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North Carolina Army National Guard 1st Battalion, 131st Aviation Regiment members deliver supplies Oct. 8, 2024, to residents in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Elk Park, N.C. (AP)
A widely-shared social media post lacks important context about the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s recent decision about disaster relief in North Carolina.
President Donald Trump "just denied North Carolina’s request for FEMA relief from Hurricane Helene, calling it ‘unwarranted,’" liberal pundit Brian Tyler Cohen said in an April 12 X post.
The post — which reached 6.6 million X accounts, according to the company’s metrics — could give people the impression that North Carolina has been left to deal with Helene relief on its own.
That’s not the case. In a follow-up X post, Cohen linked to a news article that provided more context. Cohen didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Helene hit North Carolina on Sept. 27 and is the most devastating storm in state history, killing more than 100 people and causing an estimated $60 billion in damage, according to state officials.
FEMA initially agreed to pay for 100% of debris removal and emergency protective measures for the first 180 days, or until March 27. A week prior to that expiration date, Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat who was elected to the office in November, wrote a letter to Trump asking him to extend the agreement.
"This extension is critical to make Western North Carolina whole and is in alignment with executive actions from previous storms like Hurricane Maria in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, Hurricane Ike in Texas, and Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana and Mississippi," Stein wrote.
In an April 11 response, a top FEMA administrator informed Stein that his request had been denied, saying 100% federal coverage was "not warranted." The letter didn’t explain its decision. In a statement to PolitiFact NC, FEMA’s press office said that the agency normally covers 75% of the cost — but will continue paying for 90% of debris removal.
"FEMA initially provided a 100% federal cost share to incentivize speedy debris removal operations and recovery," FEMA said in an April 16 statement. "The typical assistance FEMA provides through its Public Assistance Program is 75%, due to the severity of the disaster with Hurricane Helene, FEMA is providing North Carolina 90% far exceeding the normal 75%."
After receiving FEMA’s letter, Stein issued a statement saying he was "extremely disappointed" by the decision and would "urge the President to reconsider FEMA’s bad decision, even for 90 days."
Stein’s office told PolitiFact NC that the difference in covering 90% of the costs and 100% of the costs is an estimated $200 million. That’s money that could be used on other Helene-related projects, or saved as legislators strive to slash state spending. North Carolina budget analysts say the state could face a budget deficit next year due to declining revenues from tax cuts.
Cohen claimed on X that Trump "denied North Carolina’s request for FEMA relief from Hurricane Helene."
The vague post could give people the inaccurate impression that Trump is withholding all relief from North Carolina. That’s not the case.
FEMA, which operates under the Trump administration, denied a request to cover 100% of North Carolina’s costs for debris removal and other emergency protective measures — but will continue covering 90% of costs as those efforts continue.
Cohen’s claim is partially accurate — a request for relief was rejected — but leaves out the important detail that FEMA is still funding 90% of relief. We rate it Half True.
X post by Brian Tyler Cohen on April 12, 2025.
NC Newsline, "FEMA will stop matching 100% of Helene recovery money in North Carolina," April 12, 2025.
Letter from North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein to President Donald Trump, March 20, 2025.
Letter from Cameron Hamilton, a senior official for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein on April 11, 2025.
Telephone interview with Kate Frauenfelder, communications director for North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein, April 17, 2025.
WRAL, "DOGE in NC? Hundreds of state jobs to be eliminated in NC Senate budget plan that prioritizes tax cuts," April 15, 2025; "NC's FEMA aid extension for Hurricane Helene recovery denied," April 12, 2025; "Federal cuts, NC tax cuts leave legislators wrestling with how to solve projected deficit," March 27, 2025.
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