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.”

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“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.

Despite limited playing time, new Dolphins safety Ashtyn Davis has made the most of his opportunities, snagging eight interceptions in just 22 starts over five seasons with the New York Jets.

Meeting with the Miami media for the first time this past week, Davis was asked what fuels his playmaking ability. Looking back on his position switch at California, the 2020 third-round pick credited former Dolphins assistant coach Gerald Alexander with shaping his ball-hawking instincts.

“‘G.A.’ was monumental in my development,” Davis said of their three seasons together at California. “I switched from corner to safety around the time that he got there, and the guy would meet with me every single day early in the morning and just got me right.”

Davis earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors as a junior, his first season at safety. He snagged four interceptions in 13 games, a jump from just one in 24 games at corner, while also tallying 56 tackles and five passes defended. 

He carried that momentum into his senior season with the Golden Bears, landing on the second-team All-Pac-12 roster after career highs in tackles (57), forced fumbles (2), and fumble recoveries (2) in 2019.

“I had an amazing college coach that emphasized getting the football and made that a priority,” Davis said of Alexander. “Whether it’s a run or pass play, I’m just trying to get that football.”

Alexander’s playing career began as a 2007 second-round pick of the Detroit Lions. He spent five seasons in the league, playing two games with the Dolphins in 2011. He started his coaching journey as a student assistant at Arkansas State in 2013 and spent three seasons at California (2017-19). He returned to Miami in 2020 for two seasons as defensive backs coach under Brian Flores. 

The Dolphins will be happy to no longer be facing Davis, who recorded four of his eight interceptions for the Jets against Miami. That included his one two-interception game, which came in the 2024 season finale at MetLife Stadium.

“That game was an interesting one,” Davis said. “It was the end of the year, and we knew our playoff hopes were obviously gone so we just went out there and had fun. I think on the second interception I pitched it to D.J. (Reed) and we’d been doing that in practice, they were not happy about it, but we just said we were going to go out there and have fun and we had a blast, and I think it showed. The whole defense was playing loose, and I think, I don’t know – that was definitely up there. That was probably my favorite game that I’ve played in in the league.”

The Dolphins added Davis and Ifeatu Melifonwu early in free agency after Jevon Holland agreed to a three-year deal with the New York Giants. Elijah Campbell also re-signed and Patrick McMorris, a sixth-round pick last season, remains in the mix. With 10 picks in the 2025 draft, Miami’s safety room is far from settled.

When asked if he’d help the younger players — specifically McMorris, who was also drafted out of Cal and whose brother was a college teammate — Davis said he plans to follow in Alexander’s footsteps as a mentor. 

“I feel like that’s my role as a teammate, is to help other people, especially young guys figure it out in the league,” Davis said. “Your career here a lot of times is very short, so I think you want to maximize that, so I’m here to help guys.”

More Miami Dolphins Coverage:

This week, we present five newly crafted draft-related questions, all obviously focused on the Dallas Cowboys. Specifically, these questions will center around the team’s options on Day 2 of the NFL Draft, asking how their strategy should work and potential impact that could have on the season. Cast your vote on each and leave your opinions in the comment section.

Which position should be the top priority for Dallas in the second round of the NFL draft? (Their first pick was CB Will Johnson in this hypothetical)

We come in fast and ask you what position the Cowboys should prioritize if they were to take a cornerback in the first round of the draft. Defensive back is still a primary need and taking a high-flying cornerback like Will Johnson would transform the secondary. But what would be the next position to target after that?

Which potential Day 2 running back would be the best fit for the Cowboys?

Day 2 is the sweet spot with plenty of options at the running back position. The Cowboys have signed two running backs to the roster but both carry question marks as to their production. If Dallas went out and targeted a running back on Day 2, who would you want it to be?

Which second-round prospect should the Cowboys target to improve their defense in the 2025 NFL Draft?

Switching to the defense, there are great options for Dallas to target in Day 2 of the draft. Whether it’s defensive back, a run-stuffing defensive tackle. or linebacker, there are some great prospects to choose from that carry great value. But who would you want to take on Day 2 to bolster the defense?

Which Round 3 wide receiver would be the best fit for the Cowboys?

The wide receiver talent depth is not what we are usually accustomed to from previous seasons. But if Dallas waited until the third round to take a shiny new pass catcher, which prospect would be the best fit?

Which Day 2 offensive lineman would give the Cowboys the biggest immediate impact?

Offensive line is still an obvious area of the roster that needs improving. Dallas may look to go BPA in the first round or land an unexpected talent that falls to pick 12. That means waiting till Day 2 to find the next offensive line upgrade. If that was the case, who’s your pet cat to fill the offensive line needs in the second or third round?