During a Saturday visit to Swannanoa, Director of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said the federal government has drastically reduced FEMA’s open Hurricane Helene victim cases in western North Carolina had seen resolution over the previous five days. “In the past five days, we’ve decreased the number of open cases by almost 80%.”Per FEMA, 153,000 households have received some form of assistance since the storm hit in September 2024. In an executive order issued Jan. 24, Trump established a review council to do a deep dive into FEMA’s workings and effectiveness. Known members of the FEMARC include Noem and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who will head up the council. This article has been updated to reflect Michael Whatley’s participation in Helene recovery efforts only and not in FEMARC.