It’s been more than five months since Hurricane Helene devastated several states across the Southeast. In North Carolina, where Helene killed more than 100 people and caused nearly $60 billion in damage, many of the hardest-hit residents have grown increasingly frustrated with FEMA, a federal agency that’s also been in the crosshairs of President Trump.

Edit: Based on a lot of the repetitive comments I’m seeing, I would like to clarify two things. One, people don’t seem to realize that many of the places hardest hit by Helene, like Asheville and the immediate area, are bastions of liberalism who voted for Harris by a 2 to 1 margin. Two, it is horrifying to jeer for someone losing their home regardless of who they or their neighbors voted for.

  • Vegan_Joe@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    These comments look like they’re pulled from Facebook. I have been getting used to expecting Lemmy to provide a more empathetic and nuanced take on topics.

    North Carolina is a purple state. With around five and a half million votes counted, the election was decided by 74,000, well within the margin of voter suppression and disenfranchisement.

    Regardless, it takes an absurdly callous disconnectedness to look on a tragedy of that level without empathy.

    It shouldn’t require looking at vote totals to determine whether people are worthy of being treated with human decency in the wake of catastrophic trauma.

  • notsoshaihulud@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    One, people don’t seem to realize that many of the places hardest hit by Helene, like Asheville and the immediate area, are bastions of liberalism who voted for Harris by a 2 to 1 margin

    Unless it exclusively hit Buncombe county and avoided the surrounding counties, it did hit a region that actually predominantly voted for this.

    it is horrifying to jeer for someone losing their home regardless of who they or their neighbors voted for.

    On one hand I agree. On the other, it’s much more horrifying that a track record of extorting governors for FEMA aid wasn’t an immediate presidential dealbreaker.

  • toastynugs@sh.itjust.works
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    1 month ago

    In the NC mountains, besides the Asheville area, it’s all Trump voters. Most of the mountains are very rural. There are normal people there but also the most “slack jawed yokel” types I’ve ever seen.

  • Gammelfisch@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    The last paragraph with the edit. MAGA enjoys tearing into residents of California, they voted to dismantle FEMA and despise Socialism, even though they use it. Zero sympathy.

  • DonJefe@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    They are getting what they voted for. It’s about time the red states face consequences for their actions