When Hurricane Helene hit, North Carolinians showed up for each other. When stores had to close, they delivered food to their neighbors. When trees were blocking roads, they cleared the way. And when it was time to rebuild, they were ready to lend a hand.

But one person didn’t show up– Michael Whatley.

President Trump appointed Whatley to lead the rebuild of North Carolina in the wake of the storm, appointing him as a co-chair to the FEMA Review Council and giving him the title of Hurricane Helene Recovery Czar. What followed was a dismal federal response, delayed funding, and corrupt decision-making. 

When the Trump administration failed to disburse recovery dollars, Whatley was at campaign rallies patting them on the back. While state and local governments have done their part, the federal government has only provided a fraction of the necessary recovery funding– roughly 14%– to cover the $60 billion in damage from Helene. These delays are unprecedented and have held up the repair of roads, housing, and more. 

When North Carolinians needed an advocate, Whatley didn’t pick up the phone. He’ll tell you he did though– Whatley has lied about his performance in leading the federal response to Helene, inflating recovery numbers and inventing policy achievements to cover up his own failures. Whatley claimed to have eliminated red tape and accelerated debris removal– it had actually slowed as a result of new regulations from the Trump administration. He falsely claimed that 99% of roads and bridges were repaired, and even inflated the amount of funding disbursed by $6 billion. While he was out and about overselling the work he had done as “recovery czar,” North Carolinians were saying that Whatley had been seen “rarely, if ever” in the area. 

And when it came time to plan a path forward, Whatley tried to bolster his own stock portfolio at the expense of the communities that were fighting to rebuild. Whatley spent his time as co-chair of the FEMA Review Council pushing harmful recommendations that would privatize flood insurance and boost his $190,000 in stock tied to flood insurance companies.

Delayed funding and added red tape, inflated numbers and false claims, absent and apathetic– Michael Whatley has never shown up for North Carolinians. But North Carolinians did show up for each other. 

Take one comment from a North Carolinian who was responding to this clip of Fletcher Mayor Preston Blakely describing his experience during Helene: 

“Mayor Blakely was the first person to show up to our flooded apartment complex. He arrived in a Jeep with the biggest tires I had ever seen, bringing bottled water and such kindness. He walked around with each of us and witnessed the devastation– our homes, cars, and belongings destroyed. He showed up in ways I’ve never seen from a politician.”  

“We are beyond grateful to call him our neighbor,” they continued. “I actually didn’t know Michael Whatley existed until this campaign.” 

Michael Whatley may have abandoned Western North Carolina, but we didn’t abandon each other. And we never will. 

You can check out more of these North Carolinians’ touching stories at our YouTube channel.