Records show that North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson was the only council of state member not to vote on Governor Roy Cooper‘s request to declare a state of emergency amidst Hurricane Helene on September 24, according to WRAL News.
The Republicangubernatorial candidate was called upon alongside eight other officials in North Carolina’s Council of State executive branch to vote on the declaration, which would have allowed Governor Cooper to order evacuations and prepare rescue teams for the hurricane.
Newsweek reached out to Robinson’s office for comment via email.
Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina shortly after the governor’s request to vote on the emergency declaration, causing widespread flooding and landslides. The death toll across the states affected has now reached 177 people, according to the Associated Press.
Since the onslaught of the Category 4 hurricane, one of the deadliest in U.S. history, Cooper has deployed more than 700 members of the state’s National Guard, who have rescued more than 400 people and many animals.
The governor has also implemented sites with food, water, and other necessities for residents in affected communities, with shelters housing more than 1,000 people, and delivered pallets of water and food, according to the governor’s office.
Despite allegedly not voting for the state emergency declaration, Robinson has been pushing Cooper to provide more aid after Hurricane Helene, seemingly hinting that the governor has not done enough in comparison to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in a post on X.
In his post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Robinson wrote, “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. Stop waiting on federal resources and allow private industry in to assist with rescue and recovery efforts, and repair infrastructure immediately. This is a life and death situation.”
North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson in Asheville, North Carolina, on August 14. Robinson was recently the only member of the Council of State to not vote on Governor Roy Cooper’s state of emergency declaration prior to Hurricane Helene, per a new report.
Matt Rourke/Associated Press
The gubernatorial candidate has specifically called for the governor to deploy more members of the National Guard to serve in search and rescue teams and send more resources to communities affected by the hurricane.
Speaking of Robinson’s alleged decision not to cast a vote in the state of emergency declaration, the state’s former Governor Pat McCrory told WRAL, “It’s inexcusable in a time of crisis.”
He 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,” referring to Robinson’s comments about other state leaders’ actions in the wake of the hurricane.
Robinson posted further criticism of Cooper following the news about his lack of vote for the state emergency on X and he wrote: “When Hurricane Helene was on its way to North Carolina, Gov. Cooper was too busy hob-knobing with rich folks in New York to care about preparing for the storm.”
He said, “Now Democrats like Cooper, Josh Stein & Joe Biden want to hide behind bureaucratic resolutions that pass automatically – instead of getting out there and working to help people in dire need. I won’t stand for this. While they are playing politics, my team and I remain committed to doing all we can to help our neighbors in the wake of this devastating storm.”
Newsweek has also reached out to Cooper for comment via a form on his website.
Since the outbreak of the hurricane, Robinson’s office told WRAL that he has been traveling to various parts of the state that have been heavily affected.
North Carolina state law regarding the declaration of emergencies was changed after the COVID-19 pandemic so the governor needs permission from members of the Council of State to take certain emergency actions.
The vote to approve Cooper’s planned actions in preparation for Hurricane Helene was unanimous, apart from Robinson’s lack of vote.
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