What a disgrace to the people.

https://www.wfla.com/news/national/johnson-additional-hurricane-aid-can-wait-until-congress-is-back-in-session/

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I think the Democrats have something to do with it. :grin:

Sorry, couldn’t help myself.

Besides, it’s not like Florida is Israel or Ukraine. :frowning:

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Cozar, on a serious note, are you seeing or hearing about people getting assistance from the Feds?

All I have heard is that I believe just yesterday they said you can start filing for Fema assistance.

I haven’t heard of anyone nearby saying they have seen any Fema response in the neighborhood.

I can’t speak for everyone just my few blocks.

There are some food and water distribution locations but I believe they are from private groups doing it.

I could be wrong but I don’t know specifically if the city is doing this also.

The mayor here is terrible and let me tell ya the folks here are hot with her.

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In talking to people here in NC, the amount offered by FEMA is a joke.

@Cozar and @sNOwflakes, this is good information. I know it’s not all-encompassing, just your local area, but I think everyone would love to get an occasional update if you hear anything else.

Thanks for the note here. :+1:

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This is how terrible our mayor is.

The area is just down the road less than 1/4 mile from our street.

Her stormwater dept did not remove brush and clutter blocking drainage canals.

That would have allowed the water to flow out to the pump stations.

They had to send divers in to clear the blockage.

She should resign immediately and all her DEI crew.

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Not sure how the whole FEMA thing works.

The one example I heard of from a close family member of the couple with the loss, was for damage done to a business along with the buildings. All gone. Pennys on the dollar were offered which required a signed contract. Why a contract? They turned it down.
I want to get more info.

I saw a report from a mayor of a small town where his daughter’s house, 1st floor was gutted by the waters. She was offered $300, which he said won’t cover what she lost in the refrigerator.
I heard the initial amount was to be $750 for any initial emergency and then more later. If you have a family with children, lost all your things, how far would $300 go?

I find it odd that they say FEMA is in full action when you don’t see any sign of an official vehicle etc. The director was asked this on the news, and she said just because you don’t see us doesn’t mean we are not there. Are they stealth?

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I understood that FEMA, with DHS (its head) has plenty of money. It’s just not going to our people…primarily. So, really, congress has nothing to do with this. sound like the someone just wants to shear us a little more by getting congress to “find” money?

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I heard they have plenty in the account too. They are blaming the right for voting against the “extra” funds they say they need, and the right says the funds are not monitored so there is no accountability.
Layman’s Terms: The right isn’t getting enough of the spoils.

Another local verified report:

FEMA in its infinite wisdom, came and set up their headquarters at the local Meals on Wheels center causing the center to have to close its operation. Now all those elderly who depended on their daily deliveries are without.

The local municipal buildings could have been used. Maybe a church or school gymnasium.
There are buildings the size of a dollar general that are empty for rent which could have been utilized.

FEMA is like the plumber who has leaky faucets.

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the funds would have been for “legalizing” the border busters.

I actually drove over there to see for myself. What a cluster. They even had young people working outside, seemed to be on their phones all the time. I guess needed to show people where the door was.

Hi sNOwflakes! Did you hear or see Samaritan’s Purse run by Franklin Graham in the area? I’ve seen some reporting, but would like to hear from you the unedited version. Thank you.

I heard there are distribution centers where people donate things, then they are passed along to Samaritan’s Purse, and others. They then take the items to the people in the areas of need.
They are asking people, the locals, etc., not to go to the bad areas, West NC, since the roads are in terrible shape, bridges still out along with roads washed away. I’m assuming the local officials guide them in.

On a shake your head note: the centers had to tell people not to bring unwashed used clothing as well as high heels to be given out. (Can you imagine)
Can’t say I ever saw a woman in high heels, in the mountains wearing camo. Maybe panty hose wasn’t being brought in to go with the shoes.

Tomorrow, we want to try to take some things to a center where they come in.

I went to a distribution warehouse center today to drop off some things along with my generator.

I was shocked and amazed at the phenomenal number of things the public is donating. It was very heart warming. In talking with one of the women coordinating things, she said loads go out daily in cars, pick-ups etc.
There were probably 100 skids of items, shrink wrapped, 5’ high of just clothing. Outside, I couldn’t even count the number of skids of bottled water in the parking lot.

They receive lists from the hard-hit areas, fill the order and then a runner takes it there.
They were leaving shortly to Spruce Pine; the area still has no power.

I asked about Samaritans Purse, and she said they were focusing on the aid of repairing and rebuilding at this time. She said they were going into Old Fort next week.

When I arrived back home, a pick-up truck pulled in with a delivery. He was the area supervisor of Fed-Ex.
We started to chat, and it turns out he was ex-military and not too long ago, he worked with a team for disaster relief, part of FEMA. The ones who go in and basket rescue people from storms and floods.

Oddly enough, his wife works for DHS. They put her in charge of the YMCA building that is being utilized for the homeless due to the floods. This building is in my local town, in the same parking lot as the Senior Center where the Meals on Wheels were stopped by FEMA.
He said she was never given any training on this job position, just thrown into it. He decided to help since he was around this training in rescue etc. (He did confirm too that the meals were stopped even though they make meals there for the flood victims)

I smiled and asked him what the deal was since it looked like a cluster when I went down there.
He said none of the local officials that work with FEMA are sent for training for these disasters, including the FEMA people. Raleigh would be the major center in the area. He said Florida would be the place to send them for training, but they don’t. He agreed that they worry more about co-exist and the rainbow flag than being efficient.

He said the Red Cross is also involved at the YMCA and apparently these people are as defunct as FEMA’s office staff.
One day he was there early with his wife about 6am. Officially the YMCA was opening at 7. He said there was a line of people standing there, who just lost everything in the flood, and they wouldn’t let them in since it wasn’t 7am. They let them in, and he opened a Red Cross trailer that was filled with blankets and pillows and gave them to the people, who were cold, and showed them to the area with the cots. The Red Cross lady flipped, who arrived hours later, since he didn’t have the authority. :man_facepalming:

The other problem is some of the early arrivals were not vetted. No questions at all. Now they have people there who were always homeless as well as drug addicts taking the space of the flood victims and doing drug deals.

The rescues are air lifted in baskets to a safe place to drop off and then bused to the YMCA. No one thought about the pets and when they started to arrive with the owners, both FEMA and the Red Cross had no clue what to do. :man_facepalming:

I asked him if he thought FEMA was on top of things. He said he still has many friends that he worked with the rescue part, and he stays in contact with. (The boots on the ground or air) He said they do a great job. I said, so the bad reports we here are mainly about the office and coordinating staff. He said yes, that is why we called them the “cake eaters”.

He said by now you would think they would have it together, but they don’t. I told him that after what I saw at the volunteer and donation center, if it wouldn’t be for them and the public, the victims would not make it.

Found this info interesting especially from a front-line person.

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What a fantastic scoop!

Thanks so much for sharing, I don’t think anyone else has this level of detail out there.

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I volunteered to be a runner with my truck. We’ll see if they need me.

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Just be careful out there! Prayers for successful trips and thank you so much for all the info. God bless!!

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Talked to some locals today. There are old couples, in retirement, who lost everything. Home, car, clothes, the works. They worked hard all their lives; house paid and have no place to go. FEMA came in and said they did not have a claim.

They lived in an area that wasn’t considered a flood plain and never did, till now. What are they supposed to do? They surely can’t start over.

Even if FEMA agreed they had a claim, what are they going to do with the max $42,500?

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