10/05/2024
Endless fingerpointing and blame obscure the reality of real suffering and devastation--who cares what fund goes to what disaster? The question is WHY aren't ENOUGH funds available and being used to aid the victims of Hurricane Helene, who are American citizens in the areas hardest hit, i.e. western N.C., SW Virginia and Tenn? We moved from Abingdon VA just last June, so I am very familiar with the areas like Asheville, Damascas VA and Johnson City TN hit by this disaster; and I know people personally who lived there then and are living through this nightmare now. I also know from firsthand reports from those people, some of whom used to be my neighbors, and some who are friends, that federal agencies ARE NOT present; it is for the most part just the local community resources and neighbors helping neighbors through this crisis--NOT the federal government. So get your f--ing priorities straight. Even if you don't care about the people; consider how the lack of money affects the repair of damage to some of the most precious natural resources in our country. $750 that you have to apply for ONLINE in order to get during this kind of disaster (which is rife with power outages, DUH) doesn't do 'jack'. So sick of this mismanagement. While the hurricane was wreaking the Blue Ridge Parkway on the other side of the country, the Harris campaign raised $55 million in a typically lavish Hollywood fundraising party. Maybe they should have Stevie Wonder and Alanis Morisette visit Asheville and sing a few rounds of 'You Are the Sunshine of My Life" to the hurricane victims. Yeah, that'll really kickstart the healing.
Republicans have said the agency ran out of money because of a $650 million program to help newly-released migrants in communities across the U.S.
