North Carolina Lt. Gov. refused to vote in favor of emergency hurricane assistance even as Hurricane Helene barreled towards his home state.
According to new records released to the public, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson was the only member of North Carolina's council of state who refused to support Gov. Roy Cooper's call for emergency help as Category 4 Hurricane Helene charged towards the coast of Florida.
The final record of the State of Emergency Council of State Concurrence indicates that Robinson refused to vote on Executive Order No. 315, pertaining to the tropical storm which wreaked havoc upon western North Carolina last week. Most of the council responded concurring to the Governor's request within an hour of it being made.
Concurrence would have allowed Gov. Cooper to more effectively assist North Carolina victims of flooding and devastation caused by the hurricane, including mobilizing rescue and evacuation efforts and allowing the Governor to waive some of N.C.'s transportation regulations.
Following this refusal, Robinson, the state's Republican gubernatorial candidate, took to social media to criticize Gov. Cooper for what Robinson had deemed an insufficient response to the devastation caused by the hurricane.
"The time for politics is over. We are talking about saving people's lives here. North Carolina must follow the lead of successful governors like @GovRonDeSantis. Cut the red tape." wrote Robinson in a post to X (formerly Twitter). "Stop waiting on federal resources and allow private industry in to assist with rescue and recovery efforts, and repair infrastructure immediately."
The time for politics is over. We are talking about saving people’s lives here.
— Mark Robinson (@markrobinsonNC) October 1, 2024
North Carolina must follow the lead of successful governors like @GovRonDeSantis. Cut the red tape. Stop waiting on federal resources and allow private industry in to assist with rescue and recovery…
The Lt. Gov.'s silence on the emergency request has drawn criticism from other prominent N.C. politicians, including former Gov. Pat McCrory, a Republican, who called Robinson's actions "inexcusable in a time of crisis."
Robinson recently made headlines when dozens of controversial comments he allegedly made on pornography website forums over a decade ago resurfaced. According to a CNN KFile investigation, Robinson is recorded on these forums advocating for the reinstatement of slavery, referring to himself as a "black NAZI!" and a "perv," stating that he enjoyed viewing transgender pornography despite making a series of virulently transphobic statements.
Since Hurricane Helene made landfall, Gov. Cooper has deployed search and rescue teams consisting of over 400 NC National Guard (NCNG) personnel. The NCNG has assisted with the delivery of 306 pallets of water and 230 pallets of food in the aftermath of the storm. Multiple feeding sites have been opened in order to distribute the roughly one million liters of water and more than 600,000 meals delivered to North Carolina by FEMA, and 29 shelters housing a total of 1107 people have been opened in affected areas. Furthermore, Gov. Cooper's expedited request declaring a Major Disaster was granted by President Joe Biden, allowing civilians to access FEMA's Individual Assistance program.
"This is not a time for criticism," McCrory said. "This is a time for working together as a team and asking how you can help. I'm sure there are people who feel stranded out there, but right now is not the time to start throwing arrows."
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