A winter storm is barreling through the US, slamming North Carolina where people are ‘still living in tents’ after the devastating hurricane season.
Twenty states, from Texas to Delaware, were on alert Friday for snow and ice as the storm, dubbed Cora, continued to move across the South.
But residents in North Carolina, where up to six inches of snow and temperatures as low as 13F are expected, have been left without proper homes following Category 4 Hurricane Helene that tore through the region in September.
At least 70,000 homes were damaged or destroyed during the deadly storm that killed more than 100 people in the state.
Cora’s impact will span the entire state, but Western North Carolina will take the brunt of it where many of the displaced have moved into campers, trailers, sheds, tents or other forms of makeshift housing, especially in the outer Asheville community of Swannanoa.
‘We’re still living like this, and it’s not a fun way to live,’ Swannanoa resident Dara Cody told local NBC station WXII 12 in December.
AccuWeather meteorologist Alex DaSilva told DailyMail.com that the upcoming sleet and freezing rain would likely ice roads, delaying any resources and aid being trucked into the state to assist victims of Hurricane Helene.
What’s more, people living in makeshift shelters and those who are impacted by power outages may find it difficult to stay warm as temperatures plummet to ‘dangerous’ lows, he added.
Families in North Carolina have been living in campers and tents since Hurricane Helen ripped through the state in September. Locals are now facing a dangerously cold winter storm
Western North Carolina will take the brunt of the storm’s impact, where communities are still recovering after being hit hard by Helene
Ann DuPre Rogers, executive of non-profit Resources for Resilience, told NPR: ‘Apartment complexes have been declared uninhabitable. People are living in tents.’
Even after the storm moves out of North Carolina at the beginning of next week, the cold will linger for days to come, according to DaSilva.
‘This isn’t a one-night deal. This is multiple, multiple, multiple nights, and we’ve already had plenty of cold this month, so people’s bodies are probably worn out,’ he added.
Temperatures across the state will remain well below average through at least the middle of next week, he added.
‘We may be looking at another five to seven days of below-average temperatures before temperatures begin to rebound in that area.’
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein declared a state of emergency Thursday, ahead of the storm, while officials in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas issued theirs Friday.
Arkansas is facing up to 14 inches of snow, while parts of Texas and Oklahoma have already received 12 inches.
Stein said in a Friday briefing: ‘At this time, our greatest concern is road safety.
Many of the displaced have moved into campers, trailers, sheds, tents or other forms of makeshift housing
Some people have been forced to live in their cars
Winter Storm Cora is already sweeping across the Southeast, and North Carolina’s displaced Hurricane Helene survivors will be especially vulnerable to its impact
‘Precipitation and freezing temperatures tomorrow afternoon and night will make a mess of our roads Saturday morning’
Snow started to fall Friday in the western half of North Carolina. Communities at higher elevations, such as Asheville, could see three to six inches of accumulation with some locally higher amounts, DaSilva said.
‘Getting supplies in there over the next day or two could be a challenge, because the roadways are just going to be a mess,’ he added.
The wintry precipitation could cause power outages, which may create a dangerous situation as temperatures drop and people are unable to warm their homes.
In the wake of Hurricane Helene, the state replaced many damaged or destroyed power lines and structures with temporary infrastructure to restore electricity to hard-hit communities.
For example, a substation powering the Asheville neighborhood of Biltmore Village was ‘decimated by debris’ and is still in the process of being rebuilt.
In its place, North Carolina power company Duke Energy installed a temporary substation to supply power to the nearly 7,000 customers in that area, according to a recent report from the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management.
But these temporary structures may not be well-suited to handle the snow and freezing rain that Winter Storm Cora is forecasted to bring, ‘So it may not take as much to cause issues,’ DaSilva warned.
‘It’ll be important for people to check on their neighbors… And if they lose power, to try and help them out as much as you can, because this is dangerous cold, and it’s not one night of this cold — it’s multiple nights,’ he said.
The outer-Asheville community of Swannanoa was hit hard by Hurricane Helene, with many of its residents having lost their homes. Swannanoa, NC, October 4, 2024
Thousands of families are living in FEMA-provided accommodations that they could lose this weekend as Cora hits. Swannanoa, NC, October 6, 2024
As of January 6, more than 5,600 households were staying in hotel or motel rooms payed for by FEMA, local news station ABC 13 reported. Bat Cave, NC, October 8, 2024
What’s more, thousands of displaced families currently living in hotel and motel rooms provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have been told they will lose their accommodations this weekend.
The temporary housing is provided through FEMA’s Transitional Sheltering Assistance program, which covers the cost of short-term accommodations at local hotels and motels for those who have been displaced.
As of January 6, more than 5,600 households were staying in hotel or motel rooms paid for by FEMA, local news station ABC 13 reported.
But the agency has stated that nearly 3,500 households have been deemed ‘no longer eligible’ for for the program, either because an inspection had indicated their homes were now habitable, they declined an inspection, or FEMA has been unable to contact them to update their housing needs.
On January 3, FEMA began issuing notices to these households stating that their stays would be terminated on the 10th.
Protestors gathered in downtown Asheville Wednesday to demand that FEMA extend the deadline, and on Thursday, the agency agreed to a 24 hour extension ahead of Winter Storm Cora.
A man walks past an area flooded near the Swannanoa river. Asheville, NC, September 27, 2024
On January 3, FEMA began issuing notices to these households stating that their stays would be terminated on the 10th
The agency’s announcement, posted on X, sparked outrage from impacted residents who are concerned that a 24-hour extension will not be sufficient to keep them safe from wintry precipitation expected to last through Sunday and frigid temperatures that will linger long into next week.
‘Extending the motel accommodations for elderly residents in western North Carolina by only 24 hours is inadequate, especially given the impending snowstorm. This decision leaves them with no viable alternative for shelter during severe weather conditions,’ one X user replied.
‘You should all resign. 24 hours is shameful. We need compassionate and effective staff who know how to do their jobs,’ wrote another.
FEMA did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment, nor did the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.
While the true impact of Winter Storm Cora remains to be seen, it is clear that North Carolinians who lost their homes to Hurricane Helene are in for a difficult weekend, with more challenges to come as this frigid January continues.
