Tag: fema

‘Redneck Air Force’ Reportedly Steps Up After FEMA’s Lackluster Response to Helene

Turns out that even in the face of unmitigated disaster and tragedy, good men can still step up — and with some humor in their hearts, as well.

As the American southeast continues to grapple with the debilitating aftermath of Hurricane Helene, many eyes have turned to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to see how the government organization would respond to this catastrophe.

Helene’s damage was a multi-state affair, starting in Florida and moving up the east coast through Georgia and Tennessee, ending up in North Carolina.

And it’s in the Tar Heel State that this story of good men with a sense of humor originates.

Asheville, North Carolina, continues to grapple with the cataclysmic fallout from Helene, with much of the city still looking like a ravaged war zone, weeks after the devastating storm hit.

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Grieving North Carolina families forced to bury dead in backyards as they blast FEMA for hurricane ‘cover up’

Grieving families in North Carolina have been forced to bury their dead in their backyards – and are accusing authorities of downplaying the damage caused by Hurricane Helene.

The official death toll rose to 227 over the weekend – half of whom were from North Carolina – but state and federal officials told The Spectator that this number is woefully inaccurate. 

Many bodies haven’t even been recovered amid debris and flooding. There are also piles of deceased people who have yet to be identified. They are being transported all over the state in hopes of finding open morgue space.

‘According to folks on the ground – fire, medical, law enforcement officials – they’re way underreporting the numbers. All the morgues are full and they’ve hauled a ton [of bodies] to Greensboro,’ the state official said. ‘People are starting to bury them in their yards because they have no place to put them.’

One individual who was in Asheville when Helene hit told The Spectator: ‘It’s so much worse than they’re saying…I think there’s a massive cover-up.’

The destruction from Helene, and the immense multi-state death toll, comes just days before Category 5 Hurricane Milton is set to barrel into Florida’s coastline.  

Helene made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida at night on September 26 before laying waste to Georgia and the Carolinas with record storm surges and tornados.

North Carolina alone had six confirmed tornados on the morning of September 27, two days before 500 members of state’s national guard were deployed to help with rescue efforts.

Locals say they are ‘pissed’ at General Major Todd Hunt, director of the North Carolina National Guard, for waiting a whole 48 hours to get boots on the ground.

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FEMA abandons devastated NC town residents because it can’t drive around ‘Road Closed’ sign: ‘Nobody’s been bringing in supplies except civilians’

Residents of a tiny North Carolina town that was almost totally destroyed by Hurricane Helene have been fending for themselves after FEMA told them that a “Road Closed” sign is an insurmountable obstacle for the agency to navigate.

“FEMA called me and told me they wanted to inspect my house, then called me back to say they couldn’t drive around the ‘Road Closed’ sign. They weren’t allowed,” local Chelsea Atkins, 38, told The Post.

“You can drive it by car for sure, it’s not that bad, you just have to drive around the ‘Road Closed’ sign. I explained that to them. They said they couldn’t,” she said, recounting her maddening exchange with the embattled federal agency.

Left to fend for themselves, Bat Cave residents banded together — opening the roads and starting the arduous work of cleanup and recovery. Residents told The Post that they don’t need FEMA now — and at this point, they don’t even want the disaster relief agency to come.

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FEMA broke, impotent, or disgustingly biased?

If you thought the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was specifically and exclusively tasked with providing relief and succor to American citizens who have been the victims of natural disasters, you probably also believe in the tooth fairy—or that Epstein killed himself.

Au contraire.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas recently admitted that “FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season.” This begs a question.

Why? I was keen to guess.

One reason is that FEMA spent more than $650 million this fiscal year providing housing and services to illegal aliens.

I did guess. Correctly! That’s right, FEMA spent the better part of a billion dollars so far this year providing non-emergency aid to non-citizens via the Shelter and Services program.

Sorry, western North Carolinians! Too bad you don’t have a house, belongings, or a pot to tinkle in anymore! Hope you find the rest of your family members! We’d love to help, really, but we’re just tapped out at the moment! Had to put a bunch of border-crossers up at the Hilton in New York City, don’t ya’ know! And then there were the cell phones—and pre-loaded VISA cards—and some other stuff! Adds up quicker than one might think!

And it’s not just the Biden-Harris administration’s FEMA that is spurning citizens in favor of aliens. Recent reports indicate that police in turmoil-stricken Springfield, Ohio have turned off their radios, allegedly to prevent others from learning of their actions in covering for Haitian refugees. Police in nearby Tremont City say that reckless driving and lawlessness is rampant in Springfield and has started to bleed over into their town.

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Untapped Relief: FEMA Is Sitting on Billions of Unused Disaster Funds

Although the Federal Emergency Management Agency told Congress last month that it had $4 billion in its Disaster Relief Fund, officials also warned that the Fund could have a shortfall of $6 billion by year’s end, a situation FEMA says could deteriorate in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

While FEMA is expected to ask Congress for new money, budget experts note a surprising fact: FEMA is currently sitting on untapped reserves appropriated for past disasters stretching back decades. 

An August report from the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General noted that in 2022, FEMA “estimated that 847 disaster declarations with approximately $73 billion in unliquidated funds remained open.” 

Drilling down on that data, the OIG found that $8.3 billion of that total was for disasters declared in 2012 or earlier.

Such developments are part of a larger pattern in which FEMA failed to close out specific grant programs “within a certain timeframe, known as the period of performance (POP),” according to the IG report. Those projects now represent billions in unliquidated appropriations that could potentially be returned to the DRF (Disaster Relief Fund).”

These “unliquidated obligations” reflect the complex federal budgeting processes. Safeguards are important so that FEMA funding doesn’t become a slush fund that the agency can spend however it chooses, budget experts said, but the inability to tap unspent appropriations from long-ago crises complicates the agency’s ability to respond to immediate disasters.

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As North Carolina Flood Victims Begged For Help, Mayorkas Went Boutique Shopping In Georgetown: Report

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas reportedly went on a luxury shopping spree in Georgetown this weekend as residents across southern Appalachia continue to beg for emergency supplies.

“Mayorkas, who was impeached by the House of Representatives earlier this year for his handling of the border crisis, was spotted by the Washington Free Beacon strolling through the mens section of Sid Mashburn, a high-end menswear store, surrounded by security,” the Washington Free Beacon reported Saturday. “He appeared to purchase some items at the store, where suit jackets go for as much as three thousand dollars.”

The Beacon noted that there are still more than 170,000 power outages in North Carolina “alone” and the death toll from Hurricane Helene stands at 227. Residents across flooded out regions of southern Appalachia, however, have been left without immediate disaster relief from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), an agency Mayorkas oversees as part of the Department of Homeland Security.

“They desperately need oxygen for stranded home-bound seniors. They need food, clean water, and shelter,” The Federalist’s Matt Kittle reported Friday. “Sadly, they also need bodybags.”

Residents have “been literally begging FEMA officials for critical supplies.”

Hurricane Helene crashed into Florida as a Category 4 storm and poured a record-breaking 40 trillion gallons of water across the South, washing away entire Appalachian towns. FEMA is typically proactive in disaster-response efforts, with pre-staged supplies set up where storms are estimated to hit, but such support was completely absent before the torrential downpours in Appalachia.

Last week, Mayorkas responded to the crisis by telling reporters FEMA was low on money.

“FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season,” Mayorkas warned on Air Force One. “We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have.”

While the residents of washed-out communities would dispute that their needs are being met by the federal government, FEMA has spent over a billion dollars in disaster funding on illegal migrants. FEMA’s website says the agency allocated nearly $364 million in the fiscal year 2023 and $650 million for the 2024 fiscal year to the “Shelter and Services Program” “to provide humanitarian services to noncitizen migrants following their release from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).’”

“Over the last 4 years the Biden-Harris admin has steadily transformed FEMA — the agency responsible for responding to natural disasters like Hurricane Helene — into an illegal alien resettlement agency that emphasizes DEI over public safety,” reported America First Legal, a conservative non-profit, which published a series of posts outlining where FEMA spent tax dollars.

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A Feckless, Vindictive, and Weaponized U.S. Federal Government – Now O for 3 in Disaster Response

The FEMA Spokesperson, Jaclyn Rothenberg, may have locked down her “X” account temporarily as was reported; in fairness though it was open when I checked.  However, of the top 11 “X”s for Jaclyn Rotheberg, six the 11 (55%) were re-“X’s” of attacks on Donald J. Trump, lessons on dis-information, and accusatory reports of dis-information.  As a former press officer, I would suggest that the FEMA Spokesperson focus on success stories of what the U.S. Government is accomplishing and the next steps of the response and recovery effort.  Spending the majority of social media time on shutting down others does not reflect well on U.S. Government efforts to save American lives and properties.

On the 12th “X” from Jaclyn Rothenberg, I had to a little math.  The “X” was a good news story on aid to South Carolina.  There is nothing wrong with this – the story presented hard metrics on effective delivery of Federal Government Services.  It said, “In South Carolina, FEMA has delivered over $4.7 million to over 5,700 households”; sounds impressive, but that is only $824 per household.  This is where the Harris response and recovery story falls apart.  $824 is not much for a household that was just wiped out or damaged.  Many Americans are outraged at the crazed give away of pre-paid debit cards to illegal aliens.  The New York Times wants to quibble and argue that the cards for illegals are not $10,000 debit cards, but the reality is that in New York City, the cards are being loaded at $350 a week which is $18,200 a year. This is on top of many other perks and benefits.  If FEMA was delivering equal support for U.S. Citizens, they might not have to spend 55% of their “X” time attacking and silencing others.

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FEMA: A Warning on the Bureaucratic Mind

The fact that FEMA and fire authorities have tried to prevent people from rescuing others is not just an indictment of the individuals doing that. It’s not even just an indictment of FEMA and those paricular fire departments.

It’s not even just an indictment of the Biden administration.

It shows us two thing that happen in a society where people defer authority to the State on nearly everything.

First, many people themselves become helpless.

Second, the agents of the State become heartless.

The more the State takes sole responsibility for compassion, protection and rescue, the more it becomes a bureaucratic task the agents of the State own.

Their individual morality doesn’t increase in these jobs-it declines. Because it’s just a job.

And the bureaucratic mindset intrudes. Eventually, these people are more interested in protecting their turf than in the reason the job exists in the first place.

Protecting the fact that this is ‘the governments business’ becomes more important than actually saving people.

It begins sensibly enough. There are reasons why a cordon is established around an emergency. There are times where it makes sense to ‘leave it to the experts’. But institutions strip people of individual accountability and judgement.

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The Truth About FEMA and Hurricane Helene

I want to open this article by asking people to pray for those impacted by the hurricane.

While FEMA and Harris may be leaving these people behind, God will not.

The situation in the North Carolina area impacted by the Hurricane is dire.

There are numerous credible reports of death counts likely exceeding a thousand people and almost the final tallies will almost certainly exceed those of Hurricane Katrina of New Orleans fame.

The difference between Helene and Katrina couldn’t be more stark.

Both were devastating but Bush was sending aid immediately and being excoriated by the media (I’m no fan of Bush but facts are facts) while Harris/Biden are on the beach or having parties while FEMA is reportedly BLOCKING aid and the mainstream is ignoring it.

I wanted to share some facts and other info on this national tragedy.

Tom Renz’s Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

First of all, let’s be clear about what is happening with FEMA.

First they claimed there was no money for hurricane season. Once the American public literally hit the roof over the fact that FEMA is absolutely funding illegals but doesn’t have money for Americans the fact checkers got moving.

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FEMA Public Affairs Chief Locks Her X Account Amid Outrage Over Agency’s Disastrous Hurricane Response

FEMA Public Affairs Director Jaclyn Rothenberg locked her X account Saturday amid widespread outrage over the agency’s disastrous hurricane response in affected states.

How ironic, given Rothenberg is the agency’s “seasoned on-the-record spokesperson” whose only task is media relations and crisis communications.

FEMA’s website explains Rothenberg’s role in the agency:

Jaclyn is an appointee in the Biden-Harris Administration and was sworn in as the Director of Public Affairs at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in July 2021. Jaclyn is a public affairs, media relations, crisis communications strategist and seasoned on-the-record spokesperson. She has advised C-suite executives, high-profile elected officials, and political leaders operating on national and local stages. With nearly 15 years of experience, she understands the varying perspectives media, state, local and congressional leaders have on key issues and approaches her work with anticipation of how each stakeholder will react. 

However, Rothenberg’s official government account remains open.

Rothenberg’s move comes as the agency faces heavy criticism for its delayed response to the devastation left by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida, with over 220 dead, hundreds missing, and millions of people still left without power over a week after the storm ripped through the South.

FEMA has not only been slow to respond, but according to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the agency doesn’t even have the funding to adequately address the crisis.

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