South
Hurricane Helene survivor endorses Trump admin's plan to nix FEMA after storm devastated Southeast
Hurricane Helene survivor Mona Roper is calling for FEMA to be eliminated six months after the storm brought landslides and historic flooding to the Appalachian communities of western North Carolina.
Her calls came in response to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem revealing her plan to reshape how disaster relief is handled, which involves eliminating the disaster resource agency that came under fire from many Republicans last year.
“She sounds very promising. It would be great to see changes,” Roper said of Noem on “Fox & Friends.”
HURRICANE HELENE: FOX WEATHER METEOROLOGIST RESCUES WOMAN FROM CAR DURING LIVE SHOT AS FLOODWATERS RISE
Homes are seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, in Chimney Rock Village, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
“Samaritan’s Purse has been great here in the community, but FEMA has not. There’s still a lot of people lacking FEMA’s support. I’m lacking FEMA support myself, and it’s just something that I think to do away with… is absolutely the correct way they should proceed. I don’t think the system is capable of being revamped.”
Roper lamented that the agency designed for people “desperately in need of help” has caused them to “suffer even more.”
The massive category four storm struck the Florida coast last year and barreled through the southeast, hitting states like Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina and Virginia along with the Tar Heel State.
FEMA ADMINISTRATOR URGES HURRICANE HELENE VICTIMS TO TAKE ACTION AMID LOSING TEMPORARY HOUSING
Members of communities like Roper’s are still working to recover six months later.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell opened up about the agency’s recovery efforts on “Special Report” last year, telling Fox News, “We have been on the ground since before Hurricane Helene hit Florida and before it crossed over North Carolina, and what I would say is just because somebody doesn’t see a person in a FEMA shirt doesn’t mean that we’re not in the area.”
The agency has consistently defended its work in the region.
Roper told co-host Lawrence Jones that money “is not flowing at the speed and at the volume that it needs to be.”
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“The North Carolina damage for the storm is severe. It’s different to have a hurricane in the mountains than it is to have one in Florida,” she said.
“I’ve been trying for six months now to receive money, and our road and our bridge got washed away. FEMA says, ‘You need to fix it. Fix it and send in receipts and we’ll send you money.’ The road bridge is $500,000 to $800,000 to fix it, so that’s not feasible.
She continued, “I’m just sort of in a loophole… that I’m getting no assistance from.”
Fox News’ Diana Stancy and Maria Lencki contributed to this report.
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Plans for a new Wawa to open in Port St. Lucie were approved.
A new Wawa fuel station and convenience store will open in Port St. Lucie now that the plans have been approved.
The Wawa will be at the corner of Village Parkway and Becker Road in front of the Lowe’s which is expected to open in the summer of 2026, according to the city’s website.
The plans for a Wawa convenience store and eight fuel pumps were submitted to the city Dec. 3, 2025.
What will go in Port St. Lucie’s Southern Grove?
The plans for the Shoppes at Southern Grove show there will be a new Lowe’s store and six additional outparcels.
The six additional outparcels include the following:
- Gas station: 5,915 square feet
- Outparcel A: 1.2 acres
- Outparcel B: 1.14 acres
- Outparcel C: 1.83 acres
- Outparcel D: 1.04 acres
- Outparcel E: 1.02 acres
Olivia Franklin is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at olivia.franklin@tcpalm.com, 317-627-8048 or follow her on X @Livvvvv_5.
After months of campaigning, the 2026 primary elections in Georgia are on Tuesday, with hundreds of contests for statewide and local office taking place across the Peach State.
Voters in every precinct will have a distinct ballot, depending on what races are in play where they live.
With the number of candidates and hotly contested races up for grabs this year, many voters have said the primary ballot is one of the longest they’ve seen.
How to tell which races will be on your local Georgia ballot
So how do you know what races will be on your ballot before you head to your local polling place? It’s easier than you might think.
One way is to use the Georgia Secretary of State’s My Voter Page. Once logged in with your name, county, and date of birth, you can click a link to see your sample ballot and update your voter information. You can also see where you can cast your vote and your voter registration info.
You can also check your county election department, which will have links to see the Democratic, nonpartisan, and Republican sample ballots.
Statewide races will be on every voter’s ballot, like the primaries for governor, lieutenant governor, and U.S. senator. Most other races are dependent on the county or legislative district.
The different races included in the Georgia primary election
- U.S. Senate
- U.S. House of Representatives
- Governor
- Lieutenant Governor
- Secretary of State
- Attorney General
- Commissioner of Agriculture
- Commissioner of Insurance
- State School Superintendent
- Commissioner of Labor
- Public Service Commissioner District 3 and 5
- State Senate
- State House
- Countywide officers
- Georgia Supreme Court (two seats)
- State and county courts
Georgia U.S. Senate primaries
Incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff is running unopposed and will face one of five challengers aiming to bring the seat back into Republican hands: Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter, Rep. Mike Collins, John F. Coyne III, Derek Dooley, and Jonathan “Jon” McColumn.
Georgia Congressional primaries
All 14 of Georgia’s U.S. House districts are on the ballot this year. Here are some of the metro Atlanta races CBS News Atlanta will be watching closely.
Primaries for Georgia governor
Primaries for Georgia lieutenant governor
- Democratic primary for Georgia lieutenant governor
- Republican primary for Georgia lieutenant governor
Primaries for Georgia secretary of state
- Democratic primary for Georgia secretary of state
- Republican primary for Georgia secretary of state
Primaries for Georgia attorney general
- Democratic primary for Georgia attorney general
- Republican primary for Georgia attorney general
Other statewide primaries in Georgia
Here are some other contested statewide primaries we are watching:
- Democratic primary for Georgia insurance commissioner
- Democratic primary for Georgia agriculture commissioner
- Republican primary for Georgia state school superintendent
- Democratic primary for Georgia state school superintendent
- Democratic primary for Georgia labor commissioner
- Republican primary for Georgia Public Service commissioner Districts 3 and 5
- Democratic primary for Georgia Public Service commissioner Districts 3 and 5
Georgia State Senate and State House primaries
All 56 of the Georgia State Senate districts and all 180 seats of the Georgia State House of Representatives are up for election in 2026.
Primaries for Georgia courts
Primaries for both statewide and county courts are on the ballot this year. These elections are nonpartisan and all candidates will appear on both ballots
- Three Georgia Supreme Court judges
- Five Court of Appeals judges
- County superior court judges
- State court judges
Political party ballot questions
Both the Georgia Republican and Democratic parties include ballot questions in their primary elections. The questions are non-binding, but advise the parties on what to include in their platforms. This year, the Republicans have eight questions and the Democrats have two.
As an example, Question 1 on the Republican ballot asks: “Should Georgia enact the strongest election integrity measures possible, which may include hand marked paper ballots, fines for counties that refuse to maintain current voter rolls, and restrictions on no-excuse absentee voting to restore trust in elections?”
Question 1 on the Democratic ballot asks: “Should the State of Georgia raise the sales tax on everyday items like clothing, food, and school supplies to pay for an income tax cut that would make millionaires and billionaires richer?”
Voters mark yes or no on each question.
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