Mayorkas' claim that FEMA is “tremendously prepared” haunts him amid the aftermath of Helene

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas's words haunt him in a video from earlier this year in which he touted the preparedness of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) before Hurricane Helene exposed flaws in the organization.

Mayorkas warned this week that FEMA would run out of funding as hurricane season continued to ravage the southeastern United States. The organization has enough resources to deal with the aftermath of Helene, but it wouldn't have enough to “make it through the season.”

This warning stands in stark contrast to previous comments Mayorkas made over the summer in which he assured that FEMA was capable of dealing with coming weather crises.

“FEMA is extremely prepared,” Mayorkas assured reporters in a July video. “That's what we do, that's what they do, and the key here … is to make sure the potentially impacted communities are prepared as well.”

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“And it's not just hurricanes and wildfires – it's also extreme heat that certainly some parts of the United States are experiencing,” he added. Mayorkas emphasized that due to the “increasing frequency and severity of weather events, FEMA has regrettably flexed these muscles year after year.”

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaks during a briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, October 1, 2024 (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

But Mayorkas argued that FEMA's disaster relief fund remains in a precarious position and needs new funding from Congress ahead of an expected severe hurricane season. In July he expected that the supply would be exhausted by “mid-August”.

Mayorkas stressed the need to be prepared for the “consequences” of increasingly severe weather events as climate change continues to exacerbate disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires.

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Hurricane Helene devastated parts of the East Coast last week. Floods and mudslides have almost completely wiped out some communities like Asheville, North Carolina, where residents remain without power and cell service while suffering water, gas and food shortages.

Cars are submerged in a flooded area at a used tire dealer following Hurricane Helene in Hendersonville, North Carolina, on September 27, 2024. (Ken Ruinard/USA Today Network via Reuters)

“They are afraid. People are getting nervous,” retired police officer Steve Antle of Asheville, North Carolina, told Fox News Digital. “There has already been some minor looting in the area. Because there's no electricity… so it's just a battle against everyone right now. There are no traffic signals. There aren’t enough police officers.”

FEMA arrived in western North Carolina on Monday after President Biden approved federal funds, but some residents said Thursday they still had not seen federal officials.

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Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-R-S.C., told Fox News host Sean Hannity that no FEMA representative had visited parts of South Carolina but received assurances that he would do so after raising the issue with them had.

Flood damage to a bridge over Mill Creek after Hurricane Helene on September 30, 2024 in Old Fort, North Carolina. The White House has approved disaster declarations in North Carolina, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia and Alabama, freeing up federal funds and resources for emergency management in those states. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

“Do you know where I should look for money to help with this disaster?” Graham said. “There are a few hundred billion dollars in the Inflation Reduction Act that have not yet been spent.”

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“Why don’t we take money from the Inflation Reduction Act and apply it to this disaster?” Graham asked. “That’s what I’m going to try.”

Audrey Conklin of Fox News Digital and The Associated Press contributed to this report.