We have been following the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which swooped through the Southeastern US via a “conveyor belt” weather pattern, causing catastrophic flooding in inland areas unused to hurricanes.
The death toll is climbing, and crews are struggling to get assistance into areas isolated by floods and debris.
Crews are continuing their work to clear debris, restore power and get supplies into North Carolina communities that remain isolated due to the destruction caused after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida last week, leaving more than 125 people dead in several states across the Southeast.The Category 4 hurricane made landfall along Florida’s Big Bend region late Thursday night, with winds of 140 mph and a devastating storm surge. As the storm traveled across the U.S., Helene left behind widespread destruction from the Sunshine State through Georgia into the Carolinas and Tennessee Valley.
Granted, a disaster on this scale offers an array of complex challenges that would test any well-organized government. But this is the Biden-Harris administration, which has brought its toxic progressive and conservative-hating agenda to every government agency, creating complications for the region when it needs the most support.
My colleague Stacey Matthews has already covered the absence of effective leadership by the occupant of the Oval Office and his vice president. I now want to turn to the other players who are contributing to the continued response chaos.
Let’s start with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Theoretically, the group’s mission is to help people before, during, and after disasters.
FEMA, or the Federal Emergency Management Agency, isn’t just about swooping in with relief after a tornado or a hurricane. Under Biden-Harris, bureaucrats have been empowered to take on the role of societal equalizers by making “equity” their number one goal.
Goal 1 – Instill Equity as a Foundation of Emergency Management:Disasters impact people and communities differently. Every disaster occurs within a unique context based on a community’s geographic, demographic, political, historical, and cultural characteristics.These unique contexts require tailored solutions that are designed to meet their unique needs.Underserved communities, as well as specific identity groups, often suffer disproportionately from disasters. As a result, disasters worsen inequities already present in society.
Floods and high winds do not target people based on skin color, gender, or sexual preferences. Response choices and recovery fund availability should not be “equity”-based decisions. If equity choices have been made by the agency during this response, I hope there are legal challenges to prevent such choices from being made again.
Now let’s turn to the Biden Commerce Department, which opted not to consider SpaceX Starlink communications for rural internet support in June of this year. The Democrat-led Federal Communication Commission axed a Trump-era program designed to get Starlink to those communities.
Mr. Musk’s SpaceX is excluded from the BEAD federal subsidies because the money is reserved for companies deploying fiber-optic cable, which the government views as a more proven technology than satellite connections.During the Trump administration, SpaceX was on track to receive $885.5 million from a different federal program to provide internet to rural locations. The Democratic-led Federal Communications Commission canceled the SpaceX award in August 2022.
Clearly, the decision was a poisonous combination of Trump-hate, Musk-hate, and a lack of foresight.
It turns out Starlink has been an exceedingly easy and reliable communications service in the storm-impacted areas. Starlink kits were deployed like life rafts on the digital ocean, restoring connections to the outside world when traditional communications were knocked out.
FEMA is now proudly touting the 30 kits it sent.
However, if the FCC had not killed the Trump-era program, it may already have close to 20,000 Starlink kits in rural areas.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said yesterday Starlink satellites have been sent into North Carolina to help with the lack of communication. We’ve already seen citizens set up Starlink satellites privately for citizens to use, well ahead of any federal government response.Some have argued North Carolina would have nearly 20,000 Starlink kits, if it wasn’t for the FCC denying and revoking SpaceX as the winning bidder to supply rural areas with internet.
Sadly, it appears the Department of the Interior and the Department of Transportation aren’t the only ones in the Biden-Harris administration filled with incompetence and irrationality. Unfortunately, the poor, agenda-driven choices made by FEMA, the Commerce Department, and the FCC may be contributing to the death toll from Helene and needlessly delaying recovery operations.
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