Trump is on the ground in Georgia. He just landed in Valdosta and is speaking with Georgians. Showing up counts, at least with me. No doubt the Democrats will criticize him for it. Trump is saying that he spoke with the governor who has not been able to speak with Biden. Trump is saying that the governor is calling for volunteer help. Franklin Graham of Samaritan's Purse is there and they have some help on the ground and more coming.
I saw Biden on a news clip this morning, and he stated to reporters that they have already given all the help that they can, and have nothing else to give to the people who were damaged by the hurricane and floods. I saw pictures of all the FEMA trucks ready to go, but they need authorization from the feds, and the same thing with Fort Bragg. They have everything at Fort Bragg to deal with this kind of emergency, and usually are sent there to help out, but not this time. Linemen are coming all the way from Canada and California, and probably a lot of other places, but until some roads can open, they can’t get to a lot of the places where the roads are totallly washed out and gone. President Trump said he wanted to go to NC as well as Georgia, but he said that because there is still so much that the emergency crews have to do, he does not want to be there until they are ready for him to come out there. The expects to be there by Friday, bringing supplies, and I read that he had already ordered trucks with supplies sent, and donated money to help out.
I heard the statement from Biden when the press asked why more was not being done. His response was that he had spent 2 hours on the phone and that was all that was needed. He was on the beach all weekend reportedly. Look at the attacks that George W. Bush got when he did nothing wrong as far as Katrina went with the laws at the time; Biden is doing absolutely nothing and the press doesn't seem to care. In fact, they are covering for his ineptitude. Thanks to Katrina uproar, the Feds can invade a state with aid it doesn't want, but now they are getting no help from the Feds whatever when the states involved are asking for it.
Governor Ron DeSantis has proven to be a great governor during hurricane Helene. He was completely prepared to handle destruction in the state of Florida, had bunches of linemen on standby notice, and did a good job, as far as I can tell. Now, he has been sending aid to the poor people of North Carolina and n helping them as well. He sent some of the linemen and other equipment, including air national guard, and now he is sending road crews up there to help out with rebuilding the roads and bridges that have been washed out. This is outstanding cooperation with the needs of theses other states, and his standing (in my book) has gone up a whole lot. Mark Robinson from North Caroline has also been out there with the emergency people, and has asked for any campaign donations to be sent to emergency services instead. He is also doing a great job, and I hope he gets elected as governor.
I read there is a group of Republican governors who have bonded together and pledge to aid each others' states should the need arise, and that group is led by DeSantis.
Now I have seen speculation on the slow FEMA response. Shippers are wondering why there have been no FEMA shipments scheduled. Cynics are saying that it is because the hurricane hit largely Red areas and the Biden-Harris Administration wants to suppress voter turnout there by making it impossible to get to the polls. It is truly sad if that is true, but I can find no other reason why there has been little more than token FEMA response.
Something that is being talked about in connection with this devastation in North Carolina, which is kind of interesting, and is reminiscent of what happened in Maui with the fires there that we so mismanaged (and no federal help to speak of). Under the ground near Asheville are large deposits of lithium, which is used for EV batteries. There is a company who has been wanting to set up there and Milne the lithium. One of the things that would have to happen most likely, is that people would be asked to sell their homes and property to the mining company, and many of them might not want to do that. Now that a once in a lifetime flood has occurred , devastating whole towns in that area, how much more likely is the mining company going to be able to buy property, and at a much cheaper price than if it had a livable home on the property. This is exactly what happened in Maui. The pople who had lived there refused to sell their homes, and then a horrible fire came through and devastated that area right where the valuable property was located at, and it was quickly snatched up by people like Oprah, who had money to purchased the ruined land. This also happened with the California wildfires a few years ago. Newsom wanted to build that high-speed transport system, and right in the area where it was to be built, houses and cars were destroyed, and trees were left standing and not burned. People have also wondered about the dams that broke in Tennessee and North Carolina. For sure, they were over flooded with water, but it is also possible that they had “help” to make them just crumble and break up.
Well, there is one group that's doing something: twitter link Priorities, huh? And goodness knows how they'll really execute their mission in that mess.
I know all those devastated people whose lives are destroyed are thrilled that the president will "fly over the damaged areas" today. What a joke.
I find my wife almost in tears as she reads the communication she get from the people in and around Asheville. People who are able to drive to work are reporting bodies everywhere in the water. When they are called in to Emergency services. they are told they are overwhelmed by it all and tell the reporting folks that it is noted and they will retrieve the bodies as they can. Cemeteries have been washed out, so there are also caskets and coffins floating down some of the waterways. The one big hospital system is totally overwhelmed as well. Where mules and ATVs can't go, they are flying helicopters in with people food, livestock and dog food, and insulin. It is so, so sad....
Also, people are reporting that none of the ATMs or card readers in the stores that are open are working, so the stores are only accepting cash so those who don't have cash are standing in line when the banks open trying to get cash, but I am sure the banks have limited supplies as well. Places that don't have power and don't have back-up generators, so the clerks are actually having to figure out the money people get back on their own.
It’s a week tomorrow. That’s a very long time to wait for drinking water, medicine and food. This is a great example of what life will be like under Kamala.
Gotta get those billions of $$ to Ukraine while Americans have no water and no hope in the wake of the storm.
Yesterday, Elon Musk has activated all of the Starlink accounts in the region regardless of their payment status. His programmers worked overnight Monday to make the necessary changes for this to happen. I know it's a small thing...