I've been following the relief efforts for the victims of Hurricane Helene, and like you, I have been impressed at how civilians have pitched in, providing vital aid when needed.
Almost all the aid that flowed into North Carolina and Georgia came from private individuals. The helicopters were privately owned, the Starlink terminals were donated and flown to the area by civilians, and locals were helping each other out as the state and federal governments were slow to respond.
Great! Thank you guys, you are amazing.
Are Rescue Efforts Purposely Stalled in Western North Carolina?
— 𝓝𝓲𝓴𝓴𝓲 (@PFKHealth) October 2, 2024
“Literally allowing these people to f**king die in the mountains”
HELICOPTERS ARE NEEDED,
Why are TITLE 10 Orders NOT Approved?
Jonathan Howard with the Florida State Guard Special Mission Unit, assisting… pic.twitter.com/kozqzGPxBb
What isn't amazing is how both the state and federal governments have gotten in the way of civilians doing what they can. Not because the government responders and civilians were working at cross purposes, but because the governments didn't have their acts together. Rather than helping people they were throwing their weight around. They were even threatening to put volunteers in jail for doing what the local officials couldn't or wouldn't do.
Jordan Seidhom, once at the helm of the narcotics division in Chesterfield County's Sheriff's Office and also a pilot from South Carolina, found himself in a tense situation while conducting volunteer rescue operations of flood-stricken victims with his personal helicopter in… pic.twitter.com/7Fw6tLhMip
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) October 2, 2024
It took DAYS for the Pentagon to approve Title 10 funds, which the Pentagon can use to respond to crises. Helicopters remained grounded because bureaucrats got in the way. It wasn't until Jonathan Howard made a post that went viral that the gears started moving. Troops are finally moving--they have been itching to pitch in to help--thanks not to leaders clearing the way, but to civilians getting the word out that the politicians were in the way.
🚨Update from Jonathan Howard🚨
— FoxyFarmer🦊🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇮🇱 (@GardensR4Health) October 3, 2024
You guys made Jonathan’s post go viral and it blew everything up. Title 10 bullshit was resolved, more helicopters on the way…..
If Jonathan hadn’t gone viral, 100’s of thousands of people would have died.
This man is a super HERO ❤️ pic.twitter.com/A6NHIn2bsV
It's not just helicopters that were grounded. Volunteers in some areas were actively discouraged from helping their neighbors because it was the government that wanted the credit, or for some other obscure reason.
Hurricane Helene: Tennessee Resident Says Tennessee/ FEMA Sending Out Text Messages Telling Everyone Do Not Help Neighbors In Need
— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) October 2, 2024
Messages saying “We don't want you to donate stuff to other people. You need to just donate money and stuff to us and get your instructions from us… pic.twitter.com/gzuF8owjmF
If the rescue efforts were a finely tuned machine and ordinary people were just getting in the way, that might make sense. Good intentions don't replace coordinated efforts, but there is precious little evidence that the efforts run by the governments are coordinated much at all. And with some things, such as helicopters, the more, the better.
Heartbreaking. 💔
— MAGA Marie 🦅🇺🇸 (@galacticaactual) October 3, 2024
Listen to this tearful woman in western North Carolina claim the media is not reporting on the true devastation of the area. She has seen bodies floating down the river, even babies, and says they cannot rely on the govt to help them. 🙏🏼
This is so WRONG! 🥺 pic.twitter.com/oDtUlLZWcd
For nearly a week, the 82nd Airborne, stationed in North Carolina, was told to sit on its hands and do nothing. It wasn't until soldiers and ex-soldiers raised holy hell that the Pentagon released 1000 troops to assist in the recovery efforts. Days late and dollars short.
Thousands of members from the 82nd Airborne Division are literally in NC begging to help hurricane victims and are being told they can’t.
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) October 1, 2024
Biden-Harris can activate them with 1 phone call. They’re choosing not to. pic.twitter.com/B7ub1iz3gv
Apparently, they were on standby for potential deployment to the Middle East. WTF?
Prayers for the 82nd in North Carolina. This is madness. 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/zM1KQYVfre
— Kev Posobiec (@KevinPosobiec) October 1, 2024
One underrated story that will eventually get more discussion is this: FEMA is running out of money partly due to the fact that the Harris/Biden administration has been raiding the funds to take care of illegal immigrants to the tune of $1 billion.
MAYORKAS: “We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have. We are expecting another hurricane hitting. FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season.”
— America First Legal (@America1stLegal) October 3, 2024
The Biden-Harris FEMA spent over $1 BILLION on funding illegal aliens. https://t.co/Ctrkd9xdWe pic.twitter.com/LseKL1sWPk
So when Joe Biden said the cupboard was bare, one reason was that they have been giving the cookies to illegals.
This speaks volumes about the Harris/Biden priorities.
The insanity of this story is off the charts.
— Tim Murtaugh (@TimMurtaugh) October 3, 2024
Kamala Harris spent over $1 BILLION in FEMA money on housing for illegal aliens in the last 2 years under a new program she began in 2023.
Now DHS says they don’t have enough cash for all of hurricane season.https://t.co/YMLe1x56tx
There is one government official who has stepped up in a serious way: Ron DeSantis. His state was hit hard as well, but as soon as Florida had things under control he began sending resources to North Carolina to help efforts there. Florida guardsmen were on the ground days before the 82nd airborne.
Florida is literally carrying more weight than the federal government
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 30, 2024
They are running flights, sending personnel and resources to North Carolina. Biden and Kamala are nowhere to be seen, while NC must wait.
Trump is visiting Georgia too. Major GOP show of leadership. https://t.co/F8vhCmKeIN
Our state institutions are crumbling before our eyes. Citizens are still resilient, but the federal government no longer works, and neither do many state governments.
If they can't do the job, at least get out of the way.
"$2.4 billion aid to Ukraine" vs "No more aid for Hurricane Helene" - 3 days apart pic.twitter.com/zA2CxzNPiG
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) September 30, 2024
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