In the wake of the destruction caused by Hurricane Helene, both the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and VSU administration have created initiatives to provide aid to those in need of assistance. However, the aid has had mixed results for students. 

It has been a month since Hurricane Helene devastated the South, followed shortly by Hurricane Milton. The two back-to-back storms caused over $50 billion in damages and took hundreds of lives. 

In response to local and national damage, both FEMA and VSU have set up programs to provide help to those who suffered from loss of life or property due to the storms.  

VSU administration provided students with VSUCares, which provided not only financial help, but assistance with lost or ruined food and clothes. The administration teamed up with local charities such as Aramark and the Second Harvest Food Bank, as well as donations from community members. 

Meanwhile, FEMA’s Disaster Assistance strived to help those who lost homes, cars, food and more. As a national program, it was able to give more and reimbursement could go up to an initial $750 for families who needed it. A Mobile Registration Intake Center, or MRIC, opened in Valdosta for a week as well, which helped Valdosta residents with aid questions from Oct. 22 through Oct.26. 

However, this system was not perfect; many students didn’t hear about it until weeks later. Some were denied or given less than enough money to fulfill their needs. Some even found that their information was already in use. 

“When I tried to, it said my information was already in the system,” RJ Ruiz, a senior communication major, said. “I live in a complex, so I’m not sure if they did something for all of us, but I couldn’t finish the process.” 

However, many students did receive the aid they applied for, both from FEMA and from the school. It wasn’t always on the first try, but these programs did help the people they set out to assist. 

“I have a friend who signed up and got approved,” Mekaylah Hudson, a sophomore accounting major said. “She was initially approved for $300 for miscellaneous items and then she was further approved for the full $750.” 

A portion of students felt that the aid programs were finicky, with too many problems in signup, only to be denied later down the line. 

A larger group of students felt that the university was underprepared for the storm and did not provide adequate time to evacuate. 

“We weren’t forced to evacuate until after the storm had happened,” Hudson said. “I feel like if they knew the storm was coming, tell us to evacuate beforehand if you know it’s a serious thing.” 

“I feel like the school, knowing they’d get a hurricane, should’ve had a little more preparation,” Lauren Terry, a sophomore business major, said. “I didn’t know if I should be scared or not.” 

Others felt that the aid was helpful, but not well-advertised and that those who needed the help were unable to get it due to lack of communication. 

“I think being able to access funds should be more highly advertised,” Abigail Rowan, a junior art major, said. “It’s very helpful, especially for people who had their homes destroyed or were injured.” 

Written by Bailey Wilson, Managing Editor. Photos courtesy of VSU.