The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced on September 30, 2024, that FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell is in North Carolina and will remain there until the situation has stabilized.
FEMA and federal, state, community and voluntary partners continue providing resources to aid response efforts across the southeast United States as survivors begin recovering from Hurricane Helene.
More than 3,500 personnel from across the federal workforce are deployed and supporting Hurricane Helene response efforts across the impacted states – more than 1,000 are from FEMA.
Across the impacted states, FEMA has shipped over 1.9 million Meals Ready to Eat (MREs), more than 1 million liters of water, 30 generators and over 95,000 tarps.
The Biden-Harris Administration declared Major Disaster declarations for areas of Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina, allowing disaster survivors to begin their recovery process by applying for federal assistance through FEMA.
People in 17 counties in Florida, 25 counties in North Carolina and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, as well as 13 counties in South Carolina can now apply for assistance with FEMA.
The state of North Carolina currently has 10 search and rescue teams on the ground, with another nine teams expected to arrive on September 30, 2024. North Carolina also has two FEMA Incident Management Assessment Teams.
Florida has two FEMA Incident Management Assistance Teams onsite at the state Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee to coordinate with the state and facilitate any requests for assistance.
Georgia has a FEMA Incident Management Assistance Team as well.
FEMA Incident Management Assistance Teams are also present in South Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama.
