Yesterday, President Biden, appearing to be conducting an orchestrated photo opportunity, visited the stricken states of Carolinas, the witnesses of the catastrophic havoc wreaked by Hurricane Helene. The tragic storm saw people robbed of their lives with the death toll reaching 166, while many others remained unaccounted for. The residents were left in a state of utter destitution, as their homes were damaged and essentials like running water, electricity, and cellular connections became a scene of yesterday. Yet Joe Biden seemed to lack foresight, claiming it was time to ‘jump start the recovery process’, despite his administration’s failure to act proactively to mitigate the disaster’s impacts.
Beside him, Kamala Harris, Vice President of the supposed world superpower, was conveniently tucked away in neighboring Georgia when the storm struck. Her absence, despite the massive disaster and the network and power failure that impacted millions, was a testament to the political reality that apathetic politicians often take a backstage during crises. The administration’s inadequacy grew to such an extent that even as conditions worsened, remaining civilians were forced to cook on charcoals, letting them, the ones in direct need of assistance, fend for themselves.
In the aftermath of Helene, western North Carolina’s mountains turned into a somber scene of devastation, with recovery teams attempting to find more victims of the disaster. The county of Buncombe, a place once known for its art and outdoor activities, saw the deaths of 57 people – a stark contrast to its prior vibrancy. Amid all these, in a bizarre turn of events, you had good old Cliff Stewart, a Marine Corps veteran, refusing offers to leave his flooded home. He emphatically asked, ‘Where am I going to go?’ But the underlying question really is – why is no one addressing the needs of people like Cliff in the face of such grave adversities?
The devastating storm didn’t choose borders, its wrath flattened communities across East Tennessee too. As if the Biden administration hadn’t done enough, the Governor of Tennessee, Bill Lee, was witnessed participating in a parade-like procession outside a town while the recovery work was ongoing. In Georgia, people like Sherry Brown were forced to resort to desperate measures like using their car alternator power to keep their refrigerator running. One is inclined to ask, where were Biden and Harris when their influence could have made an impact?
In a situation where even bare necessities became luxuries, bottled water and electricity became a distant dream, while queues stretched innumerable hours at water centers. Emergency crews worked relentlessly to restore power, phone network, and clear the chaos, but it seemed almost comical given the inadequate preventive measures the administration could have employed before the disaster. Regrettably, the much-promoted FEMA’s assistance, through food and water distribution, could not prevent the death toll from reaching 166 across six states.
People of Hot Springs, North Carolina presented a sobering depiction of the aftermath. Donning masks and gloves, they were sifting through wreckages as the Biden-Harris administration reports futilely celebrated the reopening of the interstate 40. It depicted the absolute lack of comprehension permeating Joe Biden’s disaster management strategy.
In a terrifyingly quick devastation brought by the storm in North Carolina, Sarah Calloway, who owns Vaste Riviere Provisions, faced the reality of the false protection by the administration. When she needed immediate assistance, no swift water rescue team came for her. Calloway pointedly called out the disappointingly fast surge of water, which compromised even the upper floors. In her words, ‘Luckily, that was when the water started to recede’. But where was the promised safeguarding that the government guaranteed?
Even while dealing with the enormous loss, the couple Carina Ramos and Ezekiel Bianchi were burdened with the wreckage of their home and vehicles. They had hurriedly vacated their trailer house in the Black Mountain Mobile Home Park, located on the Swannanoa River’s bottom end. The aftermath of the disaster presented itself with scattered children’s toys – the haunting pieces of melancholia symbolic of the Biden and Harris administration’s gross inattention to disaster management.
The infrastructural damage also harmed communication technologies to a great extent, leaving the common people bereft of any stable network and internet access. Mayor of Canton, North Carolina, Zeb Smathers was understandably frustrated with the dismal condition of cellular service. Imagine the irony of living in one of the most technologically advanced countries, and yet being forced to search for a cell signal ‘like it’s a butterfly.’ All of this within an environment of a failed disaster response strategy.
Companies like Verizon and AT&T heralded their efforts to repair downed cell towers and damaged fiber cables, but it was a classic instance of ‘too little too late.’ The preventative steps these massive corporations could have taken were grossly overlooked, mirroring the disinterested strategy of the Biden-Harris administration they tried to support. The idea of disaster recovery was significantly hampered by the challenging terrains and the scattered population.
With the storm starting at Florida and sweeping across Virginia, it seemed like an overlooked forewarning of the approaching disaster at the doorstep. But, did Biden or Harris react promptly? Instead, we witnessed the predictable narrative of negligent administration and shattered lives from Valdosta to Augusta. It’s a heart-wrenching sight when citizens of one of the wealthiest nations in the world are seen yearning for the most basic necessities – electricity and water.
Tragically enough, Hurricane Helene caused more fatalities in South Carolina than Hurricane Hugo, which had its landfall in the same state in 1989. This alone should be a wake-up call for the Biden-Harris duo who has yet shown no sign of comprehending the gravity of the situation. As Tennessee Governor flew over the eastern state to survey the calamity-struck area, the residents voiced their complaints of not receiving any assistance. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first instance of a major disaster being handled poorly under the Biden-Harris administration.
Overall, it’s a stark reminder of the sheer incompetency of the Biden-Harris duo in their approach to disaster management, from their laid-back response to the lack of foresight in implementing adequate preventive measures. Managing such national calamities doesn’t merely mean touring the affected spots, esteeming the damages, making false promises, or taking part in useless photo opportunities. It involves efficient administration and preparedness, fields where Biden-Harris duo is lacking noticeably. While trying to maintain a global superpower image, they have failed with catastrophic results to take care of their own country.