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More on the Helene aftermath

The New Neo Posted on by

It’s an ongoing disaster in North Carolina and also Georgia, and I’m reading varying reports on rescue efforts. It seems fairly clear that preparedness was lacking although it was known that the storm would be pretty bad in North Carolina, but I doubt anyone realized just how bad. There is no question in my mind that, had Trump been president, he would be blamed. But there’s a Democratic president, of whom nothing is expected anymore.

Quite a few tweets of this sort are being featured on Instapundit:

What’s going on? What’s the usual procedure for Good Samaritan aid efforts in a case like this?

And then there’s this:

In less than two years, FEMA has dropped more than a billion dollars on non-resident services, and now American citizens who are dealing with the effects of a natural disaster cannot be properly remedied. Harken back to the time George Bush was excoriated for the response in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The failures of this administration, after displaying layers of incompetence, are barely touched on by the media, and now the very agency designed to aid in disaster relief is broke due to placing its focus and funds elsewhere.

Georgia’s Governor Kemp has complained that FEMA’s response is inadequate, with the initial order including only 11 countries although about 90 were hit hard. The White House responded by adding 30 more to the original 11.

ADDENDUM: It’s being reported that Kamala Harris skipped her hurricane preparedness briefings. Doesn’t surprise me.

Comments

More on the Helene aftermath — 40 Comments

  1. https://x.com/chrismartenson/status/1841636020187431216

    Them: Our friend owns an Airbnb in Chimney Rock. They had a town meeting yesterday and someone from the federal government told them all of those things in the town meeting, but doesn’t want the information getting out. Also, they are not picking up the bodies. The stench of the bodies everywhere is insane and for some reason, the government does not want to pick up the bodies. One pastor of a local church was going to order to door delivering water and they changed their delivery request to body bags because so many of the homes that they’ve gone to have needed body bags, we’re trying to keep the body count. They’re not picking up the bodies. They don’t wanna identify the bodies and they’re just leaving them to rot in the streets.

  3. First Hawaii now North Carolina. I think we have to come to grips with the fact that we are living under an occupation government, like France under the Nazis or Greece under the Ottoman Turks. We are not their constituents. Their loyalties lie elsewhere.

  4. My area around Old Town Florida still has lots of different power companies and tree trimmers working in the area – so power is still out in spots. Haven’t heard of any deaths tho.

    Saw a New York tag on a fairly big power company bucket truck (bigger than most I’ve seen) carrying a transformer…New York!?

  5. It’s clear that they are doing everything in their power not to make president-elect Harris look bad. In the run-up to the 2020 election, if a person died anywhere in the country in a motorcycle accident and the corpse tested positive for covid, that “covid death” would make the front page of every newspaper. Meanwhile, there will be virtually no media coverage of the damage, death, and lack of response to this hurricane to affect the election. As a bonus, the dead can’t physically cast ballots for Trump, while their names are on the rolls and can be easily used to mail in ballots for Harris.

    “Federal Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has shut down aid flights into Western North Carolina.”

    This makes perfect sense–can’t have any good samaritans (and likely trump voters) showing up our wonderful federal government.

  6. FEMA head says that they don’t have the money needed to deal with the current hurricane damage, and definitely don’t have the funds necessary to deal with another anticipated hurricane.

    Meanwhile, according to their own statistics ,FEMA has spent a billon dollars on aid for illegals.

    Seems to me that that billion ought to have been used for the needs of America citizens, not illegal aliens.

  7. Secretary Pete needs to be ruined over this.

    At least Fox News should cover his failure.

  9. I can confirm that Georgia was hit HARD, particularly where I live. Fortunately I have fuel and a generator, but I’ve been without power for almost a week and the latest projections are that it will be another week before power is restored.

    The damage was incredible. I’m a Floridian by birth and grew up there, and so I’m used to hurricanes. I did not take this storm lightly. But the infrastructure around here in Georgia, where I’ve lived for almost 20 years, is not really set up to handle what was basically a Cat 2 hurricane when it hit us.

    Just 100 yards away, a tornado blew through at 5:30 am last Friday. Really, really dodged a bullet.

  11. Re : Sdferrs link.

    The person at the end talking about Apaches needed to do air rescue missions.
    Apaches are gun ships.
    You need Black Hawks for rescue missions.

  12. Also. States deploy the National Guard.

    That being said. Federal troops can be used in disaster relief efforts.

  13. IS this the Oct Surprise? Usually it works against the Rep. X seems to have a lot on it and maybe FOX But the rest, are they on a Blackout? Oh please, undecideds need to understand that a Vote for Harris would be much more of the same, but worse.

  16. I did see that Jimmy, of Jimmy’s World ( YouTube star…pilot and airplane flipper) just delivered some relief before that NOTAM. Really sad that the Feds are hampering such efforts.

    After Irene, Jimmy personally organized a fleet of about 20 GA planes to bring continuous supply flights into Naples for at least a week.

    The current administration is showing itself to be beyond evil.

  17. “The failures of this administration, after displaying layers of incompetence…”

    It’s NOT incompetence. When this administration acts and when it does not act are entirely intentional.

    They’re not stupid, they’re just evil.

  18. I wonder if there could be any charges which could be leveled at government officials who squandered taxpayers money on illegals, instead of directing that money toward the needs of legitimate American citizens?

  21. Like North Carolina, Georgia is another battleground state.

    I understand that Biden/Harris are evil, but this just seems stupid.

  22. Below is a link to a news story quoting DHS Head Mayorkas as admitting that the DHS does not have the money they need to deal with the current hurricane-caused disaster.*

    Of course, Mayorkas has already been Impeached by the House, and has suffered no personal or professional consequences, so why expect that he will suffer any for his misdirecting more than a billion taxpayer dollars to pay for housing for illegal aliens, not for disaster relief for Americans?

    * See https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13920907/biden-harris-money-hurricanes-helene-billions-migrants.html?ico=related-replace

  23. If FEMA can draw things out long enough, deep red areas of Georgia and North Carolina might have greatly depressed voting turnout.

    Is that too cynical?

  25. Is that too cynical?

    Yancey Ward:

    No, but the election is still a month off.

    Time enough, even with negligence, for those areas to get their power, etc. back, then be mad as hell and vote against Biden/Harris.

    And even other Georgians and NCers, not so affected, to oppose Biden/Harris for ignoring their states.

  26. If one wanted to weaponize government against political rivals, it could:

    1. Deplete FEMA funds by diverting disaster relief funding to line the pockets of illegal aliens coming across our border due to open borders policies

    2. Use FEMA to hold back citizen rescue groups from providing aid to disaster impacted citizens, at threat of arrest.

    3. Have the President slow walk and delay for many days the authorization of military assistance from units already in the state and otherwise easy to put to use.

    4. Have the Democrat Governor of a state delay approval of and implementation orders for the federal military assets, such that they just sit around waiting while Americans are dying.

    5. Focus on monopolizing the nationalization of disaster preparedness and then withholding it from largely Republican communities, while demonizing discussions about states needing to be the main focus of disaster preparedness as a means of defanging the ability of the federal government to weaponize its power to punish regions that don’t vote for them.

    6. Refuse to allow drones into areas to search for survivors who need help.

    What else?

    https://x.com/WadeMiller_USMC/status/1841913521774461087

  28. I’ve been glued to Flight Radar, an app that shows aircraft flying in an area. And helicopters in the area of the disaster have actually been pretty sparse compared to what I have seen during fires in California. I spent Sunday and Monday checking probably every fifteen minutes or so, and rarely a one.

  29. The best thing the Harris campaign could do would be to handle this disaster with speed and competence. They are incapable of it.

    Through church connections we are sending a van loaded with relief supplies by road on Tuesday. Many groups here are doing this now that I-40 is open up the mountain.

    I just re-read a description of what happened to Asheville in 1916. Same scenario. Six days of heavy rain, so the ground was saturated, followed three days later by a hurricane that came into Charleston and arrived the next day in western NC.

  30. For those driving south, I-26 is closed at the TN border, and so is I-40, which is in pieces in both NC and TN near the border.

  31. I don’t want to seem dramatic, but a malevolent, incompetent government denying ordinary Americans access to help their fellow citizens is so far beyond the pale, so unrepentant, so intrinsically wicked, that I fully expect to hear reports of people shooting their way in to deliver aid and services.

    Do these rule-following automatons not realize the danger they’re placing themselves in? Bullying people who want to help others who have lost everything?

    By the way, “Lost everything” is described in another way, i.e., “nothing left to lose.”

    This could quickly and easily get extremely out of hand.

  32. The best thing the Harris campaign could do would be to handle this disaster with speed and competence. They are incapable of it.

    Kate:

    I think that’s the nut of it. It’s in their self-interest, but they can’t. Current events have exceeded the Biden/Harris/Cabal OODA loop.
    __________________________________

    The OODA loop (observe, orient, decide, act) is a decision-making model developed by United States Air Force Colonel John Boyd. He applied the concept to the combat operations process, often at the operational level during military campaigns. It is often applied to understand commercial operations and learning processes. The approach explains how agility can overcome raw power in dealing with human opponents.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OODA_loop

  33. @ sdferr > “They had a town meeting yesterday and someone from the federal government told them all of those things in the town meeting, but doesn’t want the information getting out. Also, they are not picking up the bodies. …”

    Bad as this is, it seems to me there are additional parts of that tweet that are just as infuriating .
    https://x.com/chrismartenson/status/1841636020187431216

    This evening, from a Peak Prosperity member to me via PM at my site:

    Them: I can’t post this online because it’s not quite public yet, but government officials had a town meeting with all of the residents of chimney rock and basically told them the town was being bulldozed, bodies and all and the land was being seized by the federal government they would not be able to move back and basically their homes the ones that were standing were no longer theirs and the federal government owned it all. I don’t know what crazy play for land this is, but there’s a lot of conspiracy about lithium mines and let me just tell you, as someone who lives in Charlotte and has friends who live in the area of Western North Carolina, they are not being helped and this is actually being a stand down operation by federal government
    …
    Multiple tuckers have reported having tires slashed. Our friends from Chimney Rock said they have heard multiple stories of people being robbed at gunpoint making supply runs. Two people that drove down to Charlotte yesterday and today one that we helped said bodies in trees, all over ditches in major roads back. Something weird is going on here in NC.

    Is there any verification of any of these claims?
    Presumably, some will be validated or not as events continue to unfold.

  34. The people in this part of North Carolina are not a favored constituency of a department whose stated core value is diversity, equity, and inclusion.

  35. AesopFan, I have read several stories about bodies not being collected. It’s giving me nightmares.

  37. In re the Chris Martenson bulldozing rumor: the same discussion we’re having here was also on Sarah Hoyt’s blog yesterday, and one of the Huns/Hoydens counseled us to be skeptical of some of the “news” coming out, no matter the source, which I agree with.
    The 72-hour rule is still the way to go, especially with home-court “atrocity” stories, until verified or debunked.
    Legitimate debunking does not include pronouncements by the FBI, CIA, DHS, White House, or Regime Media. And after the Venezuelan gang stories in Colorado, I might have to add local mayors and governors to that list.

    The WCNC post has some more devastating pix, and a nice story at the end.
    People are good folks.
    “App [Appalachia] State art professor collecting supplies, opening studio doors for artists hit by Helene – Angelia Wilson is offering a space for artists to create in the wake of the storm, free of charge.”

  38. I have become numb in the last 30 some years, of observing with the laser pointing away from any democrat malfeasance, Childs, Nagin, the Plaquemines Parish board chief and the two minute hate against Republicans, the Dems demagogue Andrew Katrina, while they pull tricks depriving these same locales of resources, some of these people who game the system like nagin go to jail but most like the Cortez like mayor of San Juan do not,

  39. The problem in western NC is that nobody seems to be in charge, but the “authorities” want to appear to be in charge. This includes the feds and, I fear, the state authorities. I don’t see Roy Cooper out front taking charge of efforts the way he did for the COVID mess. The FAA is now restricting airspace so the private helicopters and private planes can’t fly rescue missions any more.

    So far as I can tell, Duke Energy is making good progress. Otherwise, help has been coming from county sheriffs and volunteers and neighbors.

  40. Passing over any unvetted publicity about failures of the government, or nefarious schemes afoot, there are apparently some incontrovertible indications that Reagan was right about the nine most frightening words in the English language.
    Let me just add: we don’t need conspiracy theories when we have FEMA.

    https://redstate.com/jenniferoo/2024/10/04/watch-west-north-carolina-cries-for-resources-while-fema-lets-them-languish-on-a-tarmac-n2180124

    There have been claims that FEMA is restricting private citizens from rendering rescue, aid, and comfort to the ravaged towns and limiting emergency response to their approved agencies, and counter claims that this is not occurring. What appears to be confirmed is that whatever resources FEMA does have available are not being distributed. Aircraft, ambulances, fuel supply tankers, and trucks with supplies that are supposed to be for the Hurricane Helene victims are sitting on a tarmac in Greenville, SC, still waiting to deploy.

    Conservative producer Kylie Jane Kremer has been given the video receipts.

    FEMA FAILURE IN THE SOUTHEAST

    I was just alerted by friends in Greenville, SC that there is a massive failure by FEMA to deploy assets to assist those impacted by Hurricane Helene and they are feeling beyond frustrated and angry.

    FEMA has 12 MEDVAC EC135 helicopters just sitting there in Greenville.

    FEMA has 3 C130 cargo planes just sitting there in Greenville.

    FEMA also has fuel tankers, ambulances and other equipment ready to deploy, sitting in Greenville, as seen in the videos attached.

    These planes, helicopters & other equipment have been sitting since Sunday and have not doing anything for Americans in need.

    WATCH:

    And this:
    https://redstate.com/jenniferoo/2024/10/04/a-helicopter-pilots-attempted-rescue-of-a-couple-shows-everything-that-is-wrong-with-elected-officials-n2180130

    On Saturday, Jordan Seidhom, an experienced emergency response and search and rescue helicopter pilot, attempted to rescue a couple stranded in the hard-hit area. Shoutout to local Carolina’s QueenCity News for covering these stories. Aside from a handful of legacy media outlets, the rest are nowhere to be found.
    …
    [AF: the details have already been posted around the internet and in the media outside of the Regime organs, but there is more information about the rescue credentials and skills of the pilot and his son]
    …
    Seidhom immediately connected to an out-of-state fire department chief who appeared to be in charge. Seidhom explained who he was, his experience, and began coordinating with this chief on how to best rescue the husband and get Landon back. That is, until another official, who Seidhom identified from the Lake Lure town website as assistant fire chief Chris Melton, stepped in and shut everything down. Not only did Melton shut the operation down, but he threatened Seidhom with arrest should he return with the woman’s husband.
    …
    Thankfully, this heartbreaking story did not end there. The couple, identified as Mike and Susan Coffey, were eventually reunited, and the Carolina’s QueenCity News outlet interviewed them about their harrowing tale.
    …
    You would think “TODAY,” “Good Morning America,” or some other legacy media outlet would be featuring not only this story, but the story of Jordan and Landon Seidhom and their courage and diligence to help their fellow Americans. Instead, Lake Lure Town Manager Olivia Stewman appeared on camera (assistant Fire Chief Melton did not respond to QueenCity News’ interview requests) and made excuses about how the aircraft was “unauthorized” and gave no notification that they were coming. That would have been difficult since, as QueenCity News reported, all power and communications were down in the town center. As Stewman blathered on about how Seidhom did not follow proper procedure, the QueenCity News journalist provided the receipts that reflected that Seidhom did exactly what he was supposed to do. Stewman still claimed that Seidhom interrupted their operations and that someone who was “not adequately trained” posed a danger. Stewman praised Melton and claimed he was just doing his job.

    Another useless mouthpiece who did nothing but spout talking points and cover their ass.

    Here’s another amazing example of FEMA’s feckless response to this natural disaster and its aftermath. They are sending out social media posts asking people to quell “rumors” that they are not responding and that they are not forcing local officials to shut down civilian response.

    … when they clearly are.

    Remember: this administration is the one that brought you the Afghanistan evacuation debacle.

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