In the wake of Hurricane Helena's devastating sweep through the southeast United States, Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) has painted a grim picture of the aftermath.
The Florida congressman, who has been on the ground in North Carolina for three days, warned that the death toll, currently at 215, is likely to rise in the coming months. "I talked to their fire chief there, Mr. Harrison. He unfortunately reported that they had four fatalities, two more that [are] unaccounted for that washed down the river. And he believes that they're going to be recovering bodies for the next couple of months due to the amount of landslides in the area," Mills relayed.
According to The Post Millennial, Mills has been actively involved in relief efforts, assisting with health and welfare checks in Burnsville, North Carolina, and aiding in the distribution of rations and supplies in Asheville. "We've brought in about five tons of food, and we've actually transferred probably another 1,000 to 1,500 out of the Asheville Distribution Center into other areas," he stated.
However, Mills criticized the Biden-Harris administration for hindering progress on the ground. He claimed that President Biden's decision to fly into the disaster-stricken area led to a temporary flight restriction, effectively grounding all air traffic. "Unfortunately, one of the things that occurred today that slowed down our progress is that President Biden decided to go ahead and do a fly-in today," Mills said. This restriction, he argued, halted crucial operations such as search and rescue and the distribution of food and supplies.
Mills further expressed his frustration with the federal government's response to the disaster. "So, it took four hours. They were grounded. Search and rescue was grounded," Mills added. "Distribution of food and supplies was grounded. And so, this, in my opinion, was irresponsible. And if FEMA is going to not show up and the federal government is going to delay up to a week to be here, at least don't stop the operations by the civilians and organizations like Mercury One, like Universal Air, like Sentinel Foundation, ... Samaritan's Purse, who are trying to do the right things in lieu of federal government assistance."
Mills is not alone in his criticism. The Biden-Harris administration and FEMA have faced backlash for their response to the hurricane. FEMA, in particular, has been under scrutiny for its alleged lack of funds to last the season, following its expenditure on shelters for illegal immigrants earlier in the year.
Login