Slow Walking and Impeding Rescue and Recovery After Hurricane Helene
BY Herschel Smith
1 month, 3 weeks ago
Donald Trump made a visit to N.C. The awful Charlotte Observer had the temerity to criticize him after the visit.
He’d go further in an interview with Kellyanne Conway, one of his most ardent truth-twisters on cable TV before she was largely exiled from the networks, accusing Harris of trying to “hurt” western North Carolina residents.
On Saturday, Trump’s claims provoked a response from one of the state’s most widely-read newspapers, the Charlotte Observer. The Observer’s editorial board slammed the ex-president for his lies about the federal response to Helene, which is believed to have killed more than 100 across the state.
“This is not a situation to capitalize on for political gain. But former President Donald Trump has politicized the situation at every turn, spreading falsehoods and conspiracies that fracture the community instead of bringing it together,” read the newspaper’s editorial.
“There’s no evidence to support any of those ridiculous claims. And by every indication, state and federal agencies have been working to help people in need,” it continued.
Now that you’ve read the trash that is the Charlotte Observer, let me tell you the rest of the story. I cannot tell you how I know the things I will say, I can just tell you that I do know them.
I have long advocated Franklin Graham’s Samaritan’s Purse as a worthy consideration for donation to assist those in need. Franklin is a good man, and Samaritan’s purse is a good organization. In fact, they were one of the first ones at the scene with water, food, batteries, and so on.
When Trump made his visit to N.C., he discussed the situation with Franklin Graham. He asked him what was needed. Franklin told him that the State National Guard was slow walking the rescue and recovery, had been deployed, but like most other rescuers were awaiting “assessment by the authorities.”
He told Trump that the biggest thing the folks in the N.C. mountains needed at the moment was the ability to communicate. That would aid rescue, would enable folks to contact loved ones, and help them request the needed rescue and help. Trump picked up the phone and called Elon Musk.
He told Musk that communication was badly needed in N.C. Musk said essentially “I’m on it.” He readied his aircraft to deliver the needed infrastructure and sent them on their way.
Now. How did all of this work out? You don’t have to be left wondering. Musk tells you how it all worked out
Just received this note from a SpaceX engineer helping on the ground in North Carolina. @FEMA is not merely failing to adequately help people in trouble, but is actively blocking citizens who try to help!
“Hey Elon, update here on site of Asheville, NC. We have powered up two…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 4, 2024
SpaceX engineers are trying to deliver Starlink terminals & supplies to devastated areas in North Carolina right now and @FEMA is both failing to help AND won’t let others help. This is unconscionable!!
They just took this video a few hours ago, where you can see the level of… pic.twitter.com/abpOsfNenF
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 4, 2024
I see we’ve reached the stage of civilizational decline where the sclerotic federal bureaucracy is hamstringing the tech billionaire’s effort to run private disaster relief in the face of government inaction while trapped civilians run out of food and water… https://t.co/9QSXZBIavy
— John Daniel Davidson (@johnddavidson) October 4, 2024
Some idiot state senator in N.C. (we have a lot of them) said this.
“PLEASE help stop this junk,” added Corbin, a Republican. “It is just a distraction to people trying to do their job.”
“Folks, this is a catastrophic event of which this country has never known,” his statement said. “It is the largest crisis event in the history of [North Carolina]. The state is working non-stop.”
I’ll say to that state senator what I’ll say to the Charlotte Observer. Go pound sand. You don’t know what you’re talking about. But it’s the legacy media and an idiot state senator. So why would anyone trust them anyway?
Quartz (also a terrible publication) penned a commentary entitled Donald Trump and Elon Musk are Trying to Take Credit for Starlink’s Response to Hurricane Helene.
“And so we’re working on that, getting them hooked up,” Trump said. “They asked me whether or not that would be possible. We’re going to try and get the Starlink in there as soon as possible.”
In a post on X (META), White House senior deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said the plan to get Starlink terminals for hurricane-hit areas “is already happening.” Bates shared an announcement by the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Monday that outlined plans to deploy Starlink systems in North Carolina.
In North Carolina, “40 Starlink satellite systems are available to help with responder communications and an additional 140 satellites are being shipped to assist with communications infrastructure restoration,” FEMA said in the announcement. Each county’s emergency operations center will deploy one Starlink system to assist with communications and keep the government online, according to the agency.
Meanwhile, Musk said on X that his company “SpaceX has sent as many Starlink terminals as possible to help areas in need” since the hurricane started.
“Earlier today, @realDonaldTrump alerted me to additional people who need Starlink Internet in North Carolina,” Musk said. “We are sending them terminals right away.”
Progressives always accuse someone else of doing what they do, and always take credit for doing what others did. In this case, Musk confirms what I said above and the Quartz article title is equally ridiculous as the Charlotte Observer commentary.
I just told you how it happened: the request went from Franklin Graham to Trump and then to Musk. And no, the federal government didn’t do anything with this except to impede progress.
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On October 6, 2024 at 8:10 pm, Charles Martin said:
“ And no, the federal government didn’t do anything with this except to impede progress.”
And try to take credit
On October 6, 2024 at 8:41 pm, Keith said:
Read between the lines. The government is providing Starlink to make sure local governments can communicate. Hence, they had it covered.
Nothing about providing Starlink to citizens or other groups. Which I believe is what Elon is doing.
On October 6, 2024 at 9:45 pm, Georgiaboy said:
It is morally reprehensible that FEMA and other federal authorities have gotten their backs up at private-sector and non-profit providers of aid converging on the hardest-hit areas, but also entirely predictable. How so?
It is simply this: If outside non-governmental entities come into the disaster area and provide effective, timely relief when fed.gov either cannot or will not, then naturally the hard-pressed taxpayers are going to start asking questions like, “Well, if FEMA can’t do the job, why are we funding them?”
At this point, it is not at all hyperbole to ask whether FEMA is nothing more than a well-camouflaged racket. A scheme to line the pockets of government employees and their cronies, whose secondary mission – time and money permitting, of course – is the actual work for which they were chartered.
On October 6, 2024 at 10:07 pm, James said:
.308…..,simple as.
On October 6, 2024 at 10:26 pm, Dan said:
No matter how much you may hate the communist left…it’s NOT ENOUGH.
On October 6, 2024 at 11:08 pm, xtphreak said:
I’m in Lake Lure, well a mile or so outside the town limits by road.
I suffered no damage to my house, I’m 500ft above the Broad River @ US-64, so no flood worries.
I just got power back today, been on generator 10 days counting this morning.
I just got Starlink set up, otherwise no cell, occasional texts, no news, no.weather reports.
Verizon has done nothing, AT&T has done nothing.
I now have WiFi calling and Internet.
We had no idea how bad it is mere 3 miles up river in Chimney Rock.
In my neighborhood, I supplied elderly (more elderly lol) neighbors with gas, hooked up generators, took cooked meals, drinking water.
We had a community potluck Friday night and I met several folks who were worse off than I, so we got together and helped them out.
Every local church is a depot for food & water.
Church members are driving around hooking a generator to pumps so people can fill tubs, pts etc with water.
We are watching out for our neighbors, without the fedguv’s help.
On October 7, 2024 at 1:46 am, Bill Buppert said:
When the colonists returned fire on Lexington Green on 19 April 1775, they gathered affidavits and fast packeted them to England to beat the British Army dispatches and seize the narrative.
This had a considerable impact on marshaling the war effort in the early days.
A savvy attorney, his staff and volunteers should be doing this right now.
On October 7, 2024 at 6:02 am, Wes said:
@xtphreak Godspeed.
Bill Buppert is right.
On October 7, 2024 at 9:20 am, Worker said:
Sort of apples and oranges but 2+ years ago the Federal Government (Forest Service) set a ‘clearance fire’ which became out of control in mid-New Mexico. Lo and behold, it burned the hell out of a large portion of Mora and Las Vegas counties: distroyed farms, ranches and hoses (a little research will confirm this). Neither FEMA or NM State ‘Emergency Management’ really worked to help after the fact (not to mention that with no mitigation the following year’s flooding finished what the fire started): enter at this point the lawyers to sue the responsible agencies. The good folks on the ground continue after all this time to suffer.
Your tax money (fair share?) at work….
On October 7, 2024 at 9:27 am, Herschel Smith said:
@xtphreak,
Then you’re just an hour and half from me. Didn’t know that.
When this is all said and done, and when the “authorities” will let us in, I’ll come visit.
Maybe I can help rebuild.
On October 7, 2024 at 10:04 am, george 1 said:
You have a predominately white area. In addition there are a lot of poor white people in this area. So as night follows day democrats, and many republicans, will try to hurt them when they get the chance.
It’s all for equity you understand.
On October 7, 2024 at 10:14 am, JerseyJeffersonian said:
Mr. Buppert’s insight and recommended strategy is excellent. But our andversaries are very aware of this, too. Information is a critical battlespace, and this underlies the recent efforts of Hillary Clinton and John Kerry to pursue a tactic of area denial for the free dissemination of information; maximal control over social media, squelching of free speech, and the interchange of views and observations contrary to the Regime View is targeted towards our isolation and demoralization.
On October 7, 2024 at 10:39 am, Don't mind me. said:
Franklin Graham said a few years ago that we should all go out and get the notvaxx. I won’t be sending one penny through that man’s corrupt organization.
Send cash to locals you know, and help friends and family. Stay away from grifters like Graham.
On October 7, 2024 at 10:52 am, OldParatrooper said:
A classic feature of disasters is loss of communications. As XTPhreak says, his community was out of comms for ten days.
Without power cell towers are useless. Without power, my internet connection in East Tennessee was useless. (Fortunately, we never lost cell service like they did).
I suspect that power companies maps of outages is a good surrogate for maps of potential injured victims.
On October 7, 2024 at 12:01 pm, Don't mind me. said:
Friends:
https://barsoom.substack.com/p/hurricane-helene-and-the-lost-mandate?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=email
Lots of good help resources here.
On October 7, 2024 at 1:17 pm, Al said:
FEMA’s one and only job is to protect the continuity of government.
On October 7, 2024 at 2:06 pm, Linda S Fox said:
Note how that assertion of government deployment of Starlink terminals was stated. As usually, very carefully, and designed to convey a very different impression than the reality.
As FEMA put it:
“Each county’s emergency operations center will deploy one Starlink system to assist with communications and keep the government online, according to the agency.”
Keep the GOVERNMENT online.
Screw the citizens.
On October 7, 2024 at 5:49 pm, streamfortyseven said:
Samaritan’s Purse is actively helping people out, and “Don’t Mind Me” can go piss up a rope. They’re running helo flights, moving supplies in by ATVs and pack mules and by whatever means can be found. SP is based in Boone, NC, which, if you’ll look at a map, is in the middle of Western North Carolina, so they *are* local. I did a substack post on this and people can just read it if they want: https://streamfortyseven.substack.com/p/the-north-carolina-response-fedgov
On October 7, 2024 at 6:18 pm, Trumpeter said:
What we need is a new X feature. Called “Who killed your family in North Carolina.”
It is video of officials saying “No, you can’t go rescue there, I will arrest you.”you ⁵