Devastating Floods in Central North Carolina Underscore Danger of Trump Cuts

Raleigh, N.C. — The devastating floods in Central North Carolina are bringing the impacts of the Trump administration’s cuts to FEMA, NOAA, and the National Weather Service into sharp relief. The administration has slashed BRIC funding that would’ve helped communities prepare their infrastructure to handle extreme weather like flooding and hurricanes, eliminated funding for weather forecasting, threatened the accuracy and timeliness of life-saving weather alerts, and ended the database that tracks the costs and severity of extreme weather – making storms more difficult to track.

“Extreme weather like the flooding in Durham and Chapel Hill is getting worse because of climate change,” says Terryn Hall, NC State Director for Climate Power. “Cuts to FEMA, NOAA, and the National Weather Service put us in even more danger when disaster strikes.” 

In North Carolina and across the country, flooding continues to threaten lives and livelihoods. Lack of resources for crucial disaster recovery services will only make it worse.