I have lots of thoughts.
First and foremost, my heart goes out to the communities in western North Carolina that have been devasted by Helene. Indeed, to all who have been affected by the storm from Florida onward. I am focusing here on North Carolina given the understandable national focus and the ongoing nature of the crisis. Additionally, I feel a personal connection to the region, having spent quite a lot of time there with my family over the last decade or so. My wife and I have strolled through Asheville’s arts districts, which is now underwater, and stopped for coffee in Chimney Rock, NC (at a coffee shop that likely no longer exists).
My personal connection is not all that relevant, save to note that it does not surprise me that it is currently so very difficult to get relief to these communities, as they are often served by one road in and out and those roads are very frequently built along rivers and creeks. And even when roads and bridges are functional, the debris that has to be cleared has got to be a nightmare. These are heavily wooded areas and the number of down trees has got to be creating major difficulties. The logistical challenges in getting aid are enormous.
Here is some news from the area:
- Via CNN: Desperation grows to find unaccounted for in wake of Helene.
- From the AP: Supplies arrive by plane and by mule in North Carolina as Helene’s death toll tops 130.
- Via Reuters: Rescuers scour North Carolina mountains for survivors cut off by Hurricane Helene.
- Via The Atlantic: North Carolina Was Set Up for Disaster.
- Via the Charlotte Observer: Western North Carolina communities hope for ‘some sort of lifeline’ after Helene damage
- I would also recommend today’s The Daily: Hurricane Helene’s 600 Miles of Destruction.
Second, let me note that I do not have enough information to assess whether the relief effort is going well or poorly–and nor is it likely that anyone reading this does, either. I, personally, am at the stage I always am at this point in such a disaster (living where I do, a few hours from the Gulf Coast, I am used to paying attention to these types of events) waiting to get beyond speculation and hoping that state, federal, and non-governmental actors can help those in need both in the short term, but also in the longer term.
Anyone who thinks they know exactly how well (or not) this is going right now (I am writing this just after noon central time on Tuesday, October 1st) is almost certainly wrong. And the more certain they are, the more wrong they likely are.
Third, the first two points sum up to me noting that people who are trying to score political points at this exact moment are grotesque hacks at best.
To wit, via the AP: Trump makes false claims about federal response as he campaigns in area ravaged by Hurricane Helene.
But, wait, I hear some say, what about Katrina? Bush got criticized over Katrina! Yes, he did, and deservedly so. Maybe similar criticisms will be warranted with Helene, but there is no evidence or reason yet to be doing so, save hackish desires to balance decades-old partisan scales. The Biden administration at least has a FEMA Director with emergency management experience, unlike Mike “Heckuva Job, Brownie” Brown who was an attorney who worked as Judges and Stewards Commissioner for the International Arabian Horse Association prior to joining the Bush administration.
Let’s also remember that Brown did so poor a job that he was relieved of his duties by the Bush administration about a week and a half into his “management” of post-Katrina relief and resigned not long thereafter. While I am sure there are going to be foul-ups and failures as this complex situation unfolds, let’s not try to play Katrina comparisons until we have some comparable outcomes to talk about.
Fourth, it is at times like this that it is clear how very wrong Reagan was when he said “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’”
And, further, that those who seek to dismantle the federal government are simply wrong to do so, as I know full well that if a disaster of this magnitude hit my community, I would be hoping very much for the federal government to show up, as the state of Alabama lacks the resources necessary to help in all the ways that would be needed.
As such, let me note the following from Charles P. Pierce writing in Esquire:
Last week, as Helene was winding up in the Gulf of Mexico, strengthening almost by the minute, the House of Representatives voted on a spending package that would have prevented a government shutdown. Eighty-two Republicans voted to shut down the government as a catastrophic storm prepared to devastate a quarter of the country. Let’s look at the box score.
The no votes included eleven members of the House from Florida, including thoroughgoing blowhard Rep. Byron Donald; three from Tennessee; and all five of the Republican members from South Carolina. North Carolina’s delegation remarkably showed good sense; only Rep. Dan Bishop voted against the spending package.
Project 2025, the conservative wish list that all good Republicans have never heard of, proposes radical changes in how the Federal Emergency Management Agency does its business, most of which seem to be oriented toward having state and local governments foot most of the bill for natural disasters and raising the criteria for FEMA involvement. This, of course, is at the same time that Project 2025 is crippling NOAA, the National Weather Service, and the National Hurricane Center.
There are reasons to have serious concerns about these basic capacities (which need to be augmented given the climate situation, not gutted) should Trump win in November.
My fifth thought is a side-note. I have seen several folks on Twitter (yes, I know) making claims that Helene was the result of weather control by the Biden administration to devastate Republican areas. For example:
I realize that there are plenty of kooks out there, but he isn’t the only one. It is an interesting mindset that will allow one to believe in a “Democrat weather weapon” and yet discount the obvious effects of climate change on these events.
It truly boggles the mind.
(I was unaware of HAARP until the last couple of days, but apparently it has long been the focus of the conspiracy-minded. See, for example, this piece from 2017).
