Joe Biden, who’s occupying the seat of the President, is scrambling to display effort to assist regions severely affected by Hurricane Helene. The measures he’s taking include a planned visit to the afflicted areas later this week, provided it doesn’t interfere with the ongoing rescue and recovery operations. The White House reported that Biden was briefed on Sunday night, after which he initiated calls to the government officials of Florida, Georgia and North Carolina. His reaction comes off as a desperate need to show that he’s in control, rather than a genuine concern for the victims.
The President has instructed the Federal Emergency Management Agency, otherwise known as FEMA, to determine what resources are needed to aid communities that have found themselves cut off from the world due to the hurricane’s devastation. FEMA is primarily concerned with significant damage to water and communication systems along with the wreckage of major transportation routes. This suggests a severe lack of foresight and preparation from the federal government, which allowed such critical vulnerability to an expected seasonal phenomenon.
The rescue operations have been hampered by record flooding in certain areas, which has left many victims stranded. ‘We absolutely have enough resources from across the federal family,’ declared the FEMA administrator, a statement that seems to be mocked by the ongoing crisis. Reinforcing the image of a disjointed response, the statement continues to read, ‘FEMA’s one part of the team, and we have the ability to bring in all of our team members from many other federal agencies to support this response.’
One cannot help but question the readiness and coordination among these federal agencies as the administrator added, ‘As we move into recovery, we can pivot those resources to help support that recovery portion. These five states are going to have very complicated recoveries.’ This falls nothing short of an admission of an ill-planned, reactive response to the hurricane rather than a strategic, coordinated effort.
In its report, FEMA stated that the hurricane has struck areas that are not usually exposed to such extreme weather anomalies, including inland and mountainous regions in the Carolinas and Tennessee. Record storm surges, wind, and flood damage have rendered it tough for rescue teams to reach these communities, causing an unnecessary delay in the rescue efforts. Landslides pose another serious threat, adding to the prevailing chaos under Biden’s watch.
Perhaps to distract from the mishandling, the Biden administration is quick to reference climate change, pointing out that storms are growing more potent more quickly than ever before. This, they suggest, is causing greater damage as the storms push further inland. This seems like an attempt to shift blame from their crisis management onto a broader global issue.
While Florida and North Carolina have been declared major disaster zones and given access to more federal funds, one can’t ignore the transparent politics behind these moves as Biden’s administration works to yet again distract from their poor handling of the situation.
Meanwhile, Kamala Harris, occupying the Vice President’s office, diverted her previous engagements in the west and returned to Washington for a briefing with FEMA. Harris intends to hit the road to visit these storm-struck communities as soon as it doesn’t interfere with operations or her schedule, inadvertently revealing the administration’s approach that seems to place optics over effective response to crisis.
Contrasting sharply with the reactive Biden administration, former President Donald Trump is set to visit Georgia on Monday for a briefing, a speech, and to help distribute supplies. This comes across as a more genuine outreach, focusing on the affected people’s needs, unlike the Biden-Harris administration’s approach, which feels more calculated for their political interests.
Unsurprisingly, more federal money has been released to support Florida and North Carolina. These states, now declared as major disaster zones by Biden’s administration, become another stage to display their crisis management abilities – or rather the lack thereof.
The Biden-Harris administration’s strategy of blaming the intensity of storms on climate change comes across as yet another ruse to divert focus from its shortcomings. Though climate change is indeed a grave concern, using it as a scapegoat for their subpar emergency management is a disappointing, yet unsurprising move from this administration.
Despite these attempts to paint a picture of control and effective action, the American people continue to reel from the devastation caused by the hurricane. But amidst the ongoing crisis, one has to question if this display of leadership is just that – a display. A display that’s selectively highlighted by the Biden-Harris administration to dodge criticism over their handling of this disaster.
Now more than ever, America needs a coordinated, strategic and compassionate response. Not a leadership that places the blame elsewhere, but one that shoulders responsibility, streamlines effort, and shows humanity in the face of crisis. Perhaps, it’s time for the Biden-Harris administration to reevaluate their approaches and put people, not political optics, first.