Hurricane Helene has caused devastation throughout the South and particularly in Western North Carolina. Many have raised questions about the relief efforts.

But before our coverage, we begin with a beautiful story to remind us that the Lord is present amid the disaster.

View Comments (0)

NEW: Fox weather anchor starts crying on live air as a mother describes the final moments of her son’s life before he was swept away by flooding from hurricane Helene.

The mother said her son’s last words on Earth were him crying out for Jesus.

7-year-old Micah was sitting on… pic.twitter.com/sHfAc7PC95

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 3, 2024

Many sources have reached out to IFA with questions about the relief efforts related to Hurricane Helene. We need to be interceding and praying about these important questions.

Will $750 Cut It?

VP Harris announced on Wednesday that the government will provide $750 payments to victims.  Shore News Network quoted a local official who said, “People have lost everything, and $750 is not enough to get by in this economy.”

Please pray for provision for the victims. IFA has heard many reports of churches, Christians, and parachurch organizations doing incredible work. In fact, IFA’s October First Friday guests tearfully described the beauty of seeing the hands and feet of Christ at work. Scroll down to watch and pray.

DHS Is Out of Money?!

FEMA operates under the Department of Homeland Security. On Wednesday, DHS Sec. Mayorkas said, “We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have. We are expecting another hurricane hitting. We do not have the funds.” He then repeated himself, saying “FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season and what is imminent.”

In FY2024, FEMA allocated $640.9 million to migrant “relief.”  Some reports indicate up to $1 billion has been spent by DHS on illegal migrants. But Mayorkas says these funds cannot be spent on hurricane relief since they were allocated to state and local governments with an influx of illegal migrants.

State officials were quick to respond:

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody was outraged by Mayorkas’ comments: “So you heard they have taken the FEMA emergency food and shelter program and over time siphoned off hundreds of millions of dollars into basically making it an illegal immigrant resettlement program. And so when you see these states and cities around the nation declaring emergencies, even blue states, because of what this administration has done, encouraging more and more and more, developing programs to encourage more and more and more people to come here. The government, Biden and Harris, are having to fund that on the backs of the American people. And right now in Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, all of these states are hurting because of this truly natural disaster, not a Biden-Harris-made disaster. . . .”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R): “This is easy. Mayorkas and FEMA — immediately stop spending money on illegal immigration resettlement and redirect those funds to areas hit by the hurricane. Put Americans first.”

Pray that our federal government would stop aiding and funding illegal immigration and instead help people in the devastated areas recover.

FEMA Planned to Fail

A popular slogan is that a failure to plan is a plan to fail. It seems that FEMA’s strategic goals set them up for failure.

Like many organizations, FEMA has strategic goals that might surprise the average American. After all, FEMA stands for the Federal Emergency Management Administration. What are their three goals?

1. “Instill equity as a foundation of emergency management.”
2. “Lead whole community in climate resilience.”
3. “Promote and sustain a ready FEMA and prepared nation.”

Reading these goals with wisdom makes it plain why FEMA is unprepared and unable to manage this catastrophe. IFA has long warned intercessors of the perils of DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion). Focusing on DEI goals inevitably distracts from the central mission of an organization, corporation, or federal agency. The situation with Hurricane Helene highlights how distracting and disastrous this is.

Their second goal of “climate resilience” is also problematic. Climate policy often seems politicized. One of the favorites for people on the left is incentives for electric vehicles. Batteries in these vehicles can ignite and cause fires when submerged. Floodwaters from Hurricane Helene have caused 16 electric vehicles to ignite in a process called “thermal runway,” with six homes catching fire as a result.

Pray that these wrongheaded strategic goals would be recognized as foolish.

Don’t miss IFA’s October First Friday Prayer Conference Call. Intercessors onsite in North Carolina shared eyewitness testimony and their great faith that God is moving in the midst of this storm damage.

Share your prayers for the victims of this storm in the comments.

(Photo Credit: CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)