixing"
e) FEMA says, "Ok, well your temporary home is 3 months away, sorry, so go live in the hotel."
f) You say, "If I go live in that hotel, I'll lose my job, I won't be able to repair my home, and everything we've worked so hard for will be gone."
g) FEMA says, "We still don't understand why you won't go live in a free hotel."
h) You decide to it's actually LESS RISKY to live in a makeshift tent outside of your home and pray a volunteer will deliver you an RV than go live in a hotel an hour away and lose everything.
This is what FEMA cannot seem to understand.
People are generally very logical, they don't WANT to sleep in tents.
Government policies tend to be broadly applied to all situations and the hotel vouchers are just not gonna cut it for a lot of people in #WNC, for the reason I mentioned above.
***It is very easy to forget the hell that some of our fellow Americans in North Carolina are still induring EVERY day and night since Hurricane Helene struck them in late September 2024. It's COLD outside! We Pearl Jam fans are a relatively well-off group (witness the recent success of the "Mystery Bag" sales at, I believe, $80. a pop, with many people buying multiple bags). There are many ways that YOU can help today. I use and recommend www.samaritanspurse.org. to donate, but please choose whichever mode you are comfortable with and donate today. THANK YOU in advance!
I am very sorry for what the victims of the Hurricane have to endure. No one should have to live in a tent. And I understand the reluctance to go to a hotel far from home. I really hope they can get some help soon. However, you were berating the fact that we were providing shelter to people in NYC who also need shelter. I was just pointing out that in my opinion there is nothing wrong with giving them shelter. I don’t know much about NC but can other hotels near where people live offer some type of temporary shelter? I do donate to many causes. I will check out your link.
I'm just passing along a news article I saw that answers your question regarding why motels aren't the answer for many of these hurricane victims in western North Carolina. They need to stay local in order to keep their jobs, and repair their homes on the weekends, but it's a rural area and the motels are too far away. These folk need heated RVs and campers to stay in and charities like Samaritan's Purse are doing their best to come up with them. I'm donating what I can and I'm asking others here to please do what they can. Thank you all very much.
Sorry. You are right. That was not you I originally responded to. Apologies. Thanks for passing on the information. Sometimes, It is hard to keep all the threads straight.
You good with this Jose? I’m not. There are people in Western North Carolina living in tents. Why is this acceptable to you?
I live in NYC and I am ok with this. The people need somewhere to live so they don't have to live on the streets. They need help getting on their feet when they first come here. Maybe, in North Carolina they can open a hotel for their people as well so they don't have to live in tents. There are a lot of foreign investors in NYC real estate, so I doubt this is the only building where rent is being paid to a foreign entity.
FEMA seems to be very confused why the people of #WNC are choosing to NOT use the hotel vouchers they are handing out...
Let me explain:
a) You're living in Swannanoa NC when the river rises 22 feet and sweeps away your home and 2 vehicles.
b) You have a family of 4 depending on you to make ends meet and work starts back in a few days.
c) FEMA hands you a hotel voucher an hour's drive from your now-destroyed home.
d) You tell the FEMA rep, "Look, I don't have a car and I can't live in a hotel 40 miles away from work and the home I need to start fixing"
e) FEMA says, "Ok, well your temporary home is 3 months away, sorry, so go live in the hotel."
f) You say, "If I go live in that hotel, I'll lose my job, I won't be able to repair my home, and everything we've worked so hard for will be gone."
g) FEMA says, "We still don't understand why you won't go live in a free hotel."
h) You decide to it's actually LESS RISKY to live in a makeshift tent outside of your home and pray a volunteer will deliver you an RV than go live in a hotel an hour away and lose everything.
This is what FEMA cannot seem to understand.
People are generally very logical, they don't WANT to sleep in tents.
Government policies tend to be broadly applied to all situations and the hotel vouchers are just not gonna cut it for a lot of people in #WNC, for the reason I mentioned above.
***It is very easy to forget the hell that some of our fellow Americans in North Carolina are still induring EVERY day and night since Hurricane Helene struck them in late September 2024. It's COLD outside! We Pearl Jam fans are a relatively well-off group (witness the recent success of the "Mystery Bag" sales at, I believe, $80. a pop, with many people buying multiple bags). There are many ways that YOU can help today. I use and recommend www.samaritanspurse.org. to donate, but please choose whichever mode you are comfortable with and donate today. THANK YOU in advance!
In New York, an hour commute is nothing, yet these folks choose not to accept free indoor housing with that commute. How many available hotels could there possibly be within an hour of rural mountainous NC? Yet folks blame this on the govt.
How about blaming employers for not sharing the cost of the commute by counting 50% of commute time as work time? Of course republicans from their safe spaces will expect nothing above and beyond from employers but expect the govt to create magic.
So musky & Trumpolinni can’t come up with 45 million to get them trailer homes ? He was donating 45 million a month to get him elected he could easily afford to get them trailers to live in for the time being! And if you were affected by the hurricane and you refused FEMA help well that’s on you!
You good with this Jose? I’m not. There are people in Western North Carolina living in tents. Why is this acceptable to you?
I live in NYC and I am ok with this. The people need somewhere to live so they don't have to live on the streets. They need help getting on their feet when they first come here. Maybe, in North Carolina they can open a hotel for their people as well so they don't have to live in tents. There are a lot of foreign investors in NYC real estate, so I doubt this is the only building where rent is being paid to a foreign entity.
Bringing people to NYC one of the most expensive places in the US is a dumb idea. We have an affordable living problem already. When they get on their feet where are they going to live? Government assistance?
I don't understand how anyone makes it on min wage, even it being $16. Where are these people living?
NYC has quite a few programs to assist Asylum seekers now. Is that how they are able to stay here?
You good with this Jose? I’m not. There are people in Western North Carolina living in tents. Why is this acceptable to you?
I live in NYC and I am ok with this. The people need somewhere to live so they don't have to live on the streets. They need help getting on their feet when they first come here. Maybe, in North Carolina they can open a hotel for their people as well so they don't have to live in tents. There are a lot of foreign investors in NYC real estate, so I doubt this is the only building where rent is being paid to a foreign entity.
FEMA seems to be very confused why the people of #WNC are choosing to NOT use the hotel vouchers they are handing out...
Let me explain:
a) You're living in Swannanoa NC when the river rises 22 feet and sweeps away your home and 2 vehicles.
b) You have a family of 4 depending on you to make ends meet and work starts back in a few days.
c) FEMA hands you a hotel voucher an hour's drive from your now-destroyed home.
d) You tell the FEMA rep, "Look, I don't have a car and I can't live in a hotel 40 miles away from work and the home I need to start fixing"
e) FEMA says, "Ok, well your temporary home is 3 months away, sorry, so go live in the hotel."
f) You say, "If I go live in that hotel, I'll lose my job, I won't be able to repair my home, and everything we've worked so hard for will be gone."
g) FEMA says, "We still don't understand why you won't go live in a free hotel."
h) You decide to it's actually LESS RISKY to live in a makeshift tent outside of your home and pray a volunteer will deliver you an RV than go live in a hotel an hour away and lose everything.
This is what FEMA cannot seem to understand.
People are generally very logical, they don't WANT to sleep in tents.
Government policies tend to be broadly applied to all situations and the hotel vouchers are just not gonna cut it for a lot of people in #WNC, for the reason I mentioned above.
***It is very easy to forget the hell that some of our fellow Americans in North Carolina are still induring EVERY day and night since Hurricane Helene struck them in late September 2024. It's COLD outside! We Pearl Jam fans are a relatively well-off group (witness the recent success of the "Mystery Bag" sales at, I believe, $80. a pop, with many people buying multiple bags). There are many ways that YOU can help today. I use and recommend www.samaritanspurse.org. to donate, but please choose whichever mode you are comfortable with and donate today. THANK YOU in advance!
My cousin is still in NC helping out. I'll post a link soon.
You good with this Jose? I’m not. There are people in Western North Carolina living in tents. Why is this acceptable to you?
I live in NYC and I am ok with this. The people need somewhere to live so they don't have to live on the streets. They need help getting on their feet when they first come here. Maybe, in North Carolina they can open a hotel for their people as well so they don't have to live in tents. There are a lot of foreign investors in NYC real estate, so I doubt this is the only building where rent is being paid to a foreign entity.
FEMA seems to be very confused why the people of #WNC are choosing to NOT use the hotel vouchers they are handing out...
Let me explain:
a) You're living in Swannanoa NC when the river rises 22 feet and sweeps away your home and 2 vehicles.
b) You have a family of 4 depending on you to make ends meet and work starts back in a few days.
c) FEMA hands you a hotel voucher an hour's drive from your now-destroyed home.
d) You tell the FEMA rep, "Look, I don't have a car and I can't live in a hotel 40 miles away from work and the home I need to start fixing"
e) FEMA says, "Ok, well your temporary home is 3 months away, sorry, so go live in the hotel."
f) You say, "If I go live in that hotel, I'll lose my job, I won't be able to repair my home, and everything we've worked so hard for will be gone."
g) FEMA says, "We still don't understand why you won't go live in a free hotel."
h) You decide to it's actually LESS RISKY to live in a makeshift tent outside of your home and pray a volunteer will deliver you an RV than go live in a hotel an hour away and lose everything.
This is what FEMA cannot seem to understand.
People are generally very logical, they don't WANT to sleep in tents.
Government policies tend to be broadly applied to all situations and the hotel vouchers are just not gonna cut it for a lot of people in #WNC, for the reason I mentioned above.
***It is very easy to forget the hell that some of our fellow Americans in North Carolina are still induring EVERY day and night since Hurricane Helene struck them in late September 2024. It's COLD outside! We Pearl Jam fans are a relatively well-off group (witness the recent success of the "Mystery Bag" sales at, I believe, $80. a pop, with many people buying multiple bags). There are many ways that YOU can help today. I use and recommend www.samaritanspurse.org. to donate, but please choose whichever mode you are comfortable with and donate today. THANK YOU in advance!
In New York, an hour commute is nothing, yet these folks choose not to accept free indoor housing with that commute. How many available hotels could there possibly be within an hour of rural mountainous NC? Yet folks blame this on the govt.
How about blaming employers for not sharing the cost of the commute by counting 50% of commute time as work time? Of course republicans from their safe spaces will expect nothing above and beyond from employers but expect the govt to create magic.
Did you read the article? My cousin is down there and people lost their cars too. Can't commute if you dont have any wheels... The people are organizing and helping each other as happens w every natural disaster until the Govt figures out how they can actually help.
You good with this Jose? I’m not. There are people in Western North Carolina living in tents. Why is this acceptable to you?
I live in NYC and I am ok with this. The people need somewhere to live so they don't have to live on the streets. They need help getting on their feet when they first come here. Maybe, in North Carolina they can open a hotel for their people as well so they don't have to live in tents. There are a lot of foreign investors in NYC real estate, so I doubt this is the only building where rent is being paid to a foreign entity.
Bringing people to NYC one of the most expensive places in the US is a dumb idea. We have an affordable living problem already. When they get on their feet where are they going to live? Government assistance?
I don't understand how anyone makes it on min wage, even it being $16. Where are these people living?
NYC has quite a few programs to assist Asylum seekers now. Is that how they are able to stay here?
You’d be surprised at how adaptable immigrants are! Most of immigrants that live out here on Long Island usually rent a house at high rent from greedy landlords and fill every space in that house with a human to sleep in, I know Chinese immigrants in Queens do the same they pack a house with as many that can fit
You good with this Jose? I’m not. There are people in Western North Carolina living in tents. Why is this acceptable to you?
I live in NYC and I am ok with this. The people need somewhere to live so they don't have to live on the streets. They need help getting on their feet when they first come here. Maybe, in North Carolina they can open a hotel for their people as well so they don't have to live in tents. There are a lot of foreign investors in NYC real estate, so I doubt this is the only building where rent is being paid to a foreign entity.
Bringing people to NYC one of the most expensive places in the US is a dumb idea. We have an affordable living problem already. When they get on their feet where are they going to live? Government assistance?
I don't understand how anyone makes it on min wage, even it being $16. Where are these people living?
NYC has quite a few programs to assist Asylum seekers now. Is that how they are able to stay here?
You’d be surprised at how adaptable immigrants are! Most of immigrants that live out here on Long Island usually rent a house at high rent from greedy landlords and fill every space in that house with a human to sleep in, I know Chinese immigrants in Queens do the same they pack a house with as many that can fit
I've seen that. 20 people to a house. You ever live next to a house like that? Those houses get destroyed too. The orthodox live w a family of 7 in a 1 bedroom. This is by choice though. The Chinese do the same like you said. They drive them to and from work here in vans. I always wondered if they are indentured or not?
You good with this Jose? I’m not. There are people in Western North Carolina living in tents. Why is this acceptable to you?
I live in NYC and I am ok with this. The people need somewhere to live so they don't have to live on the streets. They need help getting on their feet when they first come here. Maybe, in North Carolina they can open a hotel for their people as well so they don't have to live in tents. There are a lot of foreign investors in NYC real estate, so I doubt this is the only building where rent is being paid to a foreign entity.
FEMA seems to be very confused why the people of #WNC are choosing to NOT use the hotel vouchers they are handing out...
Let me explain:
a) You're living in Swannanoa NC when the river rises 22 feet and sweeps away your home and 2 vehicles.
b) You have a family of 4 depending on you to make ends meet and work starts back in a few days.
c) FEMA hands you a hotel voucher an hour's drive from your now-destroyed home.
d) You tell the FEMA rep, "Look, I don't have a car and I can't live in a hotel 40 miles away from work and the home I need to start fixing"
e) FEMA says, "Ok, well your temporary home is 3 months away, sorry, so go live in the hotel."
f) You say, "If I go live in that hotel, I'll lose my job, I won't be able to repair my home, and everything we've worked so hard for will be gone."
g) FEMA says, "We still don't understand why you won't go live in a free hotel."
h) You decide to it's actually LESS RISKY to live in a makeshift tent outside of your home and pray a volunteer will deliver you an RV than go live in a hotel an hour away and lose everything.
This is what FEMA cannot seem to understand.
People are generally very logical, they don't WANT to sleep in tents.
Government policies tend to be broadly applied to all situations and the hotel vouchers are just not gonna cut it for a lot of people in #WNC, for the reason I mentioned above.
***It is very easy to forget the hell that some of our fellow Americans in North Carolina are still induring EVERY day and night since Hurricane Helene struck them in late September 2024. It's COLD outside! We Pearl Jam fans are a relatively well-off group (witness the recent success of the "Mystery Bag" sales at, I believe, $80. a pop, with many people buying multiple bags). There are many ways that YOU can help today. I use and recommend www.samaritanspurse.org. to donate, but please choose whichever mode you are comfortable with and donate today. THANK YOU in advance!
My cousin is still in NC helping out. I'll post a link soon.
That is awesome! Please thank him next time you talk, and assure him that his efforts are recognized and appreciated.
You good with this Jose? I’m not. There are people in Western North Carolina living in tents. Why is this acceptable to you?
I live in NYC and I am ok with this. The people need somewhere to live so they don't have to live on the streets. They need help getting on their feet when they first come here. Maybe, in North Carolina they can open a hotel for their people as well so they don't have to live in tents. There are a lot of foreign investors in NYC real estate, so I doubt this is the only building where rent is being paid to a foreign entity.
FEMA seems to be very confused why the people of #WNC are choosing to NOT use the hotel vouchers they are handing out...
Let me explain:
a) You're living in Swannanoa NC when the river rises 22 feet and sweeps away your home and 2 vehicles.
b) You have a family of 4 depending on you to make ends meet and work starts back in a few days.
c) FEMA hands you a hotel voucher an hour's drive from your now-destroyed home.
d) You tell the FEMA rep, "Look, I don't have a car and I can't live in a hotel 40 miles away from work and the home I need to start fixing"
e) FEMA says, "Ok, well your temporary home is 3 months away, sorry, so go live in the hotel."
f) You say, "If I go live in that hotel, I'll lose my job, I won't be able to repair my home, and everything we've worked so hard for will be gone."
g) FEMA says, "We still don't understand why you won't go live in a free hotel."
h) You decide to it's actually LESS RISKY to live in a makeshift tent outside of your home and pray a volunteer will deliver you an RV than go live in a hotel an hour away and lose everything.
This is what FEMA cannot seem to understand.
People are generally very logical, they don't WANT to sleep in tents.
Government policies tend to be broadly applied to all situations and the hotel vouchers are just not gonna cut it for a lot of people in #WNC, for the reason I mentioned above.
***It is very easy to forget the hell that some of our fellow Americans in North Carolina are still induring EVERY day and night since Hurricane Helene struck them in late September 2024. It's COLD outside! We Pearl Jam fans are a relatively well-off group (witness the recent success of the "Mystery Bag" sales at, I believe, $80. a pop, with many people buying multiple bags). There are many ways that YOU can help today. I use and recommend www.samaritanspurse.org. to donate, but please choose whichever mode you are comfortable with and donate today. THANK YOU in advance!
In New York, an hour commute is nothing, yet these folks choose not to accept free indoor housing with that commute. How many available hotels could there possibly be within an hour of rural mountainous NC? Yet folks blame this on the govt.
How about blaming employers for not sharing the cost of the commute by counting 50% of commute time as work time? Of course republicans from their safe spaces will expect nothing above and beyond from employers but expect the govt to create magic.
Did you read the article? My cousin is down there and people lost their cars too. Can't commute if you dont have any wheels... The people are organizing and helping each other as happens w every natural disaster until the Govt figures out how they can actually help.
Try reading the article again. These folks have to spend the few hours of daylight left after they get off work to go repair their houses. They haven't time to waste commuting to a far-off motel. FEMA needs to be more responsive to the victims and give them the assistance they request, which is simply RVs and campers to live in on their properties, as they make their houses inhabitable again. And I don't "expect the govt to create magic". That's what we the citizens are best at! Some, like Tempo's cousin, make the huge sacrifice to go to the site of the catastrophy and physically help rebuild. The rest of us can donate money to the local charities that are there on the ground. Thanks again.
You good with this Jose? I’m not. There are people in Western North Carolina living in tents. Why is this acceptable to you?
I live in NYC and I am ok with this. The people need somewhere to live so they don't have to live on the streets. They need help getting on their feet when they first come here. Maybe, in North Carolina they can open a hotel for their people as well so they don't have to live in tents. There are a lot of foreign investors in NYC real estate, so I doubt this is the only building where rent is being paid to a foreign entity.
On a related note, this is rather interesting. I doubt that Mayor Adams considers himself a Conservative or a nazi or a racist.
You good with this Jose? I’m not. There are people in Western North Carolina living in tents. Why is this acceptable to you?
I live in NYC and I am ok with this. The people need somewhere to live so they don't have to live on the streets. They need help getting on their feet when they first come here. Maybe, in North Carolina they can open a hotel for their people as well so they don't have to live in tents. There are a lot of foreign investors in NYC real estate, so I doubt this is the only building where rent is being paid to a foreign entity.
On a related note, this is rather interesting. I doubt that Mayor Adams considers himself a Conservative or a nazi or a racist.
You good with this Jose? I’m not. There are people in Western North Carolina living in tents. Why is this acceptable to you?
I live in NYC and I am ok with this. The people need somewhere to live so they don't have to live on the streets. They need help getting on their feet when they first come here. Maybe, in North Carolina they can open a hotel for their people as well so they don't have to live in tents. There are a lot of foreign investors in NYC real estate, so I doubt this is the only building where rent is being paid to a foreign entity.
On a related note, this is rather interesting. I doubt that Mayor Adams considers himself a Conservative or a nazi or a racist.
You good with this Jose? I’m not. There are people in Western North Carolina living in tents. Why is this acceptable to you?
I live in NYC and I am ok with this. The people need somewhere to live so they don't have to live on the streets. They need help getting on their feet when they first come here. Maybe, in North Carolina they can open a hotel for their people as well so they don't have to live in tents. There are a lot of foreign investors in NYC real estate, so I doubt this is the only building where rent is being paid to a foreign entity.
On a related note, this is rather interesting. I doubt that Mayor Adams considers himself a Conservative or a nazi or a racist.
Angling for a pardon. No surprise.
Adams changed his tune then. He spoke prior to this that he was not going to cooperate.
You good with this Jose? I’m not. There are people in Western North Carolina living in tents. Why is this acceptable to you?
I live in NYC and I am ok with this. The people need somewhere to live so they don't have to live on the streets. They need help getting on their feet when they first come here. Maybe, in North Carolina they can open a hotel for their people as well so they don't have to live in tents. There are a lot of foreign investors in NYC real estate, so I doubt this is the only building where rent is being paid to a foreign entity.
On a related note, this is rather interesting. I doubt that Mayor Adams considers himself a Conservative or a nazi or a racist.
This is a bit out of context. He said he would work with them to deport violent criminals who are here illegally. I don't think he is supporting mass deportations.
You good with this Jose? I’m not. There are people in Western North Carolina living in tents. Why is this acceptable to you?
I live in NYC and I am ok with this. The people need somewhere to live so they don't have to live on the streets. They need help getting on their feet when they first come here. Maybe, in North Carolina they can open a hotel for their people as well so they don't have to live in tents. There are a lot of foreign investors in NYC real estate, so I doubt this is the only building where rent is being paid to a foreign entity.
FEMA seems to be very confused why the people of #WNC are choosing to NOT use the hotel vouchers they are handing out...
Let me explain:
a) You're living in Swannanoa NC when the river rises 22 feet and sweeps away your home and 2 vehicles.
b) You have a family of 4 depending on you to make ends meet and work starts back in a few days.
c) FEMA hands you a hotel voucher an hour's drive from your now-destroyed home.
d) You tell the FEMA rep, "Look, I don't have a car and I can't live in a hotel 40 miles away from work and the home I need to start fixing"
e) FEMA says, "Ok, well your temporary home is 3 months away, sorry, so go live in the hotel."
f) You say, "If I go live in that hotel, I'll lose my job, I won't be able to repair my home, and everything we've worked so hard for will be gone."
g) FEMA says, "We still don't understand why you won't go live in a free hotel."
h) You decide to it's actually LESS RISKY to live in a makeshift tent outside of your home and pray a volunteer will deliver you an RV than go live in a hotel an hour away and lose everything.
This is what FEMA cannot seem to understand.
People are generally very logical, they don't WANT to sleep in tents.
Government policies tend to be broadly applied to all situations and the hotel vouchers are just not gonna cut it for a lot of people in #WNC, for the reason I mentioned above.
***It is very easy to forget the hell that some of our fellow Americans in North Carolina are still induring EVERY day and night since Hurricane Helene struck them in late September 2024. It's COLD outside! We Pearl Jam fans are a relatively well-off group (witness the recent success of the "Mystery Bag" sales at, I believe, $80. a pop, with many people buying multiple bags). There are many ways that YOU can help today. I use and recommend www.samaritanspurse.org. to donate, but please choose whichever mode you are comfortable with and donate today. THANK YOU in advance!
In New York, an hour commute is nothing, yet these folks choose not to accept free indoor housing with that commute. How many available hotels could there possibly be within an hour of rural mountainous NC? Yet folks blame this on the govt.
How about blaming employers for not sharing the cost of the commute by counting 50% of commute time as work time? Of course republicans from their safe spaces will expect nothing above and beyond from employers but expect the govt to create magic.
Did you read the article? My cousin is down there and people lost their cars too. Can't commute if you dont have any wheels... The people are organizing and helping each other as happens w every natural disaster until the Govt figures out how they can actually help.
Try reading the article again. These folks have to spend the few hours of daylight left after they get off work to go repair their houses. They haven't time to waste commuting to a far-off motel. FEMA needs to be more responsive to the victims and give them the assistance they request, which is simply RVs and campers to live in on their properties, as they make their houses inhabitable again. And I don't "expect the govt to create magic". That's what we the citizens are best at! Some, like Tempo's cousin, make the huge sacrifice to go to the site of the catastrophy and physically help rebuild. The rest of us can donate money to the local charities that are there on the ground. Thanks again.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Four disaster recovery centers have closed, while 5,200 households will soon lose their FEMA hotel vouchers.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has closed four Western North Carolina disaster recovery centers and is tearing down its employee housing village west of Asheville while nearly 5,200 storm-displaced households are still living in hotels with no other shelter options.
The exodus of FEMA staff from the region comes on the heels of the late November withdrawal of the National Guard and the pullout of U.S. Army XVIII Airborne Corps service members in late October.
Some local residents say they feel abandoned by the federal and state governments. Storm victim advocates say a massive crisis is brewing with more than 5,000 families slated to lose FEMA hotel vouchers as Christmas approaches.
The landscape of the devastated region is dotted with tents that serve as the only shelter for some families who are forced to brave overnight temperatures that recently dipped into the teens. Some residents are unable to live in their damaged homes, and even more had their homes and property completely swept away by flooding and violent mudslides
The pace of federal housing help is far outstripped by the need. Only 27 FEMA mobile homes and trailers have been delivered to Western North Carolina families whose homes were destroyed in the devastating flood spurred by Hurricane Helene in late September. A FEMA official said victims must file for storm aid by Jan. 7.
A FEMA official told Blaze News that 5,179 households are still using FEMA hotel vouchers and have no long-term housing available. The agency has helped 4,950 households find “suitable longer-term housing” as part of its Transitional Sheltering Assistance program.
“As of Nov. 25, 5,179 households remain checked in to hotels, and we will continue to work with these families to assist them in determining their long-term solution,” a FEMA official said in an email to Blaze News. The program typically provides 60 days in the "immediate aftermath of a disaster," the official said.
“Unfortunately, this program cannot continue indefinitely,” the FEMA official said, “and typically partnering hotels will reduce their availability to the program as business patterns resume.”
FEMA housing village packed up
That news is no comfort to storm victims who watched during Thanksgiving week as FEMA dismantled its employee housing village in Candler, N.C., and closed four disaster recovery centers in Western North Carolina.
Cotton Logistics, a federal contractor based in Katy, Texas, began tearing down the FEMA employee housing village in Candler before Thanksgiving, according to local relief volunteers who visited the site.
Cotton provides turnkey housing solutions for FEMA staff and contractors who respond to disasters around the nation, according to the company’s website. The company supplies housing units, laundry trailers, dining facilities, restrooms, showers, and other support services.
In a Nov. 22 news release, FEMA said it was closing disaster recovery centers in Sparta, Dallas, Sylva, and Old Fort, N.C. Storm survivors can visit any FEMA assistance center or use the agency's website to register for help.
The “responder village” site in Candler was one of several built in October with single-unit housing for FEMA employees and federal contractors. The sites were built to allow as much hotel space as possible to be dedicated to storm survivors.
The Candler site offered lodging, showers, medical care, dining, and electrical service, Josh Wert, director of FEMA’s responder support branch, told Blaze News on Oct. 18.
In mid-October, FEMA had more than 1,400 staff in the region. Blaze News reached out to Wert for more details on the closing of the Candler site but did not get a reply by press time.
During Thanksgiving week, local residents who noticed the Candler site was abandoned found pallets of food left behind that were apparently slated to be thrown away. Volunteers loaded the food onto trailers and distributed it to needy Western North Carolina families.
It appears that in some cases, FEMA staff are living out of mobile housing units on the same site as the disaster recovery center where they work. A Bunkhouse trailer is parked near the Asheville disaster recovery center.
Blaze News asked the FEMA News Desk about the closing of the Candler site but did not receive a reply by press time.
Bridging the gap
Volunteers and charitable organizations are stepping up in an attempt to fill the huge void between the urgent housing demand and the small dent made to date through placement of FEMA mobile homes and trailers. Solutions being put in place include donated RVs and tiny houses that allow families to remain on their properties.
Groups such as Operation Shelter and EmergencyRV.org were busy during the long Thanksgiving weekend delivering RVs to bring some of the families in from the bitter cold of their wind-battered tents.
Woody Faircloth, founder of EmergencyRV.org, said as of Dec. 1, his charity has delivered 56 free RVs to Western North Carolina families. That’s more than double the number of units placed in the field by FEMA.
There are still more than 700 families registered with EmergencyRV.org in need of shelter, he said.
“It’s really sad,” Faircloth said after spending five days delivering RVs in Western North Carolina over the Thanksgiving holiday, “and it’s going to get worse before it gets better with all these hotel vouchers expiring.
“Nobody, not a single person we’ve talked to, had any kind of flood insurance, and so all their insurance claims are denied,” Faircloth said. “I mean, it is horrific what’s going on there.”
Matt Van Swol, an Asheville resident who helps to coordinate and publicize the local disaster response, said he does not understand why FEMA is downsizing when the region is still badly hurting.
“We are literally driving in an RV from Utah this week for a family of 6,” Van Swol told Blaze News. “Why are they [FEMA] leaving? The work hasn’t even begun.”
Cassie Clark, a North Carolina storm victim advocate with more than 15,000 followers on X, castigated the government for its response to Helene.
“What is happening in Western North Carolina is a disgrace, and it falls on the heads of our federal government, our state government, our local government,” Clark said in a video posted to X. “It’s a disgrace, and I’m not going to pretend otherwise.”
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, in late October said the state was leading an “unprecedented response and recovery effort.” The overall government response in North Carolina pales, however, compared to other storms over the past quarter-century.
The National Guard dispatched more than 51,000 Guardsmen to rescue and relief operations after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf coast in August 2005. It was the largest domestic Guard deployment in U.S. history, according to the National Guard's online Katrina timeline.
National Guard, U.S. Army, and U.S. Air Force personnel assigned to Hurricane Helene relief in North Carolina totaled more than 6,200 over the course of seven weeks in fall 2024. The last of those service members pulled out the week before Thanksgiving.
The Department of Defense committed more than 16,000 personnel after Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Some 17,000 troops were deployed to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands after Hurricanes Maria and Irma later that same year. The U.S. military committed 17,000 troops to Haiti after a 2010 earthquake and sent 15,000 to Indonesia after a tsunami in 2005.
'Support from the federal and even state government is very, very thin, and that should not be the case.'
Erin Derham, an Asheville filmmaker, accompanied local contractor Sampson Hickox from Operation Shelter to stock up and deliver a donated RV to a mother with a 1-year-old baby and five other children who had been living in a tent for two months.
The RV was donated by a member of Crestview Baptist Church in Canton, N.C. Operation Shelter stocked it with food, baby supplies, and cleaning products before turning it over to the family.
“It got down below freezing as we dropped off the last camper tonight,” Derham posted on X Nov. 29. “I have never received so many hugs in my life. Families are sleeping warm.”
Derham connects with families in need of shelter, then coordinates with Hickox to deliver donated RVs.
“He and I deliver the RVs together,” Derham told Blaze News. “He’s a firefighter and builder. Truly the heart of our team. We have an RV going to a young family this Friday. Sampson got his best friend to drive to Utah to pick up the donated RV.”
Operation Shelter is run by Shawn Hendrix, who pledged on social media Dec. 2 to bring gifts on Christmas Eve to children at the Black Mountain Home in Black Mountain, N.C. “We will not let this storm take Christmas from these kids,” Hendrix wrote on X.
Faircloth, who drove a large RV from Colorado to Western North Carolina just before Thanksgiving, said it is difficult to even describe the massive damage done by the unprecedented rains and high-velocity mudslides that devastated the region.
“Just the scope of it is so large,” Faircloth said. “It’s every creek, every river, and anything near it is either totally destroyed or has been completely submerged by water. I mean, it is unbelievable. It is breathtaking, to be honest.”
'We will never forget about you.'
Debris still lodged high in trees gives testimony to the deadly 35- to 40-foot walls of water, mud, and building materials that swept down the mountains during Helene. Faircloth said he saw sheet metal dangling from a tree 40 feet off the ground. “I've never seen anything like this,” he said.
Van Swol said people on social media have accused him of being overly dramatic about damage and debris conditions on the ground, so he took drone video to prove his point.
“I just went out and shot probably a half-hour worth of video of debris swinging from trees,” Van Swol said. “Eighteen-wheelers upside down in the French Broad River.
“The amount of debris strewn along the riverbanks of the French Broad River is eye-watering,” he said. “I’ve seen the same tanker trucks and shipping containers in the water just floating there for weeks.”
Just before the Nov. 5 presidential election, a former assistant secretary of the U.S. Army told Blaze News that the military should have been doing much more in terms of building shelters, stringing temporary power in remote areas, rebuilding washed-out roads, and more.
Casey Wardynski, assistant secretary of the Army for manpower and Reserve affairs under former President Donald J. Trump, said the failing response by the Biden-Harris administration was “pathetic.”
“I know the response one would’ve seen with Trump, and I know the sense of urgency that you would’ve had with Trump,” Wardynski said.
Some 142,000 Guardsmen were activated to fight wildfires in 2022, and 62,000 military troops responded to Hurricane Ivan, Wardynski said. With Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, “support from the federal and even state government is very, very thin, and that should not be the case.”
President Trump visited Swannanoa, N.C., on Oct. 21, pledging to bring a much more robust humanitarian relief effort than that put forth by the Biden-Harris administration.
“We will never forget about you,” Trump pledged. “We’re going to be working with you for a long time to come to get it back together.”
0
brianlux
Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 42,125
That last line... Yeaaaaah, right.
"A pessimist is simply an optimist in full possession of the facts."
Comments
-EV 8/14/93
I think he/she likes hockey and maple syrup.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
this also assumes at least some of those folks didnt choose to stay in tents.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
In New York, an hour commute is nothing, yet these folks choose not to accept free indoor housing with that commute. How many available hotels could there possibly be within an hour of rural mountainous NC? Yet folks blame this on the govt.
How about blaming employers for not sharing the cost of the commute by counting 50% of commute time as work time? Of course republicans from their safe spaces will expect nothing above and beyond from employers but expect the govt to create magic.
I don't understand how anyone makes it on min wage, even it being $16. Where are these people living?
NYC has quite a few programs to assist Asylum seekers now. Is that how they are able to stay here?
It boggles my mind sometimes.
On a related note, this is rather interesting. I doubt that Mayor Adams considers himself a Conservative or a nazi or a racist.
Libtardaplorable©. And proud of it.
Brilliantati©
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Four disaster recovery centers have closed, while 5,200 households will soon lose their FEMA hotel vouchers.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has closed four Western North Carolina disaster recovery centers and is tearing down its employee housing village west of Asheville while nearly 5,200 storm-displaced households are still living in hotels with no other shelter options.
The exodus of FEMA staff from the region comes on the heels of the late November withdrawal of the National Guard and the pullout of U.S. Army XVIII Airborne Corps service members in late October.
Some local residents say they feel abandoned by the federal and state governments. Storm victim advocates say a massive crisis is brewing with more than 5,000 families slated to lose FEMA hotel vouchers as Christmas approaches.
The landscape of the devastated region is dotted with tents that serve as the only shelter for some families who are forced to brave overnight temperatures that recently dipped into the teens. Some residents are unable to live in their damaged homes, and even more had their homes and property completely swept away by flooding and violent mudslides
The pace of federal housing help is far outstripped by the need. Only 27 FEMA mobile homes and trailers have been delivered to Western North Carolina families whose homes were destroyed in the devastating flood spurred by Hurricane Helene in late September. A FEMA official said victims must file for storm aid by Jan. 7.
A FEMA official told Blaze News that 5,179 households are still using FEMA hotel vouchers and have no long-term housing available. The agency has helped 4,950 households find “suitable longer-term housing” as part of its Transitional Sheltering Assistance program.
“As of Nov. 25, 5,179 households remain checked in to hotels, and we will continue to work with these families to assist them in determining their long-term solution,” a FEMA official said in an email to Blaze News. The program typically provides 60 days in the "immediate aftermath of a disaster," the official said.
“Unfortunately, this program cannot continue indefinitely,” the FEMA official said, “and typically partnering hotels will reduce their availability to the program as business patterns resume.”
FEMA housing village packed up
That news is no comfort to storm victims who watched during Thanksgiving week as FEMA dismantled its employee housing village in Candler, N.C., and closed four disaster recovery centers in Western North Carolina.
Cotton Logistics, a federal contractor based in Katy, Texas, began tearing down the FEMA employee housing village in Candler before Thanksgiving, according to local relief volunteers who visited the site.
Cotton provides turnkey housing solutions for FEMA staff and contractors who respond to disasters around the nation, according to the company’s website. The company supplies housing units, laundry trailers, dining facilities, restrooms, showers, and other support services.
In a Nov. 22 news release, FEMA said it was closing disaster recovery centers in Sparta, Dallas, Sylva, and Old Fort, N.C. Storm survivors can visit any FEMA assistance center or use the agency's website to register for help.
The “responder village” site in Candler was one of several built in October with single-unit housing for FEMA employees and federal contractors. The sites were built to allow as much hotel space as possible to be dedicated to storm survivors.
The Candler site offered lodging, showers, medical care, dining, and electrical service, Josh Wert, director of FEMA’s responder support branch, told Blaze News on Oct. 18.
In mid-October, FEMA had more than 1,400 staff in the region. Blaze News reached out to Wert for more details on the closing of the Candler site but did not get a reply by press time.
During Thanksgiving week, local residents who noticed the Candler site was abandoned found pallets of food left behind that were apparently slated to be thrown away. Volunteers loaded the food onto trailers and distributed it to needy Western North Carolina families.
It appears that in some cases, FEMA staff are living out of mobile housing units on the same site as the disaster recovery center where they work. A Bunkhouse trailer is parked near the Asheville disaster recovery center.
Blaze News asked the FEMA News Desk about the closing of the Candler site but did not receive a reply by press time.
Bridging the gap
Volunteers and charitable organizations are stepping up in an attempt to fill the huge void between the urgent housing demand and the small dent made to date through placement of FEMA mobile homes and trailers. Solutions being put in place include donated RVs and tiny houses that allow families to remain on their properties.
Groups such as Operation Shelter and EmergencyRV.org were busy during the long Thanksgiving weekend delivering RVs to bring some of the families in from the bitter cold of their wind-battered tents.
Woody Faircloth, founder of EmergencyRV.org, said as of Dec. 1, his charity has delivered 56 free RVs to Western North Carolina families. That’s more than double the number of units placed in the field by FEMA.
There are still more than 700 families registered with EmergencyRV.org in need of shelter, he said.
“It’s really sad,” Faircloth said after spending five days delivering RVs in Western North Carolina over the Thanksgiving holiday, “and it’s going to get worse before it gets better with all these hotel vouchers expiring.
“Nobody, not a single person we’ve talked to, had any kind of flood insurance, and so all their insurance claims are denied,” Faircloth said. “I mean, it is horrific what’s going on there.”
Matt Van Swol, an Asheville resident who helps to coordinate and publicize the local disaster response, said he does not understand why FEMA is downsizing when the region is still badly hurting.
“We are literally driving in an RV from Utah this week for a family of 6,” Van Swol told Blaze News. “Why are they [FEMA] leaving? The work hasn’t even begun.”
Cassie Clark, a North Carolina storm victim advocate with more than 15,000 followers on X, castigated the government for its response to Helene.
“What is happening in Western North Carolina is a disgrace, and it falls on the heads of our federal government, our state government, our local government,” Clark said in a video posted to X. “It’s a disgrace, and I’m not going to pretend otherwise.”
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, in late October said the state was leading an “unprecedented response and recovery effort.” The overall government response in North Carolina pales, however, compared to other storms over the past quarter-century.
The National Guard dispatched more than 51,000 Guardsmen to rescue and relief operations after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf coast in August 2005. It was the largest domestic Guard deployment in U.S. history, according to the National Guard's online Katrina timeline.
National Guard, U.S. Army, and U.S. Air Force personnel assigned to Hurricane Helene relief in North Carolina totaled more than 6,200 over the course of seven weeks in fall 2024. The last of those service members pulled out the week before Thanksgiving.
The Department of Defense committed more than 16,000 personnel after Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Some 17,000 troops were deployed to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands after Hurricanes Maria and Irma later that same year. The U.S. military committed 17,000 troops to Haiti after a 2010 earthquake and sent 15,000 to Indonesia after a tsunami in 2005.
'Support from the federal and even state government is very, very thin, and that should not be the case.'
Erin Derham, an Asheville filmmaker, accompanied local contractor Sampson Hickox from Operation Shelter to stock up and deliver a donated RV to a mother with a 1-year-old baby and five other children who had been living in a tent for two months.
The RV was donated by a member of Crestview Baptist Church in Canton, N.C. Operation Shelter stocked it with food, baby supplies, and cleaning products before turning it over to the family.
“It got down below freezing as we dropped off the last camper tonight,” Derham posted on X Nov. 29. “I have never received so many hugs in my life. Families are sleeping warm.”
Derham connects with families in need of shelter, then coordinates with Hickox to deliver donated RVs.
“He and I deliver the RVs together,” Derham told Blaze News. “He’s a firefighter and builder. Truly the heart of our team. We have an RV going to a young family this Friday. Sampson got his best friend to drive to Utah to pick up the donated RV.”
Operation Shelter is run by Shawn Hendrix, who pledged on social media Dec. 2 to bring gifts on Christmas Eve to children at the Black Mountain Home in Black Mountain, N.C. “We will not let this storm take Christmas from these kids,” Hendrix wrote on X.
Faircloth, who drove a large RV from Colorado to Western North Carolina just before Thanksgiving, said it is difficult to even describe the massive damage done by the unprecedented rains and high-velocity mudslides that devastated the region.
“Just the scope of it is so large,” Faircloth said. “It’s every creek, every river, and anything near it is either totally destroyed or has been completely submerged by water. I mean, it is unbelievable. It is breathtaking, to be honest.”
'We will never forget about you.'
Debris still lodged high in trees gives testimony to the deadly 35- to 40-foot walls of water, mud, and building materials that swept down the mountains during Helene. Faircloth said he saw sheet metal dangling from a tree 40 feet off the ground. “I've never seen anything like this,” he said.
Van Swol said people on social media have accused him of being overly dramatic about damage and debris conditions on the ground, so he took drone video to prove his point.
“I just went out and shot probably a half-hour worth of video of debris swinging from trees,” Van Swol said. “Eighteen-wheelers upside down in the French Broad River.
“The amount of debris strewn along the riverbanks of the French Broad River is eye-watering,” he said. “I’ve seen the same tanker trucks and shipping containers in the water just floating there for weeks.”
Just before the Nov. 5 presidential election, a former assistant secretary of the U.S. Army told Blaze News that the military should have been doing much more in terms of building shelters, stringing temporary power in remote areas, rebuilding washed-out roads, and more.
Casey Wardynski, assistant secretary of the Army for manpower and Reserve affairs under former President Donald J. Trump, said the failing response by the Biden-Harris administration was “pathetic.”
“I know the response one would’ve seen with Trump, and I know the sense of urgency that you would’ve had with Trump,” Wardynski said.
Some 142,000 Guardsmen were activated to fight wildfires in 2022, and 62,000 military troops responded to Hurricane Ivan, Wardynski said. With Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, “support from the federal and even state government is very, very thin, and that should not be the case.”
President Trump visited Swannanoa, N.C., on Oct. 21, pledging to bring a much more robust humanitarian relief effort than that put forth by the Biden-Harris administration.
“We will never forget about you,” Trump pledged. “We’re going to be working with you for a long time to come to get it back together.”