States are bracing for what’s projected to be “one of the most extreme” winter storms across nearly half of the United States this weekend. But the potential devastation could be amplified by the lack of federal disaster relief.
In North Carolina, the impacts of 2024’s Hurricane Helene can still be felt across the state. Now, freezing rain threatens dayslong power outages and arctic temperatures for residents who—in some cases—don’t even have a home to shelter in.
A man walks past an area flooded during Hurricane Helene in Asheville, North Carolina, in 2024.
And thanks to President Donald Trump’s overhauling of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, help is likely not on its way.
According to local reports, Carolinians who were placed in temporary housing by FEMA were evicted earlier than designated—some as recently as this week—despite having no other housing options.
Daily Kos contacted FEMA and North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein for comment about how people could be impacted by the incoming storm but did not receive a response by time of publication.
Unhoused locals have been sitting in limbo waiting for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversees FEMA, to dole out funds for those affected. Even though there’s plenty of money—a whopping $1.5 billion, in fact—set aside to buy out the homes of Carolina residents, nothing has moved forward.
The Trump administration’s destruction of FEMA has brought about bipartisan concern, with senators even meeting in secret to discuss how to save the vital agency.
A cartoon by Clay Jones.
But Trump has been doing everything in his power to destroy FEMA—though sometimes unsuccessfully. Last month, a judge ruled that the Trump administration acted unlawfully by ending a program that helps communities prepare for natural disasters.
Still, FEMA’s ineffectiveness under Trump and Noem has already cost many lives. In July 2025, approximately 120 Texans died during a catastrophic flood when, instead of being able to provide immediate disaster relief, FEMA agents had to wait 72 hours for Noem to sign off on the budget.
Now, as dozens of states prepare for another potential natural disaster, the extreme damage that Trump has done to FEMA might be felt again by those who have already been left vulnerable.
