Trump's visit to small-town North Carolina brings hope to hurricane survivors who lost everything
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – President Donald Trump's Jan. 24 visit to western North Carolina — his second since Hurricane Helene destroyed large swaths of the Southeast on Sept. 27 and his first visit since becoming president — brought hope to survivors on Friday.
Fox News Digital spoke with multiple locals during Trump's visit to hard-hit Swannanoa, where houses along the Swannanoa River were literally swept downstream during the destructive hurricane exactly four months ago Monday.
"It's been hell," Swannanoa resident Michelle, who wanted to be identified only by her first name, told Fox News Digital.
Michelle lives in a makeshift camper park off a main road in Swannanoa, where she and about seven or eight other locals whose homes were destroyed in the hurricane are living in campers and tents donated by different charitable organizations.
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Many people are still struggling to find secure housing, Michelle said, noting that many families with children have received tiny home donations from charities, but they would not be enough for those families to live long-term.
Along with housing, many locals lost their jobs in the hurricane when warehouses and businesses were destroyed by flooding or other damage.
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Emily Russell was seven months pregnant when her home near the river flooded up to her chest. She and her dog sat on a floating mattress and waited for help because there was no other way out.
"It's just really been crazy since then. No help, really, except for volunteers and churches that we've been grateful for," Russell told Fox News Digital. "They've come, and they really helped us a lot because we had to gut the house and rebuild it. And then, like I said, I was pregnant at the time, so we had to hurry and try to get it at least livable before the baby came."
"Of course, I applied for FEMA [aid] and different government assistance, but none of that really came through to help in any way," Russell added.
Many locals who spoke to Fox News Digital on Friday said that while they have received some help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), it is not enough, and there is too much red tape in applying for and actually receiving help, whether it be monetary or housing assistance.
Numerous people across western North Carolina are still sleeping in tents and campers more than 100 days after the storm hit the area in the early morning hours of Sept. 27. Most campers on private property have been donated by local and national charities, such as Samaritan's Purse and Cajun Navy, which is working with Emergency RV to donate used and new campers. Others are staying in campers donated by the agency on specific FEMA-designated sites.
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Russell said she and other locals were excited that Trump was making his second visit to the town, which has a population of about 5,000.
"The fact that he has come back, especially to Swannanoa … little nowhere town, and he's here … it just makes you feel hopeful that we are going to start getting some help and see a big change," Russell said. "We're glad he's here. We're hopeful. I just really think that he's the one that can make the big difference, and we're just excited. This little town has needed a little bit of help, so that's really cool."
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A Swannanoa resident who wanted to be identified only as Vicky, who also lost her home and is now living in a camper donated by a church group, told Fox News Digital that she was "excited" about the president's visit.
"He was here in October, and he wasn't even president then," Vicky noted.
When asked what locals need most, Vicky said more "housing would be great," or the financial means to get housing.
"We did get our FEMA money, and we're putting it towards all this, which is nowhere near enough to cover everything," she explained. "We were out of debt. And as of right now, we're going to be back in debt for a home because we have no choice."
Danny Bailey, or "Uncle Danny," as locals know him, also believes the new administration will help hurricane survivors get some relief.
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"Even if he just helps us financially, or he gets people in here to say, 'OK, we're going to build you a house' … because what FEMA's done was good, but it wasn't good enough," Bailey said. "And the fact that he came here after the flood shows that he cares enough that he's gonna do something."
Bailey lost his home and said two charitable organizations donated two campers for him to use and live in after the storm. Another man from Mexico who now lives in North Carolina helped clear debris on his property for free, Bailey said.
The president spoke in two North Carolina towns during his Friday visit and asked a group of Swannanoa residents to take the mic and share their stories on his last stop before heading to California to visit wildfire-affected areas.
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"I'll also be signing an executive order to begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA, or maybe getting rid of FEMA," Trump told reporters in North Carolina on Friday morning. "I think, frankly, FEMA is not good."
Trump also promised his administration would step in and assist North Carolina to fix the damage quickly, vowing to "do a good job" for the state.
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"We're going to fix it, and we're going to fix it as fast as you can," Trump said. "It's a massive amount of damage. FEMA has really let us down. Let the country down. And I don't know if that's Biden's fault or whose fault it is, but we're going to take over. We're going to do a good job."
Hurricane Helene created billions of dollars worth of damage when it destroyed homes, farms and critical infrastructure like roads, bridges and power lines. Parts of highways connecting North Carolina and Tennessee have been closed since late September.
More than 100 people died as a result of the hurricane in North Carolina alone, and the total death count is more than 230 across six states, including South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia and Florida.