Critics of former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper falsely claim that he was miles away from the Tar Heel State when Hurricane Helene made landfall two years ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cooper is the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Thom Tillis, R-NC, who\u2019s not seeking reelection. Cooper faces Republican Michael Whatley, Libertarian Shannon Bray and Green Party candidate Michael Dublin for the seat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cooper served as governor from 2017 through the end of 2024 and led the state\u2019s initial response to Hurricane Helene, which caused an estimated $60 billion in damage in North Carolina in September 2024. Now, with Cooper now running for U.S. Senate, critics are resurrecting a claim that PolitiFact debunked in 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThis Saturday marks two years since Hurricane Helene devastated North Carolina and nearby Southern states. Where was Roy Cooper when Helene slammed into North Carolina? In New York speaking at a New York Times \u2018Climate Forward\u2019 event,\u201d President Donald Trump\u2019s campaign account said in a Sept. 21 X post<\/a>. Trump\u2019s X account repeated the claim in a Sept. 26 post<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The National Republican Senatorial Committee, a GOP political action committee, posted<\/a> a similar claim on Sept. 23: \u201cWhere was Roy Cooper two years ago when Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina? At a climate conference in New York City touting Green New Deal policies.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n In a Sept. 28 Republican National Committee email to supporters, the RNC said that \u201cduring the storm itself, Cooper was at a climate change gala in New York City.\u201d<\/p>\n Those claims are wrong.\u00a0<\/p>\n On Sept. 25 \u2014 a day before Helene had even made landfall in Florida \u2014 Cooper attended a New York Times conference<\/a> about climate change and was back by 3 p.m. that day, the governor\u2019s office told media outlets<\/a> at the time and Cooper\u2019s campaign confirmed to PolitiFact.\u00a0<\/p>\n On Sept. 27, Cooper was in Raleigh when the most damaging wind and rain hit western North Carolina<\/a>. We found no evidence that he left the state.\u00a0<\/p>\n Timeline of events<\/p>\n PolitiFact North Carolina first investigated<\/a> the claim about Cooper\u2019s September 2024 trip to New York following a social media post<\/a> by Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the Republican gubernatorial nominee that year. Here\u2019s a review of Cooper\u2019s actions leading up to Helene hitting North Carolina, based on a report<\/a> by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tSept. 24: Helene became a Tropical Storm in the Gulf of Mexico. Cooper formally asked top members of the state\u2019s executive branch for approval of emergency powers. He also placed<\/a> the State Emergency Operations Center on Enhanced Watch<\/a>, meaning the state should prepare to assist local governments that might need help following the storm.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tSept. 25: Helene became a Category 1 hurricane off the coast of Florida. Rain fell in Asheville \u2014 but it wasn\u2019t from Helene\u2019s outer bands, WRAL meteorologist Kat Campbell told PolitiFact. Asheville\u2019s rain that day was the result of a stalled front pulling in moisture from Helene in the Gulf. Cooper declared a state of emergency<\/a>, allowing state emergency responders to begin deploying equipment, personnel, and resources across the state. He also flew to New York City and was one of many speakers \u2014 including zoologist Jane Goodall, NBC weathercaster Al Roker and Guyana President Mohamed Irfaan Ali \u2014 who spoke at the public event hosted by The New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tSept. 26: Cooper held an 11 a.m. briefing<\/a> at the Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh. He urged<\/a> North Carolinians to prepare for life-threatening flooding as well as high winds, tornadoes and heavy rain throughout the state. He also announced<\/a> that 175 soldiers and airmen from the NC National Guard had been activated. Tropical-storm-force winds reached Tampa Bay around 3 p.m. and intense rainfall in Florida and the Appalachian Valley caused river levels to rise. Helene strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane as it careened toward Florida. By 6 p.m., the eye of the hurricane was located 150 southwest of Tampa.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tSept. 27: Helene officially made landfall at 3:10 a.m. near Perry, Florida and moved northward through the morning into North Carolina. Cooper held an 11 a.m. briefing in Raleigh<\/a>, where state Emergency Management Director William Ray announced that the National Guard had deployed more than 350 guardsmen and that the state Emergency Operations Center deployed 30 swift-water rescue teams. Cooper also asked the Biden administration<\/a> to expedite a federal major disaster declaration \u2014 which the Federal Emergency Management Agency declared<\/a> on Sept. 28 and was announced<\/a> on Sept. 29.\u00a0<\/p>\n Whatley recently recited the correct date of Cooper\u2019s 2024 trip to New York \u2014 albeit while criticizing Cooper for going. At a Sept. 25 campaign event in Pittsboro<\/a>, Whatley said: \u201cWe’re here on the 25th, that Roy Cooper on this day two years ago was up in New York at a climate change gala ball. He was not preparing this state.\u201d<\/p>\n PolitiFact reached out to the White House, the Republican National Committee, and Never Surrender Inc<\/a>., a political action committee linked<\/a> to the Team Trump X account. None of them immediately responded to requests for comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n Our ruling<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s X account said: \u201cWhere was Roy Cooper when Helene slammed into North Carolina? In New York speaking at a New York Times \u2018Climate Forward\u2019 event.\u201d<\/p>\n Cooper attended the New York Times conference<\/a> about climate change on Sept. 25, 2024, and returned to North Carolina the same day \u2014 before Helene made landfall in Florida. The most damaging wind and rain didn\u2019t hit western North Carolina<\/a> until Sept. 27, 2024. We rate Trump\u2019s claim False.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Critics of former North Carolina Gov. 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