Last year, Western North Carolina was hit hard by Hurricane Helene. Those effects are, of course, still being felt today, even as businesses reopen and roads and houses are rebuilt. Moving forward, further efforts need to be two pronged, focusing first on recovery and second on mitigation.

• Recovery: FEMA and similar programs are flawed and require reform. However, their inefficiency does not mean that the help they provide is not necessary.  By the end of 2024, FEMA had provided 138,000 affected households with housing and other assistance. It is unacceptable to try and dismantle FEMA while communities in need still call out for assistance.

• Mitigation: Each year our country faces more and more extreme weather events, threatening lives and livelihoods. We cannot have representatives who offer thoughts and prayers in place of real strategies to lessen the impacts of these disasters. Improved forecasting through NOAA and similar programs can help warn affected areas of impending disasters. Decarbonization of our economy can reduce the scale and damage of extreme weather events. 

Jacob knows we have real options to reduce risk before, and improve recovery after, natural disasters. With the right leadership and priorities, we can build communities that are prepared to withstand both today’s and tomorrow’s disasters.