A tale of two tragedies

North Carolina and Texas both faced terrible flooding, but with different responses.

A little over ten months ago, Hurricane Helene delivered a devastating blow to North Carolina. Western NC will take years to recover. Roads are still out. People are still homeless. A few are still missing. Recovering and rebuilding from an environmental catastrophe like Helene is uneven and stressful for the communities, for the people, and for the state.

Prior to the storm arriving, FEMA sent people to the mountains in preparation for the impact. The National Guard was on alert with a small contingency activated. With days of heavy rain preceding the hurricane’s landfall, emergency management operations expected a rough time.

Once the storm hit, crews jumped into action. National Guard from around the country arrived in North Carolina and Tennessee. Water and supplies were airlifted into Asheville which was cut off from the rest of the state. Charitable organizations and private citizens moved quickly to help the victims, rebuilding roads and bridges and helicoptering in supplies to stranded families.

And right-wing influencers jumped into action, too, spreading lies, disinformation, and conspiracy theories to score political points. They claimed that the government controlled the storm and made it hit North Carolina. Representative Marjorie Crazy Greene tweeted, “Yes they can control the weather. It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done.”

Donald Trump claimed FEMA was withholding aid from Republicans. Elon Musk claimed they were blocking flights from delivering supplies to beleaguered areas. All of it was lies to make the Democrats who controlled FEMA and the North Carolina National Guard look bad in the months leading up to the 2024 election.

Even today, right-wing keyboard warriors claim that the government did little to provide relief. To them, only private citizens and Christian charities made any difference. In reality, it took everybody and the job is not done. DOT and the federal government are still building roads and bridges, providing homes to people who lost everything, and supporting businesses devastated flooding, mudslides, and fallen trees.

Fast forward ten months. Another flood hit Texas and this time, there was no chance to prepare. A summer camp got washed away, killing more than 25 girls. More than 130 people are dead, including about 100 who are still missing.

Under the leadership of Trump Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, FEMA didn’t arrive on the scene of the Texas disaster for three days. In the middle of the crisis, Noem laid off hundreds of call center contractors only to rehire them a week later because of the agency’s poor response. Trump has been trying to gut the disaster relief operation and put the responsibility fully on the states. Republican and Democratic governors oppose that idea.

The Texas rescue operation, like the one in North Carolina, included a state response, a federal response, and a volunteer response by private citizens and charitable organizations, including at least one from Mexico. What it did not include was a bunch of disinformation fomented by left-wing activists to score political points and mislead victims. That cruel and heartless bullshit is the purview of MAGA, the poison in America today.