2026年4月7日 / 美国东部时间晚上9:32 / 哥伦比亚广播公司新闻
北卡罗来纳州奇米尼罗克 — 从北卡罗来纳州西部一间消防局陈旧的内部空间出发，马克韦恩·穆林向当地官员保证，作为国土安全部部长，他计划改革而非废除联邦应急管理局（FEMA）。
穆林上任后首次正式出访，前往了2024年9月遭飓风海伦重创的山地小镇奇米尼罗克：当时22.5英寸的降雨量摧毁了落基布罗德河沿岸约一半的房屋，将120万吨泥沙和残骸冲入附近的莱尔湖，形成了15英尺深的 debris 场。该湖将于两周后重新开放。
正是在这片灾后场景中，穆林向官员们表示，他的目标是将FEMA的角色从主要应急响应方，转向为州和地方政府提供资金支持。“我们不应成为第一个到场、最后一个撤离的机构，”穆林说，“州政府的装备更齐全……但我们可以协助他们完成最初的繁重任务。”
清理奇米尼罗克花了多轮工作——当地、州和联邦官员告诉穆林，即便过去了18个月，清理工作仍在继续。该地区因多山且未针对强飓风进行建设，面临着格外棘手的官僚程序难题。这场由共和党参议员特德·巴德牵头的讨论聚集了应急救援人员、民选官员和FEMA官员，他们谈到了这场灾难造成的损失高达数千万美元，且恢复将耗时数年。
当被问及FEMA项目的延误和积压情况时，穆林表示，该机构正努力在6月1日即将到来的飓风季之前加快审批进度。“我们正尽可能加快推进各项工作……以免在飓风季到来时仍处于被动，”他说道，并指出FEMA目前仍在处理全国范围内22起未结案的重大灾害事务。
这位新任部长随身带着一个粉色小橡胶球——这是他标志性的小习惯——他与当地民众握手时，也坦言了那些感觉被遗忘的居民的不满，并指出最近的资金审批是一项进展。他此次访问的前一天，FEMA宣布将拨款2600美元收购北卡罗来纳州的75套房屋，此举旨在帮助家庭搬迁出高风险洪泛区，并为长期减灾工作扫清障碍。
尽管如此，仍有数千起案件尚未解决。“我们先处理了前75起，但还有其他案件，”他在谈及住房援助时表示，“老实说……我们正从最简单的案件开始处理，逐步解决最难的。我们必须在某个节点让资金流动起来。这也是积压问题的一部分。”
国土安全部部长马克韦恩·穆林访问北卡罗来纳州奇米尼罗克的消防局。妮可·斯甘加 摄
像巴德这样的官员对穆林撤销前国土安全部部长克里斯蒂·诺姆去年夏天发布的一项备忘录表示赞赏。该备忘录要求其办公室对所有10万美元以上的国土安全部合同和拨款——包括FEMA救灾资金——进行审批。“这就是领导力，”巴德直言不讳地说道。
2025年6月，特朗普总统告诉记者，他希望在2025年飓风季后“让各州减少对FEMA援助的依赖”，并曾一度提议关闭这家救灾机构。当被问及FEMA的未来时，穆林驳斥了该机构可能被永久关闭的说法。
“我认为总统是在谈论改革FEMA，”他说，“我们希望确保每一分钱都能更直接地拨付给州政府……因为在处理联邦合同时，由于官僚程序过多，价格似乎会翻倍。”
穆林还证实，政府正在努力任命一名常设FEMA局长，但他拒绝透露具体细节。“我们可能已经锁定了人选，但这是一个漫长的过程，”他补充道，参议院确认仍是一道重大障碍。
千年一遇的风暴
当地领导人和急救人员将海伦带来的历史性降雨和洪水描述为一场“千年一遇的风暴”，它摧毁了道路、冲毁了房屋、破坏了公共设施，导致一些社区至今仍在努力恢复基本服务。
多位官员指出，小型农村县面临着额外压力：它们必须垫付灾后重建项目的费用，等待数月才能获得联邦报销，而且往往人员和资源都有限。官员们抱怨存在重叠的规定、缓慢的审批流程和僵化的政策，这些都让重建工作复杂化，同时让幸存者淹没在文书工作中。
穆林表示，他愿意尝试简化流程、减少积压，并给予地方领导人更多的决策灵活性。但对于仍在等待援助的北卡罗来纳州西部居民，穆林的语气较为谨慎。
“我们将尽一切可能实现这一目标，”他说，“但联邦政府不会解决所有人的问题……我们是来帮助减轻痛苦的。”
在访问期间，穆林还承诺，FEMA员工将在本周五前获得飓风 shutdown 最初六周工作时间的薪酬，所有工资最晚将于周一存入他们的银行账户。
飓风海伦过去18个月后，北卡罗来纳州奇米尼罗克落基布罗德河沿岸的一处房屋仍保留着风暴造成的破坏痕迹。妮可·斯甘加 摄
“这是我的家乡”
飓风海伦过去18个月后，落基布罗德河沿岸仍可见到活动板房。洪水劈开的房屋上，残骸不断掉落。
奇米尼罗克消防局在飓风海伦袭击北卡罗来纳州西部期间，既是避难所也是指挥中心，当时的泥石流和山洪冲毁了房屋、卷走了道路。奇米尼罗克州立公园因此关闭了九个月。
在消防站内部，消防局长克里斯·梅尔顿指向大厅后方一面破损的美国国旗。
“我直到昨天才把这面旗子拿出来，”梅尔顿声音哽咽地说道，“我们在执行救援任务时，它是从河里捞出来的。”他擦了擦眼泪，只说了一句：“这是我的家乡。”
穆林听着，然后指向那面旗子。“我觉得应该把它装裱起来。”他问梅尔顿，“你能允许我支付装裱费用吗？”局长点了点头。穆林指示一名FEMA员工直接将账单寄给他。
北卡罗来纳州奇米尼罗克消防站里一面破损的美国国旗。妮可·斯甘加 摄
对于这位新任部长来说，考验在于这类场合中的象征性姿态和承诺，能否在飓风季开始前转化为更快的援助。
数小时前，穆林与当地领导人一同沿布罗德河河岸行进，跳过巨石，视察了居民至今仍称之为“被冲走的小镇”的区域——洪水在这里堆积了 debris、摧毁了山间小屋，重塑了如今蜿蜒崎岖的地貌。
沿河的河景酒吧和烧烤店的顾客们看着这一幕，评论说他们记不清上次有这么多人聚集在河岸是什么时候了。这条曾挤满游客的街道上的停车场里，停满了黑色SUV和白色面包车，穆林缓步走进附近一家售卖“自制软糖”的礼品店。
“我想这就是政府到访小镇时会发生的事，”一名顾客说道。
另一名顾客笑着称这是一场“作秀表演”。
酒吧老板娘笑着表示，自从上周连接附近阿什维尔的64号州际公路重新通车以来，餐厅这几天一直爆满。“不过嘿，我们并不生气，”她说，“我们只是很高兴终于有这么多人来了。”
New DHS chief Markwayne Mullin visits town devastated by Hurricane Helene, promises reforms to FEMA
April 7, 2026 / 9:32 PM EDT / CBS News
Chimney Rock, North Carolina — From the well-worn interior of a fire department in Western North Carolina, Markwayne Mullin reassured local officials that as homeland security secretary, he intends to reform the Federal Emergency Management Agency — not eliminate it.
Mullin, on his first official visit in his new role, traveled to Chimney Rock, a tiny mountain town that was devastated by Hurricane Helene in September 2024 after 22.5 inches of rain devoured roughly half of all homes along the Rocky Broad River, carrying 1.2 million tons of sediment and wreckage to nearby Lake Lure — creating a 15 foot deep debris field. The lake will reopen in two weeks.
It was this backdrop where Mullin told officials that his goal is to shift FEMA’s role away from being a primary responder and toward funding state and local governments. “We shouldn’t be the first ones in and the last ones out,” Mullin said. “The state is much more equipped… but we can be there to get them past the first heavy lift.”
It took several lifts to dig out Chimney Rock — a process local, state and federal officials told Mullin is still ongoing, 18 months later — challenged by some uniquely stubborn red tape afflicting the mountainous region that was not built to withstand major hurricanes. The discussion, led by GOP Sen. Ted Budd, brought together emergency responders, elected leaders and FEMA officials who talked about the scale of devastation in tens of millions of dollars and in years.
Asked about delays and a backlog of FEMA projects, Mullin said the agency is working to accelerate approvals before the fast approaching hurricane season on June 1. “We’re trying to push this stuff forward as fast as possible … so we aren’t entering hurricane season behind,” he said, noting FEMA is still managing 22 open and pending major disasters nationwide.
The new secretary bounced a small, pink rubber ball — his signature quirk — as he shook hands with locals and acknowledged frustration from residents who feel forgotten, pointing to recent funding approvals as progress. His visit came one day after FEMA announced $26 million to buy out 75 homes in North Carolina — a move aimed at helping families relocate out of high-risk flood zones and clearing the way for long-term mitigation.
Still, the fix comes as thousands of cases remain unresolved. “We got the first 75 out, but we’re looking at the other ones,” he said, referring to housing assistance. “We’re honestly… working from the easiest to the hardest ones. We got to get the money flowing at some point. That’s part of the backlog.”
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin visits the fire department in Chimney Rock, North Carolina. Nicole Sganga
Officials like Budd applauded Mullin’s decision to rescind a memo from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem last summer requiring her office’s approval on all DHS contracts and grants over $100,000 — including FEMA disaster relief. “That’s leadership,” Budd offered pointedly.
In June 2025, President Trump told reporters he wanted to “wean” states off FEMA assistance after the 2025 hurricane season, and had at one point floated closing the disaster relief agency. In response to questions about the future of FEMA, Mullin pushed back on suggestions the agency could be shuttered for good.
“I think the president was talking about reforming FEMA,” he said. “We want to make sure we get the dollar closer to the state… because when you’re dealing with federal contracts… the price seems to double because of the amount of bureaucracy.”
Mullin also confirmed the administration is working on naming a permanent FEMA administrator, though he declined to provide specifics. “We may have identified someone, but it’s a long process,” he said, adding that Senate confirmation remains a significant hurdle.
A thousand-year storm
Local leaders and first responders described widespread destruction from Helene’s historic rainfall and flooding as a “thousand-year storm” that wiped out roads, severed homes, damaged utilities and left some communities still struggling to restore basic services.
Several pointed to the strain on smaller, rural counties that must front the costs for recovery projects and wait for months on federal reimbursement — often with limited staff and resources. Officials bemoaned overlapping rules, slow approvals and rigid policies that have complicated rebuilding efforts while burying survivors in paperwork.
Mullin indicated he was open to trying to streamline processes, reduce backlogs and give more decision-making flexibility to local leaders. But for residents of western North Carolina who are still waiting for aid, Mullin struck a cautious tone.
“We’re going to do everything we can possibly do to make it happen,” he said. “But the federal government isn’t going to take care of everybody’s problems … we’re there to help ease the pain.”
During the visit, Mullin also promised that FEMA workers would be paid for their hours worked during the first six weeks of the shutdown by Friday, with all pay checks reaching their bank accounts by Monday, the latest.
A house along the Rocky Broad River in Chimney Rock, North Carolina illustrates storm damage 18 months following Hurricane Helene. Nicole Sganga
“This is my hometown”
Eighteen months after Helene, trailers are still visible along the banks of the Rocky Broad River. Debris falls from homes spliced open by the floodwaters.
The Chimney Rock Fire Department served as both refuge and command post when Helene tore through western North Carolina, bringing mudslides and flash flooding that ripped apart homes and washed away roads. Chimney Rock State Park closed for nine months as a result of the hurricane.
Inside the fire station, Fire Chief Chris Melton, gestured toward a torn-up American flag hanging in the back of the hall.
“I haven’t brought that flag out until yesterday,” Melton said, his voice catching. “It was pulled out of the river as we was doing some rescues.” As he wiped away a tear, he could offer only, “This is my hometown.”
Mullin listened, and then pointed toward the flag. “I think it should be framed.” He asked Melton, “Would you allow me to pay for that frame?” The chief nodded. Mullin directed one of the FEMA employees to send him the bill directly.
A torn-up American flag in Chimney Rock, North Carolina’s fire station. Nicole Sganga
For the new secretary, the test will be whether the symbolic gestures and promises made in rooms like this translate into faster help before hurricane season begins.
Hours earlier, traversed the banks of the Broad River with local leaders, jumping over boulders and surveying what residents here still refer to as “the town that washed away” — where floodwaters piled debris, ripped apart mountain cottages and reshaped the now winding and jagged landscape.
Along the river, residents at River Watch Bar and Grille watched the spectacle, remarking that they couldn’t remember the last time they saw this many people crowded along its banks. The parking lots in the once tourist-lined street overflowed with black SUVs and white vans, as Mullin shuffled into a nearby gift shop advertising “homemade fudge.”
“I guess this is what happens when the government comes to town,” one remarked.
Another chuckled, calling it a “dog and pony show.”
The bartender smiled, noting the kitchen had been slammed for days, ever since Interstate-64 reopened traffic from nearby Asheville into the town last week. “But hey, we’re not mad at it,” she said. “We’re just happy that everybody is finally here.”
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