Federal funding to assist states affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton totals nearly $2 billion

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government has approved nearly $2 billion in aid in six states to help people hit hard by hurricanes Helene And Miltonthe White House said on Wednesday.

The federal government has been under intense pressure to show it is providing aid to areas devastated by back-to-back hurricanes in late September and early October, as it warns more money is needed to fund the response.

Helene was a Category 4 storm that first hit Florida’s Gulf Coast on September 26, dumping trillions of gallons of rain and leaving a large area behind trail of destruction over hundreds of miles through multiple states. Two weeks later, Hurricane Milton hit Florida.

Hurricane response has become one Key element of the upcoming presidential election Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris both positioned themselves as the best candidates to respond to such disasters.

Funds approved so far include funds that will go to residents for things like rent refunds if they can’t live in their home or quick cash infusions of $750 to pay for things like diapers or food. This also includes money for public assistance, such as reimbursing local governments for debris removal or repairing public infrastructure such as roads, bridges or schools.

According to the White House press release, about $911 million was spent on damage caused by Hurricane Helene, while about $620 million was spent on recovery from Hurricane Milton. Other funds went toward things like agricultural aid. The six states where the money went are Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

FEMA and the federal government have battled misinformation about their efforts, with many of them making false claims fueled by Trump and others shortly before the election. Much of the misinformation focused on the agency’s response in North Carolina, whose mountainous regions were particularly hard hit by Helene.

The rumors have raised concerns about the safety of FEMA workers on site and whether residents would be discouraged from applying for aid.

The agency said Wednesday that it is monitoring how many people sign up for aid in areas where a disaster has been declared. So far, about 15.2% of households in affected North Carolina counties have applied for assistance, which is lower than Georgia and South Carolina but still within expected range. The agency also noted that people still need to sign up early in the 60-day period to receive assistance.

“FEMA is continually assessing enrollment patterns in all affected states to identify outlier communities that may be enrolling at lower rates than expected,” the agency said.

On Tuesday, the Small business management said it has run out of money for the disaster relief loans it offers to small businesses, homeowners and renters. To date, the SBA has offered $48 million in loans to survivors of the two hurricanes, the release said.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell has repeatedly said her agency has enough money in its disaster relief fund to help Helene and Milton.

Congress replenished the fund with $20 billion in early October, but a little less than half of that had already been earmarked for previous disasters. Criswell said Wednesday that there is currently about $8.5 billion in the fund.

Criswell said the agency will ultimately need additional funding from Congress. If that doesn’t happen, FEMA would invest in so-called “emergency needs funding,” meaning it would stop making payments for previous disasters and reserve its money for life-saving operations in new disasters.