My heart breaks, anew, with nearly every news report I hear coming out of areas devastated by Hurricane Helene.
I want to be in Western North Carolina, helping the hill people that I feel a certain kinship with. But, at this point, I know I’d be more of a hindrance than help. So, I stay in Washington County, calling family members who live over the mountain from Helene’s most prominent wrath.
I’m more than thankful for the private citizens who have given not only their treasure, but also their toil to aid recovery. However, I grieve over the apparent lost soul of America’s federal government.
What does Mary do when anxiety sets in? I research.
Let’s compare a few facts from Category 4 Hurricane Katrina, which hit New Orleans on August 29, 2005, to Category 4 Hurricane Helene, which made landfall in Florida on September 27, 2024, making its way north and causing vast destruction in Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee.
In 2005, President George Bush visited Louisiana five days after landfall. He was heavily criticized — and rightly so — for slow and inadequate response to the need. In fact, some news outlets today say that single event caused his ultimate downfall.
According to ABC news, in 2024, President Joe Biden flew over Ashville Wednesday, October 2 — five days after landfall — with not much fallout.
When he was in the area, Biden announced that “up to 1,000 troops” would be deployed to the area. Whitehouse.gov reports that on October 6, that number increased to 1,500 troops mobilized.
Conversely, “By the time Katrina made landfall on August 29, 2005, America's military was mobilizing for emergency response. Almost 10,000 National Guard troops were on the ground in Louisiana and Mississippi,” according to Army.mil.
It’s difficult to say how much money FEMA invested in the early days of Hurricane Katrina, but gao.gov reports $6 Billion in payments for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita between September 2005 and February 2006.
Conversely, fema.gov reports today that, “more than $20 million” has been spent for Hurricane Helene.
Then, there’s foreign aid.
According to the US Department of Defense, President Biden announced another $7.9 Billion in aid to Ukraine on September 26 — one day before Hurricane Helene made landfall. Of that amount, $5.5 Billion comes from the “presidential drawdown authority,” with another $2.4 Billion from “Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.”
Of course, he couldn’t have known the impacts that Helene would have before she came ashore, but it wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to know there would be effects.
So, even if we’re so inclined to forgive that fiasco, how ‘bout the $157 million in “new humanitarian assistance to Lebanon,” reported by Reuters on October 4, a full week after Helene battered the southeast?
Where’s the outrage?
Sure, there’s some rumbling out there. Maybe we’re not hearing much about the public disgust because of the dishonest mainstream media, or maybe the conspiracy theorists have a point.
One thing I know for sure.
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” Matthew 6:21, and Americans are sitting back while the federal government sends nearly $8 Billion overseas and only $20 million for devastated citizens who have paid into the system for years.
