FEMA falls short … period
In the wake of Hurricane Helene, the issue of the response by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) specifically and the Biden administration generally has entered the national presidential debate.
The central question is whether the White House and the national agency move effectively to address the needs of American citizens suffering the ravages of major natural disasters and other emergencies.
FEMA is judged on two levels – preparedness and effective response. Knowing that the forces of nature will create disasters, the agency has a general level of preparedness. It is like a peacetime army being prepared for war.
A second level of preparedness has to do with tactical readiness with looming disasters in sight – such as hurricanes. In fact, of all natural disasters, hurricanes tend to provide the greatest advance warning – the greatest time to prepare.
In the tragic aftermath of Hurricane Helene, it is obvious that FEMA was not prepared to meet the needs of the victims. The response was too slow and grossly insufficient. That was obvious from all the virtually universal comments of the people most impacted by the hurricane and flooding.
Following government practice – and in the face of the experience on the ground — FEMA issued press releases that wallowed in self-praise for the services they were performing. When asked by MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski whether FEMA was meeting “all” the needs of the hurricane and flood victims, the agency administrator, Deanne Criswell, said “absolutely.” That was an audacious lie. Just 15 days after Helene wreaked havoc on Florida, Georgia and North Carolina, the folks in the affected communities were still complaining about a lack of FEMA presence and support.
Even as FEMA was issuing ridiculous self-serving public relations statements, it was conceded that the response was undermined by a lack of funds. This is where the issue stops on President Biden’s desk in the Oval Office.
House Speaker Mike Johnson questioned why Biden had not expeditiously requested additional emergency funding even as Helene was ravaging several states. Johnson said the House was prepared to take up such a request on a moment’s notice. That question was never satisfactorily answered by the White House.
In addition to FEMA’s poor response in terms of on-the-ground rescue and life-support services, the agency had a haphazard program for financial relief – offering some victims sitting in front of their destroyed homes $750 dollars – money they had no place to spend.
The shortage of funding also raised questions about FEMA priorities. It has been reported that the Biden administration used $1.4 billion of FEMA funds to address the growing immigration crisis – to provide welfare assistance to the illegal immigrants in communities across the nation.
(It is no small irony that the use of FEMA money suggests that the explosion of migrants crossing the southern border and relocating throughout the United States is a national emergency – a disaster — contrary to Biden’s contention that it is not even a crisis. But I digress.)
In terms of FEMA’s failure to respond effectively, we have seen this movie before. It was the subject of harsh political criticism of President George W. Bush and the management of Hurricane Katrina. That failure resulted in the ousting of the FEMA director. Given Criswell’s answer on MSNBC, it may be time to find a new administrator for FEMA.
Whatever reasons or excuses that might be offered up, the one thing is clear that America’s disaster preparedness agency was not prepared for Helene. And it is doubtful that it can somehow be prepared for Hurricane Milton – which, as I write this commentary, is 24 hours away from landfall on the western shore of my current home state of Florida. By the time you read this, Milton will be in the history books – and the effectiveness of FEMA will again be the topic of conversation.
So, there ‘tis.
As the election nears, the author seems ever nervous and seems even willing to sacrifice his principles to the cause. I can not prove this to be true, but it’s weird. He seems to knowingly lie, not just a mistake or omission, but he knowingly lies to support his bogus claims. Bogus because if he lies about this, why not the rest? He’s just too smart, too educated, too experienced to make this mistake. It seems purposeful and that should give the reader pause.
He claims in his bio: “an extensive background in economics and public policy” while telling Friedman and Forbes what to do. Yet in this story, he seems totally ignorant of finance and budgets to the point of his story including lies, not spin, but bald-faced harmful lies. Here’s a big one but ask yourself: if the author is willing to lie about this, then what else is he lying about? Because if he claims his economics forte, his 40 years as a tiny businessman, consulting with Forbes and Freidman, how could he miss his lie? How could he not check his facts? How could he miss something so obvious?
He states: “The shortage of funding also raised questions about FEMA priorities. It has been reported that the Biden administration used $1.4 billion of FEMA funds to address the growing immigration crisis – to provide welfare assistance to the illegal immigrants in communities across the nation.”
This is a lie. It is a known lie. It has been fact checked, sourced, and responded to as a lie. All over MSM and the ragged right blogosphere. Many times yet the author ignores it all.
Congress recently granted $20 billion for the agency’s disaster relief fund as part of a short-term government spending bill to fund the government through December 20.
As far as diverting funds to immigrants, FEMA states: “This is false. No money is being diverted from disaster response needs. FEMA’s disaster response efforts and individual assistance is funded through the Disaster Relief Fund, which is a dedicated fund for disaster efforts. Disaster Relief Fund money has not been diverted to other, non-disaster related efforts.”
These are DEDICATED funds, authorized by Congress, that FEMA, by law, cannot divert on a whim. I contend that the author is not brain-dead, knows this, but published his fabrication, without reservations, anyway. Any economist understands basic budgeting. It’s all over the news on this one. FOX news called it a lie. How could the author miss it?
You can tell by his weasel words that he knows. “It has been reported that…” What about all the reports that this is a lie? How could any competent pundit miss that? How could he not check? Worse yet, he knows he will get comments about it and he did it anyway. He will not admit it, he will not apologize He probably will reply with a litany of personal attacks and absolutely no facts of the diverted money. Again, if he’s willing to lie this way, on this one, how far can he go before early November seals our four year fate.
*https://www.newsweek.com/fema-response-accusations-money-spent-migrants-1963702*
FYI: glad Florida was not as bad as projected; hope for your speedy recovery and that people can afford to come back.
Danger Frank … Are you really that ill informed or just a liar who engages in projecting? You write, “As far as diverting funds to immigrants, FEMA states: This is false. No money is being diverted from disaster response needs.” The FEMA website brags that the migrant crisis has received more than 1500 separate grants from FEMA. Even the article you quote confirms money going to migrants. The initial sentence says “The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has responded to “false” claims that money BEING spent on illegal migrants should be spent on disaster relief funds in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.” That is an admission that FEMA money IS going to migrants. Is it a reading comprehension problem or you just spinning bullpoop?
The author engages in name calling like bringing a knife to a gun fight although in his case, he brings fiction to a fact fight.
If the author is slow on the uptake, let me explain a couple of things. I present facts. It will be very rare that you will catch me as “ill informed” or “just a liar,” Perhaps projecting because I haven’t a clue what you mean by that. More chance of catching me in a typo or the construction of facts in a spinful manner. And spin is not necessarily a lie, especially mine.
If you find yourself calling me childish names, I suggest that you check your work, you are probably going into backup mode over a lack of rebuttal facts.
This is what gets me. You say you know economics, business, and government, but seem bemused that budgets cannot always be diverted. Ask yourself this, if budgets could be diverted, wouldn’t Trump have finished his wall?
You claim that FEMA has 1,500 migrant grants; they probably do, so what?
As to what FEMA said, that I quoted for you, that is correct. They said that and it is true. Read on.
.
To explain it all again to you, I will turn to CNN, a news source that you use now too.
In sum:
As I stated in my piece, Congress sets the budget for FEMA. Recently as I noted, they passed a 20B fund which is equivalent to the funding amount last year. Would you have suggested a different number? It’s just to get them to the next budget decision point; early next year I think. Democrats voted yea, many Republicans voted nay — those would be your policy maker Trumplicants so I guess your policy choice is to deny FEMA funds. Why did they attempt to vote it down?
According to CNN, “The Senate passed the measure by a 78-18 vote. The House had approved it in a 341-82 vote.” That’s 100 Republicans wanting to defund FEMA. While the $20B matched last year, there were billions of supplemental disaster aid requests that couldn’t get past Republicans.
They may have enough money, that’s what they said, but they will need over $100B for Helene alone.
The Trump claim is that the money the migrants got came from the disaster fund. You shined it up a bit by saying the money came from FEMA. The facts say you are wrong. The money comes from Congress, to CBP and CBP has FEMA administer it for them.
FEMA administers the Shelter and Services Program, using a DEDICATED budget allotted by Congress to the US CBP. It’s a separate fund, it’s a CBP budget, FEMA ADMINISTERS it.
I am informed. I do not lie, unless by omission or error, my reading comprehension seems at least better than yours, and the only projection I do is 30ft x 30ft movies on the side off my white-movie-screen barn.
I suggest you do your work, show your work sources, and then double-check your facts.
The CNN story also cover the $750 question fact-check Trump’s lies again. This amount is given as immediately aid while the paperwork and process for the rest begins. It’s a new fund that Trump did not even offer during his reign. Bad policy I guess, just let them wait….
*https://www.newsweek.com/how-republicans-voted-against-fema-funding-reacted-hurricane-helene-1965729*
Frank … I see you changed you name but not your personal obsession with Moi. LOL
Larry,
You have an actual link to the page on the FEMA site where “The FEMA website brags that the migrant crisis has received more than 1500 separate grants from FEMA. “?
Andrew Gutterman … What? You cannot look up the FEMA website.
What, Larry? With Election Day so close and the margin is closer still you choose Biden for your whipping person of the moment. You must have some dirty politics dug up by your staff and ready to post that’s more potent. A newsworthy unknown tidbit about a Harris trip-up has greater import. Or, an insight or two about VP candidate Bolz is up your dark alley
Instead, you risk your conservative standing with a lame attempt at striking Biden where you believe he failed.
This time you believe his timing was not quick enough for situation people were in after Hurricane Helene brought horrendous conditions and ruinous wind and heavy rains. Intimating that Biden is uncaringly slow to act, Larry falsely accuses the President.
Neither Biden nor FEMA in Washington, DC failed. Florida’s division of FEMA had readiness delays. Hurricane Helene came through Florida differently than expected. Where it hit and its higher velocity category affected rescuers.
Now, while clean-up from Helene is ongoing and debris is still on the ground, preparations began in anticipation for Hurricane Milton. How does FEMA and Florida’s residents prepare for double punch?
Larry, you don’t relate whether or not where you live on Florid’s SE Atlantic Coast has had damage from hurricanes.
Is your rage against Biden both political and frustration filled because you and your neighbors’ supporters hurricane damaged property did not receive prompt enough attention and repair.
Always aligning facts correctly requires understanding their true context
Too many instances all the facts are unavailable, then putting the context puzzle together leaves pieces missing.
Bias when pieces are missing lends to creating false pieces and forcing those into place. Ignoring true context, then inventing another that has false pieces fit a new context. This is the pattern for creating propaganda and conspiracy theories. One’s ability to see through propaganda to its hook and conspiracy to it falsehood is the controlling factor for living life in today’s world where facts are hidden, trust is rare, honesty is tied to situational ethics, and showing and giving grace and forgiveness is a forgotten practice,
In society at large in the U.S. specifically, persons showing others respect by practicing civility toward all, no matter who the others are and if others are not like us.
Politics opens and closes false doors and erects and pushes aside false barriers. Door open to political sameness. Barriers are slid aside for politics appearing right.
It’s comes out in the end the same, both are a shame and a sham. Segregationists keeping to association with one’s own kind is as reprehensible as the segregation of one race in opposition to tall others.
Say what you will, Larry. I am free within my rights in law to follow my Independent truth in fact belief. That freedom is no less than your freedom. I will defend that right for both of us. How you see freedo and rights for yourself and for me happens to be what differentiates one character from another. And that’s a true fact.
BTW Should Trump become President, consider how well he will respond to natural disasters happening o his watch. These events and more will be on the increase due to climate change warming.
Ask any bureaucrat and they’ll laugh at the two separate FEMA funds and say “Don’t you know money is fungible?”
Myorkas had said as much when he first spoke about the dwindling FEMA funds. He made the statement he didn’t know/believe that FEMA would have enough funds to last until the end of hurricane season. In an interview later, he refused to admit that FEMA had borrowed from the diaster fund to take care of undocumented migrants in the Migrant Aid fund. He did not say either that he did not have the authority to reassign the $20.26 billion combined pot of two funds.