Too soon topic - the politics of Hurricane Laura (1 Viewer)

[brandon]

I know it's probably too soon to talk about this, but there's surely going to be political fallout here.

Laura is about to absolutely decimate part of the Louisiana and Texas coastlines during the middle of the RNC. How will the Republicans respond during the RNC?

Will climate change be a discussion?

More importantly, Trump will get his second chance at disaster response. If he does a good job here, does it help his reelection chances? Or is this literally his Katrina?

 

[insidejob]

I just hope he comes and throws some rolls of paper towels at people and then leaves again a la Puerto Rico.

 

[Dragon]

Didn't Trump divert a lot of money from FEMA to his wall ?

 

[insidejob]

Didn't Trump divert a lot of money from FEMA to his wall ?

It wasn't technically for the wall, it was to separate and detain more families.

Trump administration to divert FEMA funds for migrant detention and border enforcement

The administration is planning to use funds allocated for disaster aid efforts and other Homeland Security initiatives to expand space in ICE facilities and support the controversial "Remain in Mexico" program

www.cbsnews.com

I don't want to read it again. It makes me sick. This was when Dorian was about to hit Puerto Rico, IIRC.

The agency also said it would divert $155 million from FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund so the government can establish facilities along the border for asylum seekers placed in the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) program and returned to Mexico.

Under the "Remain in Mexico" policy, migrants are only temporarily allowed back into the U.S. for the hearing. So far, the U.S. has placed more than 37,000 people in this program, CBP confirmed to CBS News on Tuesday. Migrants returned to Mexico in California and in the El Paso sector are scheduled for court hearings in San Diego and El Paso, respectively. But there are no immigration courts close to the Texas border cities of Brownsville and Laredo, the other locations where MPP has been implemented.

Because of this, the administration is looking to build "soft-sided facilities" in these parts of Texas. But Roybal-Allard noted that the country's immigration courts are overseen by the Executive Office for Immigration Review, a branch of the Justice Department, which she said is funded through separate congressional appropriations. She said using money to support those courts would seemingly violate federal law that "prohibits the obligation of funds from one appropriation account for a purpose if Congress has appropriated funds for that purpose through another account."

ETA: Yeah, it was as Dorian had Puerto Rico in its sights:

But Democrats expressed concern about the transfer of FEMA funds during hurricane season and as Puerto Rico braces for Tropical Storm Dorian. Mississippi Representative Bennie Thompson, the Democratic chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, said DHS was "flouting the law" with its plan.

"This is reckless and the Administration is playing with fire — all in the name of locking up families and children and playing to the President's base leading up to an election year. Taking money away from TSA and from FEMA in the middle of hurricane season could have deadly consequences," Thompson wrote in a statement.

 

[Saintamaniac]

More importantly, Trump will get his second chance at disaster response. If he does a good job here, does it help his reelection chances? Or is this literally his Katrina?

Trump already had his Katrina in 2018. Maria decimated Puerto Rico and he treated American citizens like third world refugees. Because Texas and Louisiana are both red states, I suspect that an abundance of resources and funding will be flowing to both. However, since Louisiana has a somewhat democratic governor in JBE, I'm not so certain about Louisiana getting all the help that it will need. This storm is on track to not only clobber Lake Charles but it's still forecasted to be a category 1 when it hits Alexandria and a Tropical Storm when it hits Shreveport.

 

[EmBeeFiveOhFour]

I mentioned it in the coronavirus politics thread, but don't forget that the recent executive order extending supplemental unemployment benefits of $300 per week was also taken from FEMA (at a projected cost of $44 billion versus the $155 million for the Beautiful Mexico Wall).

Lost Wages Supplemental Payment Assistance Guidelines | FEMA.gov

www.fema.gov

.

I would guess that Trump will be hands off in his approach to any necessary relief and will instead blame the governors of Louisiana and Texas for not being prepared if things go badly just as he has done for COVID.

I think it will get even less of a mention than COVID at the convention, which is itself barely mentioned, and instead the GOP focus will quintuple down on LAW AND ORDER!

 

[Andrus]

A bit off topic, and I don't mean to threadjack, but since Hurricane Laura was mentioned...

I live in a rural area where unlike Slemco, Entergy allegedly prefers to wait until disasters come along rather than to take any preventative measures by cutting tree limbs away from power lines, etc. One of their own workers told me years back "That way they can make the insurance pay for it". We are expecting hurricane force winds here, so I am pretty certain that power will be lost, as per usual.

With Laura bearing down on SW La. (I live near Lafayette), and considering that power goes out here every other time there is a windy thunderstorm, much less a hurricane, I expect that I won't be able to get online from my home PC much longer and won't really be able to moderate, or update the homepage news compilations until the power comes back. So I just wanted to give everyone a heads up.

Stay safe everyone!

 

[cuddlemonkey]

A bit off topic, and I don't mean to threadjack, but since Hurricane Laura was mentioned...

I live in a rural area where unlike Slemco, Entergy prefers to wait until disasters come along rather than to take any preventative measures by cutting tree limbs away from power lines, etc. One of their own workers told me years back "That way they can make the insurance pay for it". We are expecting hurricane force winds here, so I am pretty certain that power will be lost, as per usual.

With Laura bearing down on SW La. (I live near Lafayette), and considering that power goes out here every other time there is a windy thunderstorm, much less a hurricane, I expect that I won't be able to get online from my home PC much longer and won't really be able to moderate, or update the homepage news compilations until the power comes back. So I just wanted to give everyone a heads up.

Stay safe everyone!

Same to you. Keep your head down and stay safe.

 

[Saintamaniac]

180K Americans have died because Trump called Covid-19 was a hoax. His supporters went along with him on it. How would it feel if people started saying that these hurricanes are a hoax and Louisiana and Texas are not in danger of being decimated? How would it feel if people started saying the rain and wind is nothing more than thunderstorm and that the media is just blowing it out of proportion? How would it feel if people got on facebook and twitter and started telling people not to evacuate and don't believe the media reports and that they are just using graphics on TV to scare people because the libs want you to leave your home and go somewhere? What if people decided to get on the interstate and drive slowly on purpose to stop people from evacuating the impacted areas? It would infuriate people in the locations who are in danger of losing everything they have worked for. It would make people angry to the point of rage that someone would tell them that what they are seeing with their own eyes isn't really happening. I hope that everyone stays safe from this dangerous storm because just like Covid-19, it is real and it will kill people fi they don't take the necessary precautions.

 

[The moose]

Hope all of you guys in the path made it out ok.

My greatest fear is the virus spread after the storm. It is impossible to distanced in clean up efforts. I really remember lines and lines to stand in trying to accomplish anything at all after Katrina. Mask wearing would have just sucked after Katrina If I had to do it as much as needed during the pandemic.

Be safe everyone.

 

[Rob22278]

Hope all of you guys in the path made it out ok.

My greatest fear is the virus spread after the storm. It is impossible to distanced in clean up efforts. I really remember lines and lines to stand in trying to accomplish anything at all after Katrina. Mask wearing would have just sucked after Katrina If I had to do it as much as needed during the pandemic.

Be safe everyone.

Actually, wearing a mask was a really good idea while I was trying to salvage things out of my parents’ attic in a house that was growing toxic mold after sitting underwater for 3 weeks.
Really sorry to hear you stood in long lines. My condolences.

 

[The moose]

Actually, wearing a mask was a really good idea while I was trying to salvage things out of my parents’ attic in a house that was growing toxic mold after sitting underwater for 3 weeks.
Really sorry to hear you stood in long lines. My condolences.

Well I sure am glad you missed the lines for ice, mail, FEMA, groceries, gas, lumber, and just about everything you fathom.

Please tell me your secret how you managed to skip the standing in neverending lines during a event like Katrina.

 

[Rob22278]

Well I sure am glad you missed the lines for ice, mail, FEMA, groceries, gas, lumber, and just about everything you fathom.

Please tell me your secret how you managed to skip the standing in neverending lines during a event like Katrina.

I don’t have a secret. After I helped clean out 8 houses for my family that had 10 feet of water in them I was standing in lines like everyone else.
You griping about standing in lines comes off pretty selfish when people lost everything, or worse had family die in Katrina.
I’m sure someone that doesn’t have a house anymore from Laura would gladly stand in line all day. And gladly wear a mask.
Just a little perspective, that’s all.

 

[Ayo]

Alright, just wanted to let folks here know I am available for help if I can be of service.

The past couple of days have been harrowing - but my family just got to the house. The house is in tact. The roof damage seems minimal - no water in the house, but there seems to be some behind a wall closet and one other corner.

Dad's a construction worker and has done plenty of floods, so he knows what he is looking at - and he was in tears from relief.

But he knows things like mold and such can still creep in.

We are very very grateful and lucky.

I have been on the phones or internet for the past 8 hours, getting information from FEMA, US Army Corps of Engineers (who tweeted back at me very nicely even though I could've been more polite myself lol), Mayors office, local contractors and roofers and etc.

So, if anyone has questions or looking for information, don't hesitate to ask. I have a ton more information than I woke up with this morning.

All the best to those of y'all going through this, one way or the other.