Vance tells residents in hurricane-stricken North Carolina that they haven’t been forgotten

FAIRVIEW, N.C. — Vice President-elect JD Vance on Friday assured residents of western North Carolina still cleaning up from Hurricane Helene that they haven’t been forgotten as he surveyed storm wreckage and talked to first responders in one of his first public appearances since the election. “My simple message to the people of Appalachia is that we haven’t forgotten you — we love you,” said Vance, who made a name for himself writing about the region in his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy.” He added, “Certainly when this administration changes hands in the next 45 days, we’re going to do everything that we can to help people rebuild, to get them back on their feet, to bring some commerce back to this area, but, most importantly, to allow people to live in their homes.” The hurricane struck in late September. More than 100 North Carolina residents died from the storm, which the state estimates damaged over 120,000 homes, at least 6,000 miles of roads and over 160 sewer and water systems. More than 100,000 western North Carolina residents were told just two weeks ago that they could once again use water coming out of Asheville’s water system to bathe and to drink from the faucet.