By John A. Tures, Professor of Political Science, LaGrange College

Hurricane Helene was the third deadliest U.S. Hurricane in the last 50 years. The $80 billion damage estimate puts this storm in the top 7. And yet, the White House did not provide a second extension for local governments hit by Hurricane Helene to file for relief. Yes, a second extension would be unprecedented (the Biden Administration already granted one), but any observer can see that this was an unprecedented storm.

An About-Face From The White House

WALB revealed that the Trump Administration did not extend the deadline. Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff reacted with this statement:

“Georgia was devastated by Hurricane Helene last fall, and clean-up efforts by local governments are still underway,” said a statement from Senator Jon Ossoff’s office. “The Trump Administration just denied Georgia’s request to extend the period during which local governments can claim Federal assistance for cleanup efforts for Georgia. This decision is wrong, and I urge the Trump Administration to reverse course and ensure Georgia’s local governments get the vital support they need.”

Ossoff isn’t the only one pressing for such relief. House Speaker Jon Burns, Agriculture Secretary Tyler Harper, and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp all lent their voices for this bipartisan effort to get the Peach State the relief they need.

It’s hard to believe that just a month ago, Trump was accusing Biden of kicking out 2,000 North Carolinians out into the cold, a claim media fact-checkers found to be somewhat exaggerated. During that same photo-op and speech in Swannanoa, North Carolina Trump claimed “under the Trump Administration, the days of betrayal and neglect are over.”

WFAE reported “So it’s fair to say hundreds of people got this notice, but we found no evidence that 2,000 people were actually booted out into the cold with nowhere to go. And ultimately this deadline was extended multiple times — now it’s extended into May. So, that’s why we felt this was on the ‘mostly false’ end.” That extension came courtesy of the Biden Administration in January when pressed by North Carolina’s new governor Josh Stein.

An Unprecedented Storm Deserves Unprecedented Relief

Only Hurricane Katrina (which hit Louisiana and Mississippi) and Hurricane Maria (which hit Puerto Rico) had a higher death toll over the last 50 years. In fact, Helene’s power killed almost as many people as Hurricane Camille, which also hit the Gulf.

As AccuWeather reported “You could fill Lake Tahoe with all the rain that fell on the southeast U.S. during Hurricane Helene, the AP reports. The 42 trillion gallons of rainfall would also be equivalent to the flow of Niagara Falls for 1.75 years.”

There have been many stories about personal courage and communities helping out, from Florida to Georgia and the Carolinas. Even Virginia was not spared the devastation. There were also some unprecedented threats on FEMA workers trying to do their job, by conspiracy theorists.

“The North Carolina Air National Guard has delivered over 100,000 pounds of FEMA supplies to help those affected by Hurricane Helene. The group also rescued more than 500 people and 64 animals from the storm,” AccuWeather reported. These rescuers need thank yous, not threats.

Georgia Still Needs Relief

The cleanup is still ongoing, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Some LaGrange College students, faculty and staff are spending their Spring Break helping with the cleanup efforts.

From what we learned after Hurricane Ian in Ft. Myers, Florida on a similar break two years ago, there is a lot of help people, even months after the storm passes. Some places looked like they were hit just before we got there, not several months earlier. These locals need relief instead of promises of no more “betrayal and neglect.” If the Biden Administration can grant extensions, the Trump Administration should be able to as well.

John A. Tures is a professor of political science at LaGrange College in LaGrange, Georgia. His views are his own. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu. His “X” account is JohnTures2.