I have long thought that one of the hallmarks of an advanced economy is built-in resilience to shocks to the system. 

As with so many things these days, that resilience has eroded to the point that, except in certain areas of the country like Florida, it hardly exists. 

You have probably seen many of the same videos I have, in which North Carolina residents are begging for help and wondering where FEMA is. Aside from funding migrants, that is. It seems to be doing a fine job at that, exhausting the funds that should be going to help Helene's victims. 

Joe Biden says all the people in North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and South Carolina are getting everything they need and are “very happy.” pic.twitter.com/5azdn0EhNr

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) October 4, 2024

Why is FEMA so awful? Or, should I say, why other than the fact that Alejandro Mayorkas, the most destructive man in America, is in charge of it?

Just received this note from a SpaceX engineer helping on the ground in North Carolina. @FEMA is not merely failing to adequately help people in trouble, but is actively blocking citizens who try to help!

“Hey Elon, update here on site of Asheville, NC. We have powered up two…

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 4, 2024

According to FEMA itself, it's #1 priority is no longer responding to emergencies but promoting Diversity, Equity, and inclusion. 

She should be fired tomorrow.

Not for bias or anything.

She should be fired because she’s too dumb to be within a mile of any decision no matter how inconsequential. https://t.co/w9BDwtJdqq

— Tandy (@dantypo) October 3, 2024

As victims are suffering and dying in Appalachia, FEMA is focused on trans migrants of color who may feel uncomfortable getting help from religious organizations. 

We can't have a Christian or a Jew helping somebody unless they usher men into women's bathrooms. Seriously. 

2/
Thanks to reporting from Ben Wilson at the Washington @FreeBeacon we know that FEMA held a series of DEI trainings, one of which claimed that the U.S. is rooted in extreme violence, and the established systems in the U.S. require oppression of subjegated people. pic.twitter.com/zMlT8BhS7W

— Wokal Distance (@wokal_distance) October 4, 2024

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This is confirmed by the fact that we have Equity as the foundation of disaster relief being built right into the FEMA strategic plan.

When time is valuable and lives hang in the balance you need to move as fast as you can, there's not time to bean count for equity. pic.twitter.com/eeIOhSfiZC

— Wokal Distance (@wokal_distance) October 4, 2024

6/
FEMA also says they are going to "determine if FEMA’s workforce demonstrates an increased commitment to integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion in delivering the agency’s mission.

To be clear: FEMA is going to implement DEI when delivering disaster relief. pic.twitter.com/OOMTmZv0KL

— Wokal Distance (@wokal_distance) October 4, 2024

FEMA is, as with every bureaucracy under the Harris/Biden administration, obsessed with microaggressions, affirming fetishists, and distributing benefits by race. Kamala Harris herself has said that disaster aid should be distributed by race in order to promote equity. 

This is a frightening philosophy. According to Harris, disaster aid should be based on race and gender, not how much water flooded your home. That’s insane. pic.twitter.com/Nf99blUFzP

— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) September 30, 2024

FEMA is so concerned that people are getting the right idea about their incompetence, red tape, and misapplication of resources that they are fighting "rumors" rather than saving people. Perhaps a trans woman of color with a bum leg and a pending asylum claim needed something to do, so they asked "her" to put together a page on misinformation. 

There has been a lot of rumors spreading about the #Helene response.

Rumors can create confusion & prevent people from getting assistance they need. Help us share accurate information: https://t.co/Z5vxuBTths pic.twitter.com/U3DCtmC1LN

— FEMA (@fema) October 3, 2024

While Biden took a vacation on the beach as Appalachia was slammed and Harris was out fundraising in Las Vegas, FEMA was leaderless and paralyzed. Whistleblowers are reporting failures across the board, and certainly the videos coming out of the stricken areas seem to back up the claims. 

BREAKING: FEMA whistleblowers have come forward alleging that the agency misappropriated funds in the wake of Helene, withheld pre-disaster aid, and that first responders and service members have been waiting in hotels without deployment orders. pic.twitter.com/uf0XrspRTz

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) October 4, 2024

It wasn't until Trump and Elon Musk shamed the administration into kicking things up a notch that things started moving, and by all accounts, they aren't moving smoothly. The Cajun Navy and thousands of volunteers are doing far more than the federal government, and the military seems hampered. North Carolina is bursting with active-duty military, yet few are mobilized to help. 

I expect there are too many white men involved or something. 

One white man brimming with toxic masculinity has stood up as the federal government has fallen down, and that is Ron DeSantis. He has hurricane damage to deal with himself, but told FEMA to rescue North Carolinians, and sent his own Guard units to help residents in other states. 

Florida is literally carrying more weight than the federal government

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

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 30, 2024

I don't know about you, but I find it disgusting and dispiriting that our federal government is filled with incompetent ideologues and worse. Our health bureaucrats are insane, FEMA is focused on trans migrants, and our Secret Service seems determined to get Donald Trump shot. 

Rachel Levine, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Health, who pushes for children be medically transitioned with irreversible hormones, launches healthy eating campaign.

“We’re here taking about food is medicine.” pic.twitter.com/qQy6TlJNAS

— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) October 3, 2024

It is mystifying that so many Americans are OK with this state of affairs. Are they so driven by partisan hatred that they don't care about their fellow citizens, or just so brainwashed that they don't notice the decline? 

I suspect it is a mix of both. 

I don't watch cable news or the nightly broadcasts, so I can't say for sure whether our "journalists" are covering the disaster that FEMA has become or not. 

But I remember Katrina and its aftermath, and the media was laser-focused on both the real and imagined flaws of the Bush administration's response. This time around, hardly anybody commented on the fact that Joe Biden was on the beach for days during the height of the hurricane. 

You would think they would at least feel free to criticize him. He is, after all, a white man.