VP Elect JD Vance Brings Hope to WNC - TribPapers
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VP Elect JD Vance Brings Hope to WNC

Vice President Elect JD Vance. Public domain.

Asheville – Just weeks before Inauguration Day, Vice President-elect JD Vance visited the Fairview, NC area, offering hope for assistance to the regions hardest hit by Helene. On December 6th, Vance toured Fairview and the Garren Creek area, where eleven members of one family were killed in mudslides, including Tony Garrison, Battalion Chief of the Fairview Volunteer Fire Department.

Future VP Sees Destruction Firsthand

Vance first visited the fire department, which flooded during the storm, to speak with and thank first responders and firefighters for their rapid response. He also met with Chief Garrison’s family members. Garrison and his nephew were killed while attempting to rescue people from their homes. Vance also visited a home destroyed by Helene’s floodwaters, which is being rebuilt by Samaritan’s Purse volunteers.

“I know that a lot of the people in these neck of the woods feel left behind, and I just wanted to make them feel that their government leaders actually care about them, because they do,” said Vance, addressing the sentiments expressed by many in Western North Carolina. “And certainly when this administration changes hands in the next 45 days, we’re going to do everything we can to help people rebuild, to get them back on their feet, to bring some commerce back to this area, but most importantly, to allow people to live in their homes and do what they need to do.”

NC Senators Accompany Vance

Accompanying Vance were Senators Thom Tillis and Ted Budd. Vance praised their efforts with the Biden Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to obtain waivers allowing temporary housing in the form of FEMA mobile homes to be placed in areas now considered floodplains.

Housing Those Who Lost Homes

Emergency housing is a significant issue, especially with temperatures dropping to near single digits while people are still living in tents, cars, and campers. Regarding this situation, Vance said, “The argument here is that you can’t allow people to put mobile homes on a floodplain or an area that has the risk of flood damage.” With frustration in his voice, he continued, “That’s pretty much this entire area—an area the size of the state of Massachusetts. If you don’t grant a waiver, you’re effectively telling people they’ve got to move hundreds of miles away two weeks before Christmas. It’s ridiculous. It’s atrocious, and we need a government that responds quickly to the needs of its citizens.”

Vance graciously stated that he doesn’t believe the Biden administration is intentionally causing harm, saying, “It’s bureaucratic red tape. It’s slowness. It’s a bureaucracy that is moving at the speed of a glacier when what you need is people to respond to the concerns of the people of Western North Carolina.” FEMA has been slow to provide shelter, placing only fourteen trailers in ten weeks. After Hurricane Katrina, 120,000 trailers were deployed to house the displaced.

Vance Dismisses Rumors

FEMA officials and mainstream media outlets expressed concerns that a second Trump White House would divert hurricane relief and resources to the southern border. However, Vance dismissed these claims, stating, “I happen to believe that we can walk and chew gum at the same time in the Trump administration. Yes, we’re going to secure the southern border and take that concern very seriously. We can do that while simultaneously looking after the people of Western North Carolina who have faced this terrible storm and are now trying to rebuild from it.” Hopefully, WNC residents won’t have to wait until January 20th for help to arrive.

We Haven’t Forgotten You

Throughout the devastation, Vance also sees hope. “We have the best country, and we have the best people, and the Appalachian people of North Carolina, I think, are the very best of a very great country,” Vance said. “My simple message to the people of Appalachia is that we haven’t forgotten you—we love you.”