Six months after Hurricane Helene, Washington’s promises of aid remain empty 

On Jan. 24, 2025, just five days into his presidency, Donald Trump traveled to Western North Carolina, a region devastated by Hurricane Helene. Standing before a desperate but hopeful crowd, he pledged, “I’ll be taking strong action to get North Carolina the support that you need to quickly recover and rebuild.” 

That was more than two and a half months ago. Today, those words ring hollow. Even with Congress approving $110 billion in disaster relief in December, Western North Carolina...