Do you remember Donald Trump’s 2024 promise to Helene victims? You should. | Opinion

The one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene’s flooding of western North Carolina will arrive on Sept. 27, but to assess what has happened since, consider another date – Oct. 21, 2024.

That’s when then-presidential candidate Donald Trump rolled into the small, devastated Buncombe County community of Swannanoa.

During an outdoor news conference, he ripped the Biden administration’s disaster response, which was actually vigorous. “In the wake of this horrible storm, many Americans in this region felt helpless and abandoned and left behind by their government,” Trump said.

But that would change, he promised, once he was back in the White House. “When I’m president, I will stand with you until the communities are fully rebuilt,” he said. “Every single inch of every property will be fully rebuilt, greater and more beautiful than it was before. You’re going to have better.”

It’s more than seven months into Trump’s presidency and the people of western North Carolina haven’t gotten better from Trump’s administration. They’ve gotten less.

State officials say the share of federal recovery funds for Helene is running well below what was given for other major storms.

With an estimated damage and recovery costs of $59.6 billion, Helene is the costliest storm to ever hit North Carolina. The state asked the federal government to cover 48% of that expense. As of June 30, the latest total available, it has received or been awarded funds covering only 7.9%.

For Sandy and Katrina, the federal government covered 78% and 73% respectively. Even storms during Trump’s first presidential term brought a more generous response: Maria (2017) 73%; Irma (2017) 32%; Florence (2018) 20%.

North Carolina likely will receive more federal assistance, but to be at less than 10% nearly a year after the storm is a failure. And it’s a particularly painful failure after Trump pledged to do so much more.

Funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has long been plagued by delays and red tape. But Trump has only made the problems worse.

In June, he suggested that FEMA should be drastically scaled back and that states should pick up a larger share of the cost of disaster recovery.

He also unleashed Elon Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut staff at federal agencies. FEMA lost more than 20 percent of its staff.

Finally, Trump appointed former South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to oversee FEMA as head of the Department of Homeland Security. She has ordered that all contracts and grants exceeding $100,000 get her approval, a requirement that has slowed the flow of disaster relief funds.

Marshall, the county seat of Madison County, lost 13 buildings to Helene, including its town hall, courthouse and post office. Mayor Aaron Haynie told me that his town has had three different FEMA staff members as the town’s contact person. Filing for grants from the agency has been cumbersome and so far his town “hasn’t seen a dime from FEMA.”

When Marshall applied for a grant to rebuild flooded parks, it included a request for funding for shrubs and grass seed. FEMA said it doesn’t cover those items. Rather than amend the application, Marshall had to reapply.

“It’s just a slow process,” Haynie said. “There’s so much back and forth.”

Despite the federal delays, state and local governments along with groups of volunteers have made substantial progress. Most roads are reopened, homes are being rebuilt, massive amounts of debris have been cleared, businesses are open and tourism is coming back.

North Carolina can take pride in those results. It reflects cooperation between the Republican-controlled legislature and Democratic Gov. Josh Stein. And it testifies to the resilience of mountain communities and the generosity of volunteers.

All that should be honored on the anniversary of an event that has severely tested North Carolina. But it should also be remembered that Trump made promises when he needed votes that he has not fulfilled now that he’s in office. He said he would end the Russia-Ukraine war “in 24 hours,” grocery prices would go down and “your incomes will soar, your savings will grow, young people will be able to afford a home.”

On that October day in Swannanoa, Trump made another promise. He told the people of western North Carolina, “We’re praying for you and we will not forget about you, we will never forget about you.”

Ten months later, it is clear he has forgotten.

Associate opinion editor Ned Barnett can be reached at nbarnett@newsobserver.com, or 919-404-7583.