Trump's visit to small-town North Carolina brings hope to hurricane survivors who lost everything

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – President Donald Trump's Jan. 24 sojourn to western North Carolina — his 2nd since Hurricane Helene destroyed ample swaths of the Southeast connected Sept. 27 and his archetypal sojourn since becoming president — brought anticipation to survivors connected Friday.

Fox News Digital spoke with aggregate locals during Trump's sojourn to hard-hit Swannanoa, wherever houses on the Swannanoa River were virtually swept downstream during the destructive hurricane precisely 4 months agone Monday. 

"It's been hell," Swannanoa nonmigratory Michelle, who wanted to beryllium identified lone by her archetypal name, told Fox News Digital.

Michelle lives successful a makeshift camper parkland disconnected a main roadworthy successful Swannanoa, wherever she and astir 7 oregon 8 different locals whose homes were destroyed successful the hurricane are surviving successful campers and tents donated by antithetic charitable organizations. 

HURRICANE SURVIVORS WHO MET TRUMP IN NORTH CAROLINA SHARE PRESIDENT'S WORDS THAT STUCK WITH THEM

North Carolinians surviving successful a enactment of privately donated campers successful Swannanoa. (Fox News Digital)

Many radical are inactive struggling to find unafraid housing, Michelle said, noting that galore families with children person received tiny location donations from charities, but they would not beryllium capable for those families to unrecorded long-term. 

Along with housing, galore locals mislaid their jobs successful the hurricane erstwhile warehouses and businesses were destroyed by flooding oregon different damage.

'A BIG RELIEF': NC RESIDENTS DESCRIBE MEETING WITH TRUMP AFTER FEELING 'IGNORED' POST-HURRICANE

Emily Russell was 7 months large erstwhile her location adjacent the stream flooded up to her chest. She and her canine sat connected a floating mattress and waited for assistance due to the fact that determination was nary different mode out. 

Emily Russell was 7 months large erstwhile her location adjacent the stream flooded up to her chest. She and her canine sat connected a floating mattress and waited for assistance due to the fact that determination was nary different mode out. (Fox News Digital)

"It's conscionable truly been brainsick since then. No help, really, but for volunteers and churches that we've been grateful for," Russell told Fox News Digital. "They've come, and they truly helped america a batch due to the fact that we had to gut the location and rebuild it. And then, similar I said, I was large astatine the time, truthful we had to hurry and effort to get it astatine slightest livable earlier the babe came."

"Of course, I applied for FEMA [aid] and antithetic authorities assistance, but nary of that truly came done to assistance successful immoderate way," Russell added.

TRUMP TO VISIT BATTERED NORTH CAROLINA TOWNS STILL SUFFERING MONTHS AFTER HELENE: 'TREATED BADLY BY DEMOCRATS'

A structure and camper successful Swannanoa, North Carolina. (Fox News Digital)

Many locals who spoke to Fox News Digital connected Friday said that portion they person received immoderate assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), it is not enough, and determination is excessively overmuch reddish portion successful applying for and really receiving help, whether it beryllium monetary oregon lodging assistance. 

Numerous radical crossed occidental North Carolina are inactive sleeping successful tents and campers much than 100 days aft the tempest deed the country successful the aboriginal greeting hours of Sept. 27. Most campers connected backstage spot person been donated by section and nationalist charities, specified arsenic Samaritan's Purse and Cajun Navy, which is moving with Emergency RV to donate utilized and caller campers. Others are staying successful campers donated by the bureau connected circumstantial FEMA-designated sites.

TRUMP WARNS FEMA FACES RECKONING AFTER BIDEN ADMIN: ‘NOT DONE THEIR JOB’

A Trump run motion posted to a telephone rod successful Swannanoa, North Carolina, connected Jan. 24, 2025. (Fox News Digital)

Russell said she and different locals were excited that Trump was making his 2nd visit to the town, which has a colonisation of astir 5,000.

"We're hopeful. I conscionable truly deliberation that he's the 1 that tin marque the large difference, and we're conscionable excited."

"The information that helium has travel back, particularly to Swannanoa … small obscurity town, and he's present … it conscionable makes you consciousness hopeful that we are going to commencement getting immoderate assistance and spot a large change," Russell said. "We're gladsome he's here. We're hopeful. I conscionable truly deliberation that he's the 1 that tin marque the large difference, and we're conscionable excited. This small municipality has needed a small spot of help, truthful that's truly cool."

TRUMP WARNS FEMA FACES RECKONING AFTER BIDEN ADMIN: ‘NOT DONE THEIR JOB’

President Donald Trump, with archetypal woman Melania Trump, visits a vicinity affected by Hurricane Helene successful Swannanoa, North Carolina, connected Jan. 24, 2025. (Mandel NGAN / AFP)

A Swannanoa nonmigratory who wanted to beryllium identified lone arsenic Vicky, who besides mislaid her location and is present surviving successful a camper donated by a religion group, told Fox News Digital that she was "excited" astir the president's visit.

"I anticipation that helium sees however atrocious it inactive is and sticks to his connection and does thing astir it."

"He was present successful October, and helium wasn't adjacent president then," Vicky noted.

When asked what locals request most, Vicky said much "housing would beryllium great," oregon the fiscal means to get housing.

Vicky's location was swept downriver during Hurricane Helene, and she is present surviving successful a donated camper connected her property. (Fox News Digital)

"We did get our FEMA money, and we're putting it towards each this, which is obscurity adjacent capable to screen everything," she explained. "We were retired of debt. And arsenic of close now, we're going to beryllium backmost successful indebtedness for a location due to the fact that we person nary choice."

Danny Bailey, oregon "Uncle Danny," arsenic locals cognize him, besides believes the caller medication volition assistance hurricane survivors get immoderate relief. 

FEMA EXTENDS TRANSITIONAL HOUSING PROGRAM FOR NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENTS DISPLACED BY HURRICANE HELENE

"Even if helium conscionable helps america financially, oregon helium gets radical successful present to say, 'OK, we're going to physique you a house' … due to the fact that what FEMA's done was good, but it wasn't bully enough," Bailey said. "And the information that helium came present aft the flood shows that helium cares capable that he's gonna bash something."

A Trump run emblem posted to a histrion successful Helene-devastated Swannanoa, North Carolina, connected Jan. 24, 2025. (Fox News Digital)

Bailey mislaid his location and said 2 charitable organizations donated 2 campers for him to usage and unrecorded successful aft the storm. Another antheral from Mexico who present lives successful North Carolina helped wide debris connected his spot for free, Bailey said.

The president spoke successful 2 North Carolina towns during his Friday sojourn and asked a radical of Swannanoa residents to instrumentality the mic and stock their stories connected his past halt earlier heading to California to sojourn wildfire-affected areas.

HURRICANE SURVIVORS WHO MET TRUMP SHARE WHAT PRESIDENT'S VISIT MEANT TO THEM:

"I'll besides beryllium signing an enforcement bid to statesman the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA, oregon possibly getting escaped of FEMA," Trump told reporters successful North Carolina connected Friday morning. "I think, frankly, FEMA is not good."

Trump besides promised his medication would measurement successful and assistance North Carolina to hole the harm quickly, vowing to "do a bully job" for the state. 

AMERICANS SPENDING THANKSGIVING IN TENTS AS HEAT, ELECTRICITY, FOOD STILL HARD TO FIND

President Donald Trump speaks portion visiting a vicinity affected by Hurricane Helene successful Swannanoa, North Carolina, connected Jan. 24, 2025. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

"We're going to hole it, and we're going to hole it arsenic accelerated arsenic you can," Trump said. "It's a monolithic magnitude of damage. FEMA has truly fto america down. Let the state down. And I don't cognize if that's Biden's responsibility oregon whose responsibility it is, but we're going to instrumentality over. We're going to bash a bully job."

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Hurricane Helene created billions of dollars worthy of harm erstwhile it destroyed homes, farms and captious infrastructure similar roads, bridges and powerfulness lines. Parts of highways connecting North Carolina and Tennessee person been closed since precocious September.

More than 100 radical died arsenic a effect of the hurricane successful North Carolina alone, and the full decease number is much than 230 crossed six states, including South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia and Florida.