Dozens Of North Carolina Hurricane Victims Lose FEMA-Sponsored Housing, Senators Say

Dozens of Hurricane Helene victims were kicked out of the hotels they were staying in on Tuesday as their FEMA-sponsored vouchers expired, according to North Carolina’s Republican senators.

Sens. Ted Budd and Thom Tillis both posted on X Tuesday that they had heard from dozens of constituents in western North Carolina that they had nowhere to go after their temporary FEMA housing assistance expired. FEMA responded by saying that it had expanded its housing program for those who had lost their homes from Helene until the end of March 2025.

“My office is hearing from dozens in WNC who have been kicked out of their hotels tonight, despite FEMA’s announcement yesterday that they were extending Transitional Sheltering Assistance through January 25,” Budd posted. “This is unacceptable. This needs to be fixed TONIGHT.”

Tillis reported a similar situation, saying that many kicked out of the hotels had nowhere to go with below freezing temperatures in the area.

“My office has been helping dozens of Helene victims today who have been told their hotel vouchers expired despite not having a safe and livable home to go back to. Their homes have mold and broken windows … it’s 20 degrees tonight,” Tillis posted on X. “Hotels are trying to help them, and a number of nonprofits are stepping up to pay for victims to stay in their hotels so FEMA has another day to get its act together.”

“This is a total breakdown on the part of FEMA that is causing unnecessary pain for families. FEMA insists it has adequate boots on the ground in WNC while it responds to the wildfires in CA. If that were so, this would not be happening,” he added. “I will continue to push FEMA to do its job to provide safe housing while my office continues to work to make sure North Carolinians have a warm place to stay tonight.”

Budd later posted on Tuesday night that he had spoken with FEMA Director Deanne Criswell about the situation, saying they were working to address it.

“Last night, Senator Budd and his team got in touch with FEMA leadership and went line-by-line, person-by-person to identify issues, fix communication breakdowns, and get eligible individuals back into hotels. Senator Budd continues to encourage anyone in need of help to get in touch with his office directly at Budd.Senate.Gov,” a spokesman for Budd told The Daily Wire. 

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FEMA told The Daily Wire that since September 2024, it had housed nearly 13,000 families displaced by devastating flooding caused by Hurricane Helene. A spokesman said that its Transitional Sheltering Assistance program was still in place, including in western North Carolina, and had been extended until the end of March 2025.

The agency said that “hotel stays” on Tuesday ended for survivors who now had a habitable home due to inspection or for people who did not have “not have eligible damages to a home or rental unit caused by Tropical Storm Helene.”

The spokesman said any survivor with questions should call 1-800-621-3362 or go to a Disaster Recovery Center.

FEMA has faced criticism over its handling of recent hurricanes, with some saying the agency slow-walked its response because many conservative-leaning areas were impacted. In Florida, a supervisor was fired after The Daily Wire revealed that she ordered workers to “avoid homes advertising Trump.”