>>No sh*t. Who would think you would need flood insurance in the mountains of North Carolina. There are maybe a hundred thousand people whose homes were erased by the hurricane, and their insurance doesn't cover flooding. These people literally have nothing!<<

I'm sorry Mike, but there are flood maps and frequency of floods for all of the US to my knowledge. N Carolina had a catastrophic flood 100 years ago. Asheville was wiped out back then. - Lambo

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I did a little non scientific research, and you are right about Asheville, and although I did not check, I think it is reasonable that North Carolina has a few 100 year floods almost every year somewhere within the state.

Beyond that I took an article from USA today that listed small towns flooded by
Helene, and here are the search results when asked, "has <City Name>, N.C ever flooded before Helene?"

Boone - Sorry, no relevant information was found in our search.

Banner Elk - Sorry, no...

Black Mountain - Sorry, no...

Cherokee - Yes, Cherokee, NC has experienced flooding before Hurricane Helene. The area has a history of flooding, with residents becoming accustomed to significant flood events over the years.

Micaville - Sorry, no...

Mills River - Sorry, no...

Swannanoa - Sorry, no...

Henderson - Sorry, no...

Marshall - Sorry, no...

Mars Hill - Sorry, no...

Waynesville - Sorry, no...

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So from this list, the hapless uninsured residents around Cherokee can suck it.

However, for the rest of these towns, and no doubt many more, my assertion stands. Their homes are rubble piles if they can be found at all, these victims have nothing and need our help. So does Cherokee too, just making a point.

This is so massive, I frankly can't envision how this plays out,. Winter is coming and many of these people have no shelter. I did a little checking on FEMA housing and here are examples of the type of help available

"Sep 10, 2024. You must have a FEMA application number and approval from FEMA to participate in the Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) program.Use the hotel locator to find a participating hotel.. If you have questions about TSA or need help locating a hotel, you may also call the FEMA Helpline."

and this

Direct Temporary Housing Assistance - FEMA.gov
Oct 26, 2022FEMA may lease existing, ready-to-occupy residential properties for use as temporary housing. Eligible property types may include vacation rentals, corporate apartments, second homes, single-family homes, cooperatives, condominiums, townhouses, and other readily fabricated dwellings.

All these programs place victims into existing housing in one form or another. But what if the supply is far short of the demand? There needs to be massive shelter construction going on somewhere, something akin to all the temporary migrant shelters that NYC put up all around the city when they ran out $300/night hotel rooms.