Tag: natural disasters

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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Hurricane Helene Destroys NC Town Containing ‘Purest’ Quartz Mines, Disrupting Semiconductor Industry

The devastation in a small North Carolina down from Hurricane Helene may cause unexpected issues to the semiconductor production industry, as nearly all of the world’s supply of a necessary mineral comes from that area.

The “purest form” of quartz is mined in Spruce Pine, which has a population of just 2,600 people, according to CNBC. 

With the town’s electricity and running water still out more than a week after the storm and raging flood waters ripped through the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the $600 billion global semiconductor industry may be crippled, the outlet reported. 

Before Helene, companies like Sibelco and The Quartz Corp. extracted the high-quality quartz before refining it and shipping it to global manufacturing facilities, primarily in China and other Asian countries. 

Those operations have all been placed on pause as the Appalachian community grapples with getting basic necessities such as food and water. 

Neither of the major companies has released a timeline on when they could possibly resume mining. 

“Hurricane Helene has significantly impacted North Carolina, USA, and the Spruce Pine community has been hit particularly hard,” Sibelco said in a September 30 statement, before saying that “many people,” including their own employees and families, are facing “displacement.”

“We have confirmed the safety of most employees and are working diligently to contact those still unreachable due to ongoing power outages and communication challenges,” the company continued. “As of September 26th, we have temporarily halted operations at the Spruce Pine facilities in response to these challenges.”

“The Spruce Pine community has been hit particularly hard,” Sibelco said in a statement on Sept. 30. “We have temporarily halted operations at the Spruce Pine facilities in response to these challenges.”

In a similar October 1 statement, the Quartz Corp announced that “operations at our facilities were stopped on September 26th in preparation of the event and we have no visibility on when they will restart.”

“This is second order of priority. Our top priority remains the health and safety of our employees and their families,” company officials added, noting that they have successfully made contact with all of their Spruce Pine workers. 

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The Regime Wants Appalachia To Suffer

Americans from Florida to North Carolina continue to deal with the devastating consequences of Hurricane Helene, now the deadliest hurricane to hit the US since Katrina. The stories emerging from the region are heart breaking. The economic damage to property and the infrastructure will take years to recover from. Large parts of the area will never return to what they were.

Many Americans may be unaware of the extent of the damage. Unlike Hurricane Katrina, which received non-stop coverage on cable news for weeks, with primetime anchors like Anderson Cooper visiting on location covering stories of human tragedy and government incompetence, Helene’s aftermath has received far less coverage. It is on social media platforms like X where folks will find horrifying stories of the stench of death still strong in difficult to reach areas, the lack of government assistance for those in need, and the courage of private efforts serving the area.

Some of this is explained by the time period we are living in. Escalation in the Middle East. A national election is on the horizon. A court decision releasing documents that allows the salivating press to re-litigate the events of January 6, 2021 yet again. What cannot be ignored, however, is the extent to which the open hostility the nation’s most powerful institutions have had to the sorts of people that are overwhelmingly impacted by this storm, predominantly white, working class, and politically conservative. 

This horrific natural disaster is a reminder of the extent to which the regime hates the people who live there.

This was true prior to Helene, where Washington policies have impoverished this areas with policies ranging from the national impact of inflation and financialization to more specific regional impacts stemming from regulatory policy with specific impacts on the region impacted. The immediate aftermath, however, demonstrates the extent to which state reaction to a disaster impedes voluntary efforts to quickly mobilize and assist those in need.

A combination of heavy-handed federal and state action has attempted to undercut recovery efforts, from grounding private helicopters seeking to rescue stranded victims, to the demands of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to stop citizens from flying drones near impacted areas seeking to locate those in need of help. Given the logistical strains that even the best organized response to a severe crisis would create, the voluntary organization of local human resources on the ground is essential to meaningful and quick recovery. Here, the priority of government actors has been to elevate their control over the situation at the expense of these efforts.

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Rep. Nancy Mace Exposes FEMA’s Lies, Introduces Bill to End Wasteful Shelter and Services Program Amidst Hurricane Helene Crisis

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) announced on Friday that she has introduced legislation aimed at terminating the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Shelter and Services Program (SSP).

Mace blasted the program as a colossal misuse of taxpayer dollars that prioritizes illegal immigrants over American disaster victims, and her bill proposes redirecting all unspent SSP funds to aid Americans struggling to recover from natural disasters like Hurricane Helene.

“It’s unacceptable for Americans to grapple with the catastrophic aftermath of Hurricane Helene while the federal government remains fixated on spending hundreds of millions on a program sheltering illegal immigrants instead of helping our own citizens,” said Representative Nancy Mace.

“Kamala Harris and Alejandro Mayorkas have turned FEMA into a migrant resettlement agency. It’s time to end this mess.”

According to FEMA’s own reports, the Shelter and Services Program allocated $364 million in the 2023 fiscal year and another staggering $650 million for 2024 to provide shelter, food, healthcare, and even hotel accommodations for noncitizen migrants.

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FEMA an Even Bigger Disaster Than the Storms Themselves — and How it Can Be Replaced

This is more of a think piece than an article, so please stay with me here.  It’s based on decades of public health and disaster management work I’ve been involved with during my career. 

I first got involved in this while working as an executive at Lexington County Hospital, across the river from the state Capital of Columbia in South Carolina.  I’ve had similar positions at other county and city hospitals, including such disaster areas as Flint, Michigan’s city hospital.  In all cases, those hospitals were responsible for public health in the counties and cities they served.

At Lexington County Hospital, we were hit by Hurricane David – not just hit, but for roughly eight hours, the eye of the storm seemed to hover right on top of our hospital, which was in itself frightening. 

Nowhere near as big as Helene, even a relatively mild hurricane like David is a monster storm. Until you’ve seen water blown into the hospital through the brick wall, you have no idea what a deluge coming at you at 85 miles per hour can do – let alone Helene’s 140 miles per hour winds – you really can’t appreciate the damage it can do.  I do know that when David was approaching, I evacuated my family – my wife and infant son, but not our pet Sheltie, “Pumpkin” – into the hospital.  This protected them – hospitals are built to withstand such winds and environmental violence – so I could focus on doing my job without worrying about their safety.

In this South Carolina community, the Army at nearby Fort Jackson provided helicopter emergency medivac – medical and evacuation services. This was great, real-life training for the Army helicopter and air-rescue crews, and it provided excellent med-evac services for our five-county region. 

This got me involved in what the military have to offer in the realm of support services during a natural disaster.  Later, I worked with a hospital in Jacksonville, on the North Carolina coast, and immediately adjacent to Marine Corps Camp LeJeune.  During my time with them, both Hurricane Fran and Hurricane Floyd slammed into the North Carolina coast with winds of up to 137 and 122 miles per hour, respectively.  The disaster rivaled Helene’s impact, but in a much smaller scale.

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