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FACT SHEET: Trump Administration Cuts To Forecasting, Readiness, Recovery, And Research Are Putting Lives In North Carolina At Risk

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Last Updated: 9/17/26

TRUMP’S CUTS TO EXTREME WEATHER DISASTER PREVENTION AND RECOVERY PROGRAMS HURT NORTH CAROLINIANS

• In April 2025, the Trump administration canceled FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program. The cancellation jeopardized nearly 70 North Carolina projects worth nearly $190 million, with more than $80 million of the projects located along the North Carolina coast.
  • AG Jeff Jackson sued FEMA for its decision to cancel the BRIC program, which directly impacted projects in North Carolina communities.  
  • In December 2025, a federal judge found FEMA’s actions were unlawful and ordered the reinstatement of BRIC. In March 2026, FEMA was forced to reopen program applications following an order requiring funding to be made available.
    • As of March 2026, North Carolina was still waiting for funds to arrive, and FEMA had not provided a timeline for distribution.
    • In July 2026, FEMA announced just $3.1 million for seven BRIC projects in North Carolina.
  • A $4 million grant awarded to Mount Pleasant to help the city improve its stormwater drainage system and secure electrical wires was canceled.
  • A $1.13 million FEMA BRIC grant awarded to the town of Leland to relocate a sewer pump station away from a creek that frequently flooded was canceled.
  • Salisbury was set to receive $22.5 million to relocate its pump station along the Yadkin River to higher ground, ensuring safe access during storms to maintain the drinking water supply. 
  • Hillsborough was set to receive nearly $7 million to relocate its pump station out of a floodplain and expand water and sewer capacity.
  • Gastonia was set to receive $5.9 million to restore the banks of Duharts Creek and relocate sewer lines to prevent floodwater damage.
• In May 2026, Trump’s FEMA Review Council recommendedraising the threshold for disasters to qualify for federal assistance and shifting more financial and administrative burden for recovery and preparedness onto states.
  • According to the director of the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina, the state would not have been able to absorb the budgetary effects of Hurricane Helene if the FEMA Review Council’s proposed cost share plans had been in effect. 
  • In 2025, North Carolina’s state-specific disaster savings fund fell to $110 million from $720 million, largely due to Hurricane Helene recovery, and some counties spent more than their entire annual budget trying to clear debris.
  • North Carolina’s top disaster response officials argued the FEMA Review Council’s plan risked disproportionately impacting disaster survivors in small and rural communities by capping homeowner assistance at 15% of locally assessed property values.

TRUMP’S CUTS DELAYED FUNDING FOR CRUCIAL DISASTER RECOVERY WORK

• As of July 2026, North Carolina had received federal funding covering less than 16% of the estimated $60 billion of damages from Hurricane Helene in the state.
• In April 2025, Trump denied North Carolina’s request to extend full reimbursement for damages caused by Hurricane Helene, despite ongoing recovery work.
• City Managers in North Carolina reported that their staff spent 50% of their time navigating the FEMA process.
• In December 2025, a district court judge blocked the Trump administration’s withholding of grant money for emergency management, disaster relief, and homeland security operations, after North Carolina AG Jeff Jackson and 11 other states sued DHS and FEMA for imposing illegal and burdensome conditions on the grants, including more than $17 million in funding for North Carolina alone.
• In July 2026, North Carolina and 24 other states sued the Trump administration for placing stipulations on FEMA and DHS grants, a “campaign of coercion” designed to force states to adopt Trump’s preferred voting and immigration policies.
  • The requirements applied to more than $740 million in combined funding for disaster preparedness and counterterrorism.

TRUMP’S GUTTING OF NOAA AND NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FUNDING IN NORTH CAROLINA THREATENS FORECAST ACCURACY AND TIMELINESS

• As of July 2025, several NWS offices in North Carolina had vacancies for chief meteorologist and other leadership positions, including offices in the Appalachian region, known as a flash flood hotspot.
  • Between May 2025 and July 2025, the NWS office serving the western tip of North Carolina did not have a Meteorologist in Charge in place, the NWS office in Wilmington did not have a Warning Coordination Meteorologist, and NWS offices serving areas along both the northern and southern borders of North Carolina had leadership vacancies.
  • Meteorologists-in-charge had decades of experience and each captained a team of forecasters. They also managed relationships with local media and the local emergency management community, which were crucial external relationships.
• Trump’s 2026 budget proposed cutting NOAA’s regional climate centers, including the Southeast Regional Climate Center, which is housed at UNC-Chapel Hill. 

TRUMP’S MOVE TO SLASH AND CONSOLIDATE THE U.S. FOREST SERVICE UNDERMINES WILDFIRE RESEARCH AND RESPONSE IN NORTH CAROLINA

• Under the Trump administration’s reorganization, the USFS planned to shutter 23 of its research facilities across 15 states, threatening scientific research on wildfires, drought, pests, and the effects of climate change on forests.
• Trump’s FY 2027 budget proposed eliminating the entire $309 million USFS research and development budget and cutting all 1,215 of the agency’s scientific positions.  
• Under the Trump administration’s reorganization, all regional USFS offices were slated for closure, including the Southern regional office in Atlanta, which served North Carolina and employed 200-300 people.

RECENT EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS IN NORTH CAROLINA HAVE CAUSED DEATH AND DESTRUCTION, AND SUCH EVENTS WILL BECOME MORE FREQUENT AND MORE DEADLY WITH CLIMATE CHANGE

• Between 2010 and 2026, North Carolina saw 83 billion-dollar extreme disasters, totaling up to $200 billion in damages.
• North Carolina received $2.7 billion in FEMA aid between 2022 and 2025, ranking 12th in the nation for FEMA reliance.
• Between January 2015 and April 2026, North Carolina received $4,299,780,602 in FEMA Public Assistance and Individual & Household Program disaster assistance funding, responding to 12 disaster events.
  • In NC-03, represented by Rep. Greg Murphy, there were 64 extreme weather disasters from 2011 to 2024. In that same period, the district received $431,203,178 in FEMA aid.
  • In NC-11, represented by Rep. Chuck Edwards, there were 42 extreme weather disasters from 2011 to 2024. In that same period, the district received $97,243,841 in FEMA aid.
• In 2024, Hurricane Helene became the deadliest and costliest storm in North Carolina’s history, killing 107 people. The storm caused at least $60 billion in damage and devastating river flooding, with some parts of the state seeing over 30 inches of rainfall.
  • A study found that climate change made Hurricane Helene’s devastating rainfall 70% more likely and 10% heavier, and that high water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico, a key factor in the storm’s intensity, were 200 to 500 times more likely because of climate change.
• In July 2025, Tropical Storm Chantal caused extensive flooding in Chapel Hill, displacing over 60 residents after the storm washed out roads, flooded homes, and prompted evacuations due to potential dam failure.
• At least 6,376 properties in North Carolina, housing 10,234 people and worth $1,449,186,258, are at risk of flood damage by 2030.
• North Carolina residents saw their second-warmest year on record in 2024. Between 1999 and 2017, there were 225 deaths from heat-related injuries in North Carolina, and in the summer of 2026 (through early September), there were at least 6,294 heat-related emergency room visits in the state.
• In 2026, almost all of North Carolina was in extreme or severe drought heading into the summer.
  • Post-hurricane debris also created a long-term wildfire threat, with debris from Hurricane Helene sustaining elevated wildfire risk for 10 to 20 years. 
  • 1.5 million North Carolinians live in areas where wildfire poses a high or very high risk to homes, and North Carolina ranked second nationally for the total number of buildings directly exposed to potential wildfire.