April 7, 2026 — Chimney Rock, North Carolina
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin visited Chimney Rock on Tuesday, saying he plans to overhaul how the Federal Emergency Management Agency operates rather than dismantle it. On his first official trip as DHS secretary, Mullin met with local, state and federal officials in the fire department that served as the community’s command post during Hurricane Helene.
Helene struck in September 2024, dumping about 22.5 inches of rain that destroyed roughly half the homes along the Rocky Broad River and carried an estimated 1.2 million tons of sediment and wreckage into nearby Lake Lure. The influx created a debris field up to 15 feet deep. Officials said the lake is scheduled to reopen in two weeks.
Mullin said he wants to change FEMA’s role from the primary on-the-ground responder to a partner that better funds and empowers state and local governments. “We shouldn’t be the first ones in and the last ones out,” he said, arguing that states are often better positioned to handle immediate needs while the federal government helps clear the heaviest burdens.
Sen. Ted Budd led a roundtable that included emergency responders and FEMA officials who described recovery measured in tens of millions of dollars and years of work. Those at the meeting said recovery remains slow 18 months after the storm, hampered by red tape in a rugged region that lacked infrastructure to handle a major hurricane.
Mullin acknowledged delays and a backlog of FEMA projects and said the agency is trying to speed approvals ahead of the June 1 start of hurricane season. He noted FEMA is managing 22 open and pending major disasters nationwide and said, “We’re trying to push this stuff forward as fast as possible … so we aren’t entering hurricane season behind.”
His visit came a day after FEMA announced $26 million to buy out 75 North Carolina homes in high-risk flood areas, a move intended to reduce future damage and enable long-term mitigation. Mullin said thousands of other cases remain unresolved and described efforts to prioritize and clear easier cases first so funds can be released more quickly.
Officials praised Mullin for rescinding a memo from former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem that required her office to sign off on all DHS contracts and grants over $100,000, including FEMA disaster relief. Budd called that decision “leadership.” Mullin also pushed back on suggestions the administration wants to close FEMA, saying President Trump has discussed “weaning” states off some federal aid as part of broader reforms to get more dollars closer to states and reduce bureaucratic cost inflation.
He confirmed the administration is working to name a permanent FEMA administrator but declined to provide details, noting the Senate confirmation process is a hurdle.
A thousand-year storm
Local leaders and first responders described Helene as a “thousand-year storm” that wiped out roads, severed utilities and left communities struggling to restore basic services. Smaller rural counties have often had to front recovery costs and wait months for federal reimbursement, officials said, and many communities lack the staff to navigate complex, overlapping rules and slow approval processes.
Mullin said he is open to streamlining approvals, reducing backlogs and giving local leaders more decision-making flexibility, but he cautioned residents still waiting for aid that the federal government cannot solve every problem. “We’re going to do everything we can possibly do to make it happen,” he said. “But the federal government isn’t going to take care of everybody’s problems … we’re there to help ease the pain.”
He also pledged that FEMA workers would be paid for hours worked during the first six weeks of the recent shutdown by Friday, with paychecks expected to hit accounts by Monday.
This is my hometown
Eighteen months on, trailers still line the Rocky Broad River and debris continues to fall from homes stripped open by floodwaters. The Chimney Rock Fire Department, which served as shelter and operations center during the storm, displayed a torn American flag recovered from the river. Fire Chief Chris Melton, visibly moved, said he had not brought the flag out until Mullin’s visit. Mullin suggested the flag be framed and told a FEMA official to send him the bill.
Earlier in the day, Mullin walked riverbanks with local leaders, surveying areas residents call “the town that washed away,” where cottages were ripped apart, boulders shifted and the landscape was reshaped. The presidential visit drew an unusually large contingent of government vehicles and a crowded town bar, where locals offered a mix of skepticism and relief — calling the visit a “dog and pony show” while also noting the benefit of renewed attention and traffic since a nearby interstate reopened.
The challenge for Mullin and DHS is turning the symbolic gestures and policy talk in the Chimney Rock fire station into faster, tangible assistance before the next hurricane season begins.