WASHINGTON — The federal government has approved nearly $2 billion in aid in six states to help people hit hard by hurricanes Helene And Miltonthe White House said Wednesday.
The federal government is under intense pressure to show it is getting help in areas devastated by back-to-back hurricanes in late September and early October, as it warns more money will be needed to fund the response.
Helene was a Category 4 storm that first hit Florida’s Gulf Coast on September 26, dumping trillions of gallons of rain and leaving behind a massive amount of precipitation. trail of destruction for hundreds of miles through several states. Hurricane Milton passed through Florida two weeks later.
The hurricane response is one important part of the upcoming presidential elections election in which former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris positioned themselves as the best candidate to respond to such calamities.
The money approved so far includes funds that will go to residents for things like rental reimbursements if they can’t live in their homes, or quick infusions of $750 cash to pay for things like diapers or food. It also includes money for public assistance, such as reimbursing local governments for removing debris or repairing public infrastructure such as roads, bridges or schools.
According to the White House release, approximately $911 million was spent on damage caused by Hurricane Helene, while approximately $620 million was spent on recovery from Hurricane Milton. Other funds have gone to things like agricultural support. The six states where the money went are Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
FEMA and the federal government have battled misinformation about their efforts, with many of the false claims being made fueled by Trump and others just before the election. Much of the misinformation focused on the agency’s response in North Carolina, where mountain areas were particularly hard hit by Helene.
The rumors have raised concerns about the safety of FEMA personnel on site and whether residents would be discouraged from applying for assistance.
The agency said Wednesday it is monitoring how many people sign up for assistance in areas where a disaster has been declared. So far, about 15.2% of households in affected North Carolina counties have applied for assistance. This is lower than Georgia and South Carolina, but still within expectations. The agency also noted that it is still early in the 60-day period for people to register for assistance.
“FEMA is continuously assessing registration patterns in all affected states to identify any outlier communities that may be registering at a lower rate than expected,” the agency said.
Tuesday has the Small Business Administration said it has run out of money for the disaster relief loans it offers small businesses, homeowners and renters. To date, the SBA has offered $48 million in loans to survivors of the two hurricanes, the news release said.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell has repeatedly said her organization has enough money in its disaster relief fund to respond to Helene and Milton.
Congress replenished the fund with $20 billion in early October, but just under half of that had already been allocated for previous disasters. Criswell said Wednesday that there is currently about $8.5 billion in the fund.
Criswell has said the agency will eventually need additional funding from Congress. If that doesn’t happen, FEMA would go into what’s called “immediate needs funding,” meaning it would stop paying for past disasters and save its money for lifesaving missions during new disasters.