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FEMA administrator urges Hurricane Helene victims to take action amid risk of losing temporary housing

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FEMA administrator urges Hurricane Helene victims to take action amid risk of losing temporary housing

Western North Carolina families left without homes after Hurricane Helene swept through the Appalachian Mountain region last year received some devastating news earlier this month — their temporary FEMA housing assistance could soon come to an end, leaving them with nowhere to turn as temperatures dip below freezing. 

The agency began notifying some families checked into hotel or motel rooms that they are no longer eligible for the Transitional Sheltering Assistance Program due to one of the following reasons: an inspection indicated their home is habitable, they declined an inspection or FEMA has been unable to contact them to update their housing needs.

The deadline, initially Friday, now sits on Jan. 14. FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell says those who receive the notification who are still in need of housing are still eligible, but they need to contact the agency.

“There’s a number of reasons why somebody might have received that notification,” Criswell explained Sunday. 

TWO HURRICANE HELENE VICTIMS, A FAMILY OF FOUR AND A VIETNAM VETERAN GIFTED CAMPERS ON CHRISTMAS DAY

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Some North Carolina families fear they could lose their temporary housing after being displaced by Hurricane Helene. (Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty Images (left) & Win McNamee/Getty Images (right))

“What we do is we call everybody. We call them every two weeks to check in on where they’re at, what their status is, and is their home able to be occupied again, but one of the biggest things is when we call them, if we don’t hear from them, the only thing we can do is assume that they’ve been back in their home. One of the things I want to make sure, if somebody has received that notification, but they haven’t talked to somebody at FEMA and their situation is still in need, they are still eligible. We just need them to get in touch with us so we can talk to them. Everybody’s going to have a unique circumstance. Everybody’s going to have a unique situation,” she added. 

“We need to work with them all individually to make sure we’re getting them the right resources so they can continue to stay in a safe place until their home is either rebuilt or it’s accessible.”

North Carolina residents still needing assistance can contact 1-800-621-FEMA or visit a disaster recovery center to speak to someone face-to-face. 

EVERY THING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE WATER DROPS IN CALIFORNIA DURING WILDFIRES

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Married couple Victoria (L) and Jeff, stay on a street with their dog with a sign reading “Need help, lost everything in the flood”, after Hurricane Helene destroyed their motorhome about a month ago, in Asheville, North Carolina, on October 29, 2024.  (Photo by YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP via Getty Images)

Already strained by the crisis left in Helene’s wake, FEMA must now also address the needs of families displaced by southern California wildfires, which continue to burn after creating billions of dollars worth of damage. 

Criswell told Fox News’ Shannon Bream that California residents needing assistance should register at disasterassistance.gov and contact their personal insurance company to see what they will cover. 

“But more importantly, [what they will] not cover so they can be eligible for different programs within our system,” she added.

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Fox News’ Audrey Conklin and Brooke Singman contributed to this report. 

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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to appear on ’60 Minutes’ ahead of exit from Congress

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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to appear on ’60 Minutes’ ahead of exit from Congress

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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene will appear on CBS News’ “60 Minutes” ahead of her expected departure from Congress next month.

On Friday, “60 Minutes” teased the interview with Lesley Stahl that will air Sunday, touting Greene’s first sit-down interview since she announced her exit last month.

Greene shocked the political landscape when she revealed she would leave Congress Jan. 5. Many believe her abrupt exit was the result of her soured relationship with President Donald Trump.

MARJORIE GREENE SAYS TRUMP’S ‘TRAITOR’ LABEL COULD PUT HER LIFE IN DANGER

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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., will appear on Sunday’s installment of “60 Minutes,” marking her first interview since she announced her exit from Congress in January. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Greene previously sat down with Stahl in April 2023, when the two had a fiery exchange over the congresswoman’s claim that Democrats are the “party of pedophiles.”

“They are not pedophiles. Why would you say that?” Stahl exclaimed.

“Democrats support — even Joe Biden, the president himself — supports children being sexualized and having transgender surgeries. Sexualizing children is what pedophiles do to children,” Greene said.

“Wow,” Stahl reacted.

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MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE STUNS ‘60 MINUTES’ HOST LESLEY STAHL WITH ‘PEDOPHILES’ ATTACK ON DEMOCRATS: ‘WOW’

“60 Minutes” correspondent Lesley Stahl sighed during a tense exchange she had with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., over her claim that Democrats were the “party of pedophiles” in an April 2023 interview. (Screenshots/CBS News)

JIMMY KIMMEL WELCOMES FORMER TRUMP ‘SUPERFAN’ MTG TO ‘REALITY’ AMID ONGOING FEUD

The Georgia lawmaker, once an outspoken Trump supporter, has been on a media tour that has included multiple CNN hits and an appearances on CBS News and ABC’s “The View,” largely focused on her criticism of the Trump administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and her criticisms on healthcare and foreign policy in recent months.

There had been speculation that Greene’s feud with Trump stems from reports that he had privately discouraged her from running for Senate in 2026 amid polling that suggested she’d be defeated by Georgia’s Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff, D. Greene denies those claims. 

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In a lengthy statement posted to X, Greene cited her growing disillusionment with Washington politics, blasting what she called a corrupt “Political Industrial Complex” that she said uses Americans as “pawns in an endless game of division.”

“Americans are used by the Political Industrial Complex of both political parties, election cycle after election cycle, in order to elect whichever side can convince Americans to hate the other side more,” Greene wrote. “And the results are always the same — nothing ever gets better for the common American man or woman.”

President Donald Trump withdrew her endorsement of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., previously one of his most outspoken supporters. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

Greene said she “never fit in” in Washington and was leaving Congress to “fight for the people of this country in a different way.”

“I believe in term limits and do not think Congress should be a lifelong career or an assisted living facility,” Greene wrote. “My only goal and desire has ever been to hold the Republican Party accountable for the promises it makes to the American people and put America First, and I have fought against Democrats’ damaging policies like the Green New Deal, wide open deadly unsafe border policies, and the trans agenda on children and against women.”

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She made her announcement days after Trump withdrew his endorsement for her, calling Greene “wacky” and “a ranting lunatic.”

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Rev. Franklin Graham delivers Kentucky flood survivors new homes for Christmas: ‘We can finally breathe’

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Rev. Franklin Graham delivers Kentucky flood survivors new homes for Christmas: ‘We can finally breathe’

Standing in the snow on an eastern Kentucky mountaintop Friday, Rev. Franklin Graham dedicated 18 newly constructed homes in Jesus’ name to families who lost everything in the region’s catastrophic 2022 floods. It was a moment survivors described as the first real breath of relief they’ve had in three years.

“This is Franklin Graham,” he says in an exclusive video to Fox News Digital. “Terrible floods here a few years ago just destroyed hundreds of homes. Well, today we are dedicating 18 houses that are finished and ready for people to move in.”

The homes are part of the new Chestnut Ridge subdivision, a 57-lot neighborhood built from scratch by Samaritan’s Purse and an army of volunteers.

“We’re grateful to God,” Graham added. “We couldn’t do this without the partners who provided land, the finances, the volunteers. These people are going to be in their homes for Christmas.”

CHIP CARTER MARVELS AT BIPARTISANSHIP HE WITNESSED AT HABITAT FOR HUMANITY, FATHER’S FUNERAL

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Rev. Franklin Graham shares a lighthearted moment with Paul Johnson, a home recipient who can now register for a lung transplant with a permanent address after years of being displaced from flooding. (Courtesy of Samaritan’s Purse)

Flood survivor Lora Honycutt described the moment she stepped into her new house in a raw, unfiltered way captured on video.

“When I walk in this house here … the floors are not sinking,” Honeycutt said, wiping her eyes. “Even the smell is different. … I can’t describe the feeling.”

She added through tears, “These are happy tears. … These are happy tears.”

Video clips showed families breaking down as they crossed thresholds, their first structurally sound homes since the deadly floods destroyed entire communities three years ago.

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For Paul Johnson, the dedication was life-changing. When the floods wiped out his home, he lost the permanent address required to stay on his lung transplant list.

“I was taken off the list when I moved into an RV. After today, I can get back on the transplant list,” Johnson said. “This home exceeds anything I expected. It’s beautiful. I feel very blessed. It’s a great day.”

SAMARITAN’S PURSE RACES TO HELP JAMAICA AFTER CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE MELISSA DESTRUCTION: ‘NOT BEEN FORGOTTEN’

The Chestnut Ridge subdivision in eastern Kentucky has 18 homes for survivors of 2022 floods that devastated the region. (Courtesy of Samaritan’s Purse)

The Chestnut Ridge homes have two, three or four bedrooms with one notable exception. A family with 10 children has the only home in the new subdivision with five bedrooms after spending 1,128 nights crammed into two campers since losing everything in the floods.

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“We were thankful to have a place to lay our heads,” the mother said, “but it was aggravating. We were all on top of each other.”

Looking around her new five-bedroom home, she couldn’t hold back.

“We’re so dumbfounded, I don’t know what to do,” she said. “We can breathe.”

A SEASON OF HOPE: T2T’S GIFT OF INDEPENDENCE AND DIGNITY FOR INJURED HEROES

Rev. Graham of Samaritan’s Purse and dedicated 18 homes in eastern Kentucky for survivors of 2022’s deadly floods. (Courtesy of Samaritan’s Purse)

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Former U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft and her husband, Joe, the CEO of coal mining company Alliance Resource Partners, donated the land on which the new neighborhood was built.

Graham also praised employees at the Lowe’s in Hazard, Kentucky, some of whom volunteered on construction crews.

Samaritan’s Purse has now constructed nearly 100 homes across Kentucky, from tornado-ravaged Mayfield to the devastated communities of the east. 

Crews are also rebuilding in North Carolina, which continues to reel from Hurricane Helene.

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As snow fell across the mountaintop, Graham prayed over families receiving their brand-new houses, no longer haunted by the memories of 2022’s floods.

“We give God the glory, and we praise Him and, of course, these people are going to be in their homes for Christmas,” Graham said as he looked over the row of new homes.

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Wounded National Guardsman beginning to ‘look more like himself,’ remains in acute care: West Virginia gov

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Wounded National Guardsman beginning to ‘look more like himself,’ remains in acute care: West Virginia gov

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The National Guardsman who was injured after being shot last week in Washington, D.C., is starting to “look more like himself,” West Virginia’s governor said, relaying a message from his parents. 

Gov. Patrick Morrisey provided the update Friday evening before attending a prayer vigil in Andrew Wolfe’s honor at Musselman High School in Berkeley County, W.Va., where the recovering 24-year-old graduated from, according to WUSA9. 

“His parents report that his head wound is slowly healing and that he’s beginning to ‘look more like himself,” Morrisey said in a statement.  

“Overall, the family expects that Andy will be in acute care for another 2-3 weeks but have been optimistic about his progress,” the Republican governor added. “We continue to ask all West Virginians and Americans for their prayers! They are making a difference!”

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AFGHAN EVACUEE ARRESTED BEFORE DC SHOOTING FEDERALLY CHARGED WITH THREATENING TERROR ATTACK 

The family of National Guardsman Andrew Wolfe, inset, are “optimistic about his progress” after he was shot last week in Washington, D.C., West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Friday. In the background, on Dec. 4, 2025, the flag on the south lawn of the White House flies at half staff in honor of Sarah Beckstrom of the West Virginia National Guard, who was killed in the attack. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images; Department of Justice)

The vigil began Friday with a moment of silence for National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, a 20-year-old who was killed in the Nov. 26 shooting, WUSA9 reported. 

Speaking about Wolfe, Morrisey said, “You are not alone. South Berkeley stands with you, and West Virginia and the whole country are praying for you,” the station added. 

During an appearance on “Fox & Friends” on Friday, Attorney General Pam Bondi described Wolfe as a “miracle” who is now “able to open both eyes.”

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SENATE REPUBLICANS DEMAND VETTING OVERHAUL AFTER SHOOTING OF NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERS 

Undated file photo of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the suspect in the shooting of  two National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C. (Provided by Department of Justice)

“Please continue to pray for Andy. I saw Andy. I’ve met with his mom. I talked to his mom constantly, Melody. His dad, Jason. He has a sister, a brother, an eight-month-old niece. They’re all in the hospital with him,” Bondi said Friday. 

“He’s a miracle. From day one, his mother, Melody said, ‘My son is going to live. My son is going to be 100%.’ And I can say this because the parents let me. I was there when the doctors all came in the room after they had done an angiogram. He has no blood clots. He’s a miracle. And now he’s able to open both eyes,” Bondi added.

People gather on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, for a vigil in Webster Springs, W.Va., in honor of National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, one of two National Guard members who were shot in Washington, D.C. (Kathleen Batten/AP)

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The suspected shooter is Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national. He faces charges of first-degree murder and two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed.  

Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace and Alexandra Koch contributed to this report. 

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