This story is part of The Disaster Economy , a Grist series exploring the often chaotic, lucrative world of disaster response and recovery. It is published with support from the CO2 Foundation. This coverage is also made possible through a partnership between Grist and BPR , a public radio station serving western North Carolina.

On a dusty, warm day last October, nearly a month after Hurricane Helene tore across the southeastern United States, Donald Trump stood behind a podium in Swannanoa, North Carolina, to pledge funding and support to survivors of the disaster.

“In the wake of this horrible storm, many Americans in this region felt helpless and abandoned, and left behind by their government,” Trump, still a presidential candidate at the time, said. “And yet in No

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