I can tell you that, from what I have seen/read about the unbelievable destruction form Helene, our government seems to be failing on an epic scale,
It's worth noting how rampant conspiracy theories have become around the hurricane and it's response. They are so prolific FEMA has a page to address them:
Trump and Elon Musk are using the disaster to make political hay ahead of the election as well, making false statements about funding being spent on immigrants, conservatives being prevented from accessing relief, and other outrageous and false claims. Hopefully folks are ok with the BBC as a source since they are do not inherently have a horse in the race:
Political row erupts over Hurricane Helene disaster relief
A political row has erupted after Donald Trump claimed Americans hit hard by Hurricane Helene were losing out on emergency relief money because it had been spent on migrants.
The White House swiftly rebutted the claims and accused Republicans of spreading "bold-faced lies" about funding for the disaster response.
On Wednesday US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas had said the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), which he oversees, was short on cash for the rest of hurricane season.
Trump and his allies expressed outrage that the agency had spent over $640m (£487m) on housing migrants.
But officials pointed out that this funding, authorised by Congress, was part of an entirely different programme run by Fema unconnected to disaster relief.
With less than a month to go before the White House election, Trump and the Democratic nominee Kamala Harris are neck and neck in the handful of swing states, such as storm-hit North Carolina and Georgia, that will decide the vote.
The deadliest mainland US hurricane since Katrina in 2005, Helene tore through the south-east last week, claiming at least 225 lives and leaving hundreds more missing.
Both Trump and Vice-President Harris have made trips to some of the affected states.
Republicans have attempted to link the disaster relief effort to immigration - an issue seen as a strength for Trump - but have spread misinformation about how government money is used.
At an event in Evans, Georgia, on Friday, Trump said, without evidence, that: "A lot of the money that was supposed to go to Georgia and supposed to go to North Carolina and all of the others is going and has gone already.
"It's been gone for people that came into the country illegally, and nobody has ever seen anything like that. That's a shame."
Fema did receive a budget from Congress - $640m in the last fiscal year - to provide housing to immigrants applying for US citizenship.
But the cash came via a federal immigration agency, Customs and Border Protection.
It was spent through Fema's Shelter and Services Program (SSP) and is a separate pot of money to the agency's Disaster Relief Fund of nearly $20bn, which is used to respond to hurricanes and other natural disasters.
Fema's disaster relief budget for the year expired at the end of September and the agency is currently running on temporary funding while Congress negotiates a new annual budget.
The agency has responded to Trump's claim with a dedicated fact-check page, and a statement from the Department of Homeland Security.
“This is false," Fema said in a statement. "No money is being diverted from disaster response needs.”
So far, more than $45m has been given to communities affected by Hurricane Helene, said the agency.
Fema has also shipped over 11.5m meals and 12.6m litres of water in the aftermath of Helene, said Vice-President Harris on Friday, adding that more than 5,600 federal personnel were on the ground.
But Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr, posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday that it was "madness" for billions of dollars in foreign aid to be sent to Ukraine, instead of to American citizens who had lost everything in the storm.
Meanwhile, critics of Trump have pointed out that when he was president back in 2019, $155m was transferred from Fema's operating budget to fund deportations of migrants to Mexico.
I'm curious how much of ceebs perspective comes from sources other than blatantly partisan ones seeking to influence the election in favor of Trump? And is any source that disagrees with Trump's claims therefore one of those participating in the partisanship from the anti-Trump side?
I agree with Ceeboo — the massive destruction illustrates the complete failure of government to take the science of climate change seriously and to take serious steps to prevent harm through transitioning away from fossil fuels or to take steps to mitigate the harm.
Climate denial promoted by fossil fuel interests and their bought and paid for politicians have been lying about global warming for decades, and those chickens are coming home to roost. Sadly, they come to roost on the people who have been lied to.
The state government of North Carolina actively resisted taking measures to make the homes of its citizens resistant more able to resist extreme weather. It has prevented any planning for the changes in climate that have been projected for years.
FEMA is broke. The stop gap bill didn’t give it additional funds. By the account of the affected states, the feds have done a good job at response. But that won’t be able to continue without lots and lots more dollars.
It’s both ironic and tragic to see Marjorie Taylor-Greene claim that weather-controlling democrats sent a major hurricane barreling through red states. By lying about global warming for years and years, it’s Marjorie Taylor-Greene and her fellow anti-government travelers that wreaked havoc on those they pretended to be representing.
The state of Florida has become the primary insurer of at risk property, with an exposure that is a multiple of its annual budget.
It is ironic and tragic to see Marjorie Taylor-Greene trying to blame weather controlling democrats when she and her fellow travelers are the ones who sold out their constituents.
he/him we all just have to live through it,
holding each other’s hands.
I agree with Ceeboo — the massive destruction illustrates the complete failure of government to take the science of climate change seriously and to take serious steps to prevent harm through transitioning away from fossil fuels or to take steps to mitigate the harm.
Climate denial promoted by fossil fuel interests and their bought and paid for politicians have been lying about global warming for decades, and those chickens are coming home to roost. Sadly, they come to roost on the people who have been lied to.
The state government of North Carolina actively resisted taking measures to make the homes of its citizens resistant more able to resist extreme weather. It has prevented any planning for the changes in climate that have been projected for years.
FEMA is broke. The stop gap bill didn’t give it additional funds. By the account of the affected states, the feds have done a good job at response. But that won’t be able to continue without lots and lots more dollars.
It’s both ironic and tragic to see Marjorie Taylor-Greene claim that weather-controlling democrats sent a major hurricane barreling through red states. By lying about global warming for years and years, it’s Marjorie Taylor-Greene and her fellow anti-government travelers that wreaked havoc on those they pretended to be representing.
The state of Florida has become the primary insurer of at risk property, with an exposure that is a multiple of its annual budget.
It is ironic and tragic to see Marjorie Taylor-Greene trying to blame weather controlling democrats when she and her fellow travelers are the ones who sold out their constituents.
I agree with Ceeboo — the massive destruction illustrates the complete failure of government to take the science of climate change seriously and to take serious steps to prevent harm through transitioning away from fossil fuels or to take steps to mitigate the harm.
Climate denial promoted by fossil fuel interests and their bought and paid for politicians have been lying about global warming for decades, and those chickens are coming home to roost. Sadly, they come to roost on the people who have been lied to.
The state government of North Carolina actively resisted taking measures to make the homes of its citizens resistant more able to resist extreme weather. It has prevented any planning for the changes in climate that have been projected for years.
FEMA is broke. The stop gap bill didn’t give it additional funds. By the account of the affected states, the feds have done a good job at response. But that won’t be able to continue without lots and lots more dollars.
It’s both ironic and tragic to see Marjorie Taylor-Greene claim that weather-controlling democrats sent a major hurricane barreling through red states. By lying about global warming for years and years, it’s Marjorie Taylor-Greene and her fellow anti-government travelers that wreaked havoc on those they pretended to be representing.
The state of Florida has become the primary insurer of at risk property, with an exposure that is a multiple of its annual budget.
It is ironic and tragic to see Marjorie Taylor-Greene trying to blame weather controlling democrats when she and her fellow travelers are the ones who sold out their constituents.
Fair points.
Granted, it may not exactly be Ceeboo’s point.
he/him we all just have to live through it,
holding each other’s hands.
If only Britain and the US had offered up Florida rather than Palestine as the Jewish homeland, MAGA would not be offering up its conspiracies.
Ha! I hear echoes of Michael Chabon's ‘Yiddish Policeman’s Union,’ where the imagined Jewish homeland is in Alaska. If the homeland was Florida, however, I'm sure that the book would have had to be written by Carl Hiaasen.
If only Britain and the US had offered up Florida rather than Palestine as the Jewish homeland, MAGA would not be offering up its conspiracies.
Ha! I hear echoes of Michael Chabon's ‘Yiddish Policeman’s Union,’ where the imagined Jewish homeland is in Alaska. If the homeland was Florida, however, I'm sure that the book would have had to be written by Carl Hiaasen.
Sorry for the aside. Back to the original topic.
I would totally read that book.
he/him we all just have to live through it,
holding each other’s hands.
