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Secretary's visit spotlights FEMA aid as western North Carolina town restores water and seeks bridge funding
Summary
Local officials in western North Carolina credited FEMA and welcomed a Department of Homeland Security visit, saying FEMA's wastewater-treatment unit helped reopen a town while leaders press for solutions to privately owned bridges and other remaining needs.
Local leaders in western North Carolina thanked federal officials for on-the-ground assistance after a recent disaster and described remaining infrastructure needs, including privately owned bridges that still lack funding. "The Secretary makes a difference by being here," Ashe said, arguing that the visit signals a federal priority for the region.
Duncan said the presence of the federal delegation — and a FEMA-provided wastewater-treatment facility — materially aided recovery. "Without the waste-treatment facility provided by FEMA, we would still be shut down to this day," he said, adding that the community had lost all water and sewer infrastructure: "We lost all of our water and sewer. The entire system was washed away." He also described the town as operating on an annual water-and-sewer budget of less than $400,000.
Mullin urged local and federal partners to focus on practical improvements in recovery operations rather than criticism. "Let us know what we can do better. Don’t just beat up on FEMA," he said, urging officials to identify tweaks that reduce redundancy.
Officials described policy changes to address the region's specific conditions. Ashe said headquarters issued disaster-specific guidance tailored to western North Carolina to expand options for private roads and bridges, "that gives us the ability to ensure that we had access for communities that were isolated." He said the guidance, in some cases, allows homeowners to pool resources to fund a bridge that may exceed individual limits.
Duncan said FEMA representatives were on site within hours of the disaster and that federal visibility can help officials convey local needs to Washington. Ashe said a local team is focused on rapid recovery and that they believe they have the Secretary's support to move forward. No formal votes or motions were recorded during the remarks; officials described ongoing recovery work and outstanding funding challenges for privately owned infrastructure.
