Biden-Harris Mismanaged Hurricane Helene
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
During times of crisis and war, presidential leadership is critical to cut through competing bureaucratic fiefs and protect Americans from death and devastation. The Biden-Harris response to Hurricane Helene, the deadliest storm since Katrina , has the people of the Southeast and especially Appalachia paying an extraordinary price for the administration’s incompetence.
Shortly after Helene made landfall in the U.S. on Sept. 26, Joe Biden was at his house in Rehoboth Beach, Del. Vice President Kamala Harris was flying between ritzy California fundraisers , hobnobbing with celebrities. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was in Los Angeles, presiding over an awards ceremony. Before the storm, Ms. Harris had blown off her disaster-response briefings, which were a staple of the Trump administration’s disaster-response planning. The lack of prioritization had real-world ramifications.
While Ms. Harris and Mr. Biden flouted their duties, a bureaucratic bottleneck was delaying the deployment of active-duty military personnel to the western mountains of North Carolina. On Oct. 2, six days after the storm made landfall, the Defense Department announced that 1,000 troops had been authorized to deploy to the hurricane-response zone, including elements of the 82nd Airborne Division from Fort Liberty, N.C. These troops bring with them debris-clearing and water-purification equipment—critical resources for communities with blocked roads and orders to boil drinking water. As evening fell on Friday, Oct. 4, fewer than half of the 1,000 troops were conducting operations and deployed to Western North Carolina.
Deployment delays became severe enough that North Carolina Sens. Ted Budd and Thom Tillis issued a joint statement on Oct. 4 calling for “an active-duty military leader who has extensive experience with operations of this magnitude to lead moving forward.” The statement seemed to have an effect: The rest of the active-duty forces were deployed by the evening of Oct. 6, and the Pentagon authorized an additional 500, including advanced command-and-control resources.
In disaster response, every second counts. A week went by while the citizens of North Carolina suffered without the equipment and soldiers needed to save lives and begin recovery. This is the sort of bureaucratic hiccup that engaged political leaders solve. A competent leader would have ordered those men and women into motion earlier, bureaucracy be damned. Ms. Harris and Mr. Biden treated the situation like a public-relations disaster instead of a real one.
Even the Obama administration was better at deploying assets in disaster zones. When an earthquake struck Haiti in 2010, it took just two days to deploy troops , including the 82nd Airborne, from Fort Liberty (then known as Fort Bragg) to help with disaster recovery. Large numbers of active-duty troops were deployed more rapidly during the Katrina response, which was sharply criticized at the time for being insufficient.
Federal Emergency Management Agency staff are working hard. The agency’s response to Helene has been praised in some quarters and criticized elsewhere. But it too has been the victim of misplaced Biden-Harris political priorities. Under Ms. Harris and Mr. Biden, FEMA has funneled millions of dollars to nongovernmental organizations whose stated goal is facilitating mass migration into the U.S. The effort stems from a White House directive to reorient FEMA’s institutional focus away from U.S. citizens and toward aliens who either have no legal right to be here or whose legal status depends on the say-so of the Biden-Harris administration.
Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris have been sending that message since the beginning of their tenure. In 2021 Mr. Mayorkas directed FEMA to participate in a “ government-wide effort” to receive and shelter migrants. By 2023 FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell was testifying that although FEMA is not an immigration agency, it would “continue to focus on supporting jurisdictions that are managing the care of immigrants through our Shelter and Services program.” While some have claimed the funding going to these programs is distinct from disaster-relief funding, the same can’t be said for the attention and focus of Biden-Harris officials—that all comes from the same limited supply.
FEMA even seems to be picking winners and losers among the American people. In March 2023, FEMA hosted a panel titled “ Helping the LGBTQI+ Community Before Disasters: Preparedness and Mitigation Considerations.” Ordinary Americans of all backgrounds know that especially when it comes to disaster relief, federal agencies exist to serve all Americans, not to give some groups special treatment.
President Trump and I are realists. We know there’s no perfect disaster recovery and that a storm like Helene will bring hardship to American towns no matter how well the government responds. But this wasn’t the response that the people of Western North Carolina deserved. As Hurricane Milton barrels toward the Florida coast and Secretary Mayorkas claims FEMA is running out of disaster funds, it’s time the Biden-Harris administration got its act together.
Mr. Vance is a U.S. senator from Ohio and the Republican nominee for vice president.
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It was a failure for FEMA.
As for the money they spent on illegal migrants, it is listed right on the FEMA website.
How so? FEMA's responsibility is to coordinate state and County resources with the local authorities. Heros don't sweep in like George Patton on a Sherman tank. Recovery is a local effort from the ground up. Every Governor and State official involved is praising FEMA and the WH except for DeSantis who thinks he still has a political future after Florida.
FEMA has faced criticism and praise during Helene. Here's what it does — and doesn't do (msn.com)
I am sure you can provide a link to the right page, correct?
Then why haven't they?
The FEMA website does detail the money set aside by congress specifically for dealing with immigrants at the border, their housing and transport and removal. This is separate money that couldn't just arbitrarily be taken and used for disasters just like the money approved and set aside for disasters could not be taken and used for dealing with undocumented immigrants as many poorly informed or poorly educated Trump supporters have claimed.
Since they are two completely different pots of money the argument conservatives are making could be made that Trump is responsible for the hurricane victims not getting enough funding because he approved a massive tax break for billionaires so the money that could have gone to the victims is being put in his and Elon Musk's pockets. Sure, they're two separate pools of money approved by congress but it's money that isn't going to the victims so why not blame the billionaires like they were blaming the undocumented immigrants, right?
You bet:
Shelter and Services Program | FEMA.gov
You couldn't find that, huh.
How so?
It took about a week to get military resources set up for North Carolina. It took Barack Obama about 2 days to deploy the same resources for Haiti.
So what. The circumstances, and the resources, are there doing what they can. . . and of course, critics criticize and do so DISGENIOUSLY.
The deliberate shading of the truth sucks and is stomach-churning, but we have to do our best to keep it under wraps. Here is the article from 2010 for understanding.
US Announces $100 Million Aid Package for Haiti
U.S. President Barack Obama has announced $100 million in new aid to Haiti, two days after a powerful earthquake left much of the capital city of Port-au-Prince in rubble. Our correspondent has details on the American relief and rescue effort.
Speaking at the White House, President Obama says the emergency relief effort is one of the largest in recent history and represents a moment that calls out for American leadership.
Mr. Obama told key members of his national security team that Haiti must be a top priority for the U.S. government.
The president says the $100 million in additional aid will mean more life-saving equipment, food, water and medicine will be sent to the devastated nation.
While Mr. Obama sought to reassure the Haitian people that a huge humanitarian effort is on the way, he conceded it will take time to get all of the assets in place .
"Even as we move as quickly as possible, it will take hours - and in many cases days - to get all of our people and resources on the ground," said President Obama. "Right now in Haiti roads are impassable, the main port is badly damaged, communications are just beginning to come online, and aftershocks continue."
The United States is sending 3,500 soldiers and hundreds of medical personnel to help with the disaster relief and security.
The Pentagon is also sending an aircraft carrier and amphibious ships, including one that can carry 2,000 Marines. The Navy is also sending the floating hospital ship Comfort , which is manned by hundreds of doctors, nurses and medical technicians.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, speaking on NBC's Today show, says the Obama administration is committed to providing assistance to Haiti now and in the future.
"This is going to be a long-term effort," she said. "We have the immediate crisis of trying to save those lives that can be saved, to deal with the injured and the dead, to try to provide food, water, medical supplies, some semblance of shelter, and then to work with our Haitian partners, the Government of Haiti, NGOs, others to begin the rebuilding process."
The U.S. emergency response is being coordinated by the administrator for the Agency for International Development, Rajiv Shah. He says opening the airport in Port-au-Prince will rapidly accelerate the delivery of aid.
""We have more than 250 American relief workers actively engaged that have been just a part of the recent deployment," he said. "That number is increasing significantly as we speak as planes land at the airport that has now been operationalized as a 24/7 airlift operation."
Shah says there are more than eight search and rescue teams actively working to find people buried in the rubble. He says officials are now activating a network of medical providers to offer trauma care and services to the Haitian population.
Shah says critically needed commodities such as food, water and tarps for shelter will soon arrive in Port-au-Prince.
Officials estimate as many as three million people, about a third of Haiti's population, may have been affected by the quake.
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1. An ANNOUNCEMENT was uttered publicly in two days.
2. Time and space for assistance (Aid package) to react and engage took days and possibly weeks.
God it is disgusting that trumpists would attempt to divide the people, but it is what trumpists do on a regular basis: Divide the people in order to 'conquer' them.
People stop letting trumpists divide us with an onslaught of lies .
Vote Harris/Walz.
Decency. Dignity. Truth. Integrity.
Already discussed here and there, separate program, separate pot of money with no intermingling allowed and nothing to do with disaster relief.
Yes. as I described in detail else where, coming south on I 40 in Tennessee one lane is gone until you get to the downside of the drop to RT 26 where landslides cut off that approach from the west multiple times. Road closed indefinitely.
You are in the heart of the mountains. RT 26 is washed out between Ashville and Hendersonville.
and I40 and 240n is open only to Swannanoa which was devastated. 40/70 is cut off east of Swannanoa
The back road alongside the French Broad River is for several miles, completely fallen into the river all the way to downtown Ashville
Leaving the 2 lane road labeled 25the only rout north to I 81 the only road open after the bridges were deemed safe.
They are essentially cut off from rail and highway in three directions.
As discussed else where the Governor has gotten everything he requested, when he requested it, including 500 more troops specializing in Star Lynx communications.
Ashville, Buncombe County in particular is not an island. Huge difference.
Then why did the left blame everything wrong with the recovery after Katrina on George W. Bush? I guess things are different when they are on a different foot. EH?
Not in this or any other lifetime.
Oh please. That isn't even funny anymore when talking about those two.
Unremarkable.
Just shameful. trumpists are at it again with the lies and the dividing on the national community. Here is the FEMA event session for members to hear for themselves:
Helping, by speaking and addressing MARGINALIZED COMMUNITES in the national COMMUNITY is the right approach. We are all ONE in a time of crisis and there is no 'picking' of winners and loser" —when the ONE that we are all a part of WINS!
Yet another instance of the Right-wing demonstrating it 'singular' obsession with 'anybody' considered to be on the Left politically receiving assistance and even attention from the federal government when, and only when, democrats are in charge of government. It is even a worse insult to the Log Cabin Republicans bloc which lives and thrives in the GOP!
Remember shame. It is coming for the GOP once the kicked out and demonized republicans RETAKE their party from the radicals occupying and controlling its brand and might since Crooked Donald took over it.
Money spent on migrants was allocated for that purpose, and could not have been used for anything else. FEMA is only administering a program. No funds have been diverted from disaster relief to migrants.
So, it wasn't MISINFORMATION!
I wonder how many knew that money was set aside for migrants.
Now the people know.
Of course it's misinformation when you, Vance, Trump and Hannity characterize FEMA as being broke because they properly executed programs charged to them by Congress with specific budgets for specific projects.
More people know the truth now, not the twisted Vance version.
You see what trumpists have done there? They know the truth (these are not stupid people-just determined to have their way with 'us'). Trumpists tell lies and then when the truth is factually stated-'turn the table' and say the truth is a problem itself! It's dirty, low-down, salvaging DISINFORMATON (deliberate, intentional misrepresentation of truth just to spread propaganda and distortion FARTHER. In fact, trumpists try hard to 'enlist' others to aid them in causing disinformation to go 'viral' on the internet. (It's a 'whisper campaign' though it is being 'shouted' from the rooftop!)
They fail just like Trump, but have succeeded in disarming enough simple minds, that this election becomes complex, when it should be totally one sided,but decided,ly shown, it is close
and that is a joke, yet not a thing to laugh about
FEMA didn’t set anything aside. Money is allocated by Congress for specific purposes. One of these purposes is the Disaster Relief Fund , which is what goes to hurricane victims.
The other program is the Emergency Food and Shelter program, which provides services to people who are homeless or can’t afford food. This can include migrants, but is not exclusive to them, by any means.
Both programs were created by Congress, with specific funds allocated to each. The disaster relief fund gets WAY more money than the food and shelter program, and no funding is ever exchanged between the two. That would be illegal. FEMA does not have the power to transfer allocations from one program to another.
So, the narrative out there that disaster funds are lacking or have been diverted to migrants or “set aside” for them because of some choice made by FEMA is 100% bullshit. That’s like saying that disaster relief funds were set aside for the military. The only scandal here is another bullshit attempt to play politics with a serious matter.
You're kidding, right? That being the case, what's with all the tent cities and homeless encampments?
If you want to further investigate the Emergency Food and Shelter program, I will not stop you, but I’m not going to do all possible research for you. If you’re curious, get to work. If you want to be lazy and mindlessly repeat partisan talking points, you can do that instead. It’s a free country.
I looked this stuff up and provided links because we are seeing too much of the lazy talking point option. That is only the beginning of wisdom, and I offer it freely. I have led the horses to water, but you must choose to drink on your own.
I may even start praying again for the day this will be changed to
he's going to be a convenient patsy for the maga cult, and a 1 term senator.
That's awesome. He keeps telling all the legal citizens of Ohio how he feels about them. And inciting/inviting terrorist threats against his constituents though it's heinous regardless of his target.
Oh wait, those bomb threats on schools and hospitals and the legal citizens of Springfield were mostly from 'foreign' entities.
The Wall St. Journal should be ashamed of themselves.
The WSJ is publishing bullshit campaign speeches now? As “op/ed?” Seriously? This an ad . Was this seriously published for free? Did the Journal even pay Vance for his contribution? WTF has happened to this paper?
Oh, and by the way, my response to the content is to quote Joe Pesci in My Cousin Vinny - “everything that guy just said was bullshit.”
That's absolutely outrageous. I wondered at the author of this 'article'. Wow.
Gee, how completely unbiased!
Unbelieveable.
So under Harris and Biden, there is a part of their administration that is misusing taxpayer money. Really wish I could say I'm surprised but I'm not.
A, this should be cited no matter where it's from, even the article above. Mods have no idea if that is the case or not when something is flagged for citation.
The fact that it is from an article written by one of the candidates in a campaign ad disguised as a supposed op/ed, should at least trigger some degree of fact checking this particular liar instead of swallowing it whole as gospel.
Fox obtains fact sheet from GOP-led House committee debunking Trump’s FEMA claims (msn.com)
PolitiFact | Biden administration didn't steal $1 billion from FEMA for migrants. Trump's claim is Pants on Fire!
Trump falsely claims Biden used FEMA funds for migrants -- something Trump did himself - ABC News (go.com)
Hurricane FEMA funds diverted to immigrants? Not true | Fact check (usatoday.com)
Given I quoted the ARTICLE - that is on the author of the article. And if you pay close attention, there are links in what I quoted. Feel free to follow them.
Umm. Not sure what you're talking about. You quoted ME trying to push it as something it's not.
I wouldn't follow links in a partisan dump fire any more than you would. And they do not qualify as a citation, i.e., the source of the quote.
You quoted lies by JD Vance and then made the same assertions that something is amiss with the current administration ending with "not surprised".
My wordy point was that you should investigate a clearly partisan document produced by one of the candidates to ascertain it's correctness instead of blindly accepting it as fact.
Own it.
Christ, no matter how many times the truth is pointed out, the same lie is endlessly regurgitated.
What I quoted was from the article. Pay. Attention.
I agree. J.D, Vance wrote the article, it's biased and wrong and promotes falsehood.
And then you agreed with that falsehood.
You first, I'm just trying to help a brother out.
That seems to be your problem. Not mine.
And yet you haven't prove anything as such. [deleted][✘]
That does appear to be so. Frustrating, isn't it?
At this stage of the game Vance's birdcage worthy oped will change nothing.
As the lying Vance throws shit at the wall those of us in Florida that were damn close to Helene when it hit seem to have a much better understanding. Vance could get his lying ass to FL or NC and help out . Oh wait the outer bands of hurricane Milton are hitting us now.
Be safe, brave soul! We love you around these 'parts' and I do mean California too! A truth-seeker, truth-teller, and truth-follower.
Morning...hope you are going ok..sounds like it is going to get a tad rough over there again..
Been following the Ocala news and seems it will strike land fall about 200 miles away.. certainly hope you don't cop the worst of it..
Stay safe, keep your head down and hopefully Milton will start to dissipate before land..have our fingers crossed..
Lost power for a couple of hours a lot of rain but no damage thus far but we have the rest of the night to go through
The lies are so subtle, like some of the BS from the debate.
The Pentagon does what the President orders them to do.
The additional troops were equipped with solar power and Star Links to provide communications in the blacked out powerless areas in Buncombe County.
the president reacted to the Governors request, not two partisan members of Congress letters to the editors or joint tweets.
Stop with the facts it gives them headaches.
Hey, Vic DeSantis thanked Biden for the job that the feds are doing.
And vice versa.
very simple, ''Thank you, Mr. President, hella job, don't pay any attention to ding dong Vance up in NC.
Thanks, little Ronnie, gotta go more states need saving Georgia is next on the list.
In other words, Kamala made a fool of herself.
Actually not at all,
[✘] cheers
Hey Vic have you seen those Haitians eating the pets?
Professional-grade deflection.
Guess I should have left off the
cuz other than that, the rest of the comment is common as hell around here.
were is ''around here,'' hickery hollar''?