Democratic primary candidates press for Hurricane Helene recovery funds, fault Rep. Chuck Edwards
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Summary
At a Haywood County forum, five Democratic candidates for NC's 11th District said Hurricane Helene recovery remains incomplete and criticized Rep. Chuck Edwards for failing to deliver aid; candidates proposed audits of FEMA, direct appeals to federal officials and prioritizing climate-resilient rebuilding.
At a Feb. forum in Waynesville, five Democratic candidates competing in the 11th Congressional District primary placed Hurricane Helene recovery at the center of their critiques of incumbent Rep. Chuck Edwards, saying the region has received only a fraction of needed federal aid.
"We've received less than 15% of the money that this disaster caused us," Jamie Ager said, adding an estimate that Helene caused about $60,000,000,000 in damage to the region. Zelda Briarwood said North Carolina requested coverage for 48% of damages and "so far, we've gotten about 8%." Both candidates used the numbers to illustrate what they called a failure of representation in Washington.
Leaders at the forum called for immediate, concrete action if Democrats flip the seat. Paul Maddox said the first priority is to identify where the money is and "stand up and jump up and down and say, what in the hell has happened here?" Richard Hudspeth proposed auditing FEMA and bringing a "statistically accurate proposal" to the House Appropriations Committee to force disbursement and prioritize climate-resilient infrastructure projects.
Candidates also named specific targets for outreach. Several said they would work with state officials such as Attorney General Josh Stein and the governor's office and press federal appointees tied to disaster programs. Leigh Whipple cited the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and named Michael Whatley (spelled "Whatley" or "Watley" in some forum remarks) as an appointed official he said had "done nothing" for mitigation funding so far.
Haywood County was cited during the discussion as awaiting roughly $16'$18 million in reimbursement. Candidates emphasized oversight and constituent visibility as solutions: Ager said a congressman should "show up in DC, fighting for the region," while Hudspeth said flipping the seat and changing Congress's "power of the purse" is necessary to fix FEMA and release recovery funds.
The candidates also proposed nonexclusive remedies: coordinated appeals to other North Carolina congressional delegations, audits of pending applications, and investments in jobs-building, climate-resilient infrastructure. None offered a binding timetable or said they could guarantee specific disbursement dates, but all stressed immediate and sustained advocacy.
The forum organizers reminded voters that early voting begins Feb. 12 and that the primary is March 3.
The event focused on accountability, oversight and advocacy rather than on particular legislative text; candidates repeatedly tied critiques of Edwards to the pace and scale of Helene recovery.