Appalachian Voices calls on Congress to approve disaster relief funding for Helene damage

Editor’s note: This statement was updated on Oct. 2 to clarify the state of FEMA disaster funding and to update the death toll.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 1, 2024

CONTACT
Dan Radmacher, Media Specialist, (540) 798-6683, dan@appvoices.org 

APPALACHIA – On Sept. 26, Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida, and moved inland toward Southern and Central Appalachia over the next few days. The storm and associated flooding, landslides, downed trees and power outages have caused widespread damage and resulted in more than 170 lives lost in North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, South Carolina, Florida and Georgia. Accuweather estimates the economic and structural damages from this storm to be upwards of $160 billion. Congress failed to address the Biden Administration’s request for $27 billion in pre-existing disaster funding needs before leaving DC at the end of September, with no plans to return until Nov. 12.

Statement from Chelsea Barnes, Director of Government Affairs and Strategy:
“Hurricane Helene brought unimaginable damage to our communities hundreds of miles from the Gulf of Mexico where it made landfall. Our communities immediately sprang into action — helping neighbors clear fallen trees, supplying drinking water and coordinating air drops of supplies to areas where entire roads were washed away. These efforts are continuing, but we have a long road to recovery ahead of us after this storm. Our communities need drinking water and electricity restored, and our homes and roads need to be rebuilt. If we’ve learned anything in the almost 20 years since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, we know that robust federal funding is critical to our success right now. Appalachians are resilient, and we will rebuild. But we need Congress to return to Washington and pass disaster funding now.”