Millions of Americans are recovering from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene. Death and destruction reported from Florida’s Big Bend through Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Western North Carolina.
More than 130 people were killed – and first responders are struggling to reach stranded survivors. Hundreds of roads and bridges have been washed away.
The tiny town of Chimney Rock was literally swept away – a popular tourist destination – a town made famous in two movies – The Last of the Mohicans and Dirty Dancing.
President Biden told reporters there was nothing more that he could do for the people of Western North Carolina.
Reporter: "Do you have any words to the victims of the hurricane?"
Biden: "We've given everything that we have."
Reporter "Are there any more resources the federal government could be giving them?"
Biden: "No."
In other words – the hard-working Americans who live in the hills and hollows around Asheville are on their own.
Towns completely wiped off the face of the Earth. It may be weeks before water is restored. Some 250,000 people are in the dark. Most roadways have been destroyed. Bridges washed away.
But the worst is still to come. My sources tell me the final death toll will be staggering. There are bodies everywhere – floating in debris fields and buried in mud.
It’s a modern-day apocalypse.
And yet President Biden spent the weekend at the beach and his vice president hobnobbed with rich and famous donors.
The Harris campaign realized the bad optics – so they arranged a hastily photographed scene that purported to show Harris on the phone with FEMA – organizing disaster relief.
But keen-eyed observers noticed some peculiarities with the photo. How could Harris be talking to FEMA when her headphones were not connected to her smartphone? And all those notes she was supposedly taking – there was nothing on the table but blank pages.
While President Biden mumbled about not being able to do anything else for the people of North Carolina and the other states – President Trump took immediate action. He delivered much-needed supplies to Valdosta, Georgia. He led the nation in a moment of silent prayer. And he said it was time to set aside politics for the greater good.
“To every family that has been displaced here in Georgia, in North Carolina, and throughout the region, our hearts are with you in this hour of need,” Trump said. “You are in our prayers today, and throughout all the long weeks that lay ahead. We love you—we are with you—and we will be back again and again…
In other words – President Trump was behaving presidentially.
Five days later and many towns and cities have yet to see any disaster relief – relief, by the way, that’s paid for by the hardworking taxpayers in places like Western North Carolina.
The Democrats sent hundreds of millions of dollars to Ukraine. They tend to the needs of millions of illegals, but when Americans need help, nobody at FEMA answers the phone.
Why is that? Maybe it’s because that part of the country is filled with Republican voters. Who knows?
It turns out that FEMA’s top priority is not to provide disaster relief. The government agency said their number one goal is to actually instill equity as a foundation of emergency management. It’s right there on the dot gov website.
In other words, disaster relief hinges on diversity, equity and inclusion. So, unless you’ve got your preferred pronouns spray-painted on the side of your submerged house – you may not get a penny from Uncle Sam.
Just like in East Palestine, Ohio – the good people of Western North Carolina may just be too Conservative and too Caucasian for FEMA to care.