Responses to posts in Friends’ page/s.
HAVING been into and survived many similar disasters elsewhere where the safety net is magnificently weak or haplessly bankrupt, FEMA’s response to post-Helene devastation in the mountain was disappointing. That’s because this is America. The most powerful nation on earth with surefire trillion$ budget allocations to several federal projects. But not for FEMA, which is a “mere” sub-agency of the Department of Homeland Security.
Which brings me to why I say Hurricane Helene is a disaster response (and preparedness) failure. Budget. FEMA has always been plagued by a budget deficit, or since Katrina 2005. Last year, over $4 billion as the military expenditures went over the annual budget to $916 billion. Why would FEMA's work be praised when the agency itself may have felt awkward with the accolade? They knew they could have done better if they had enough resources.
More than two weeks after the fact, they haven't even reached some badly-hit mountain spots to deliver aid. Regardless, weren’t aid workers “reinforced” by the National Guard? Reason given: “Threat from armed militia.” Don't soldiers deliver help in much more dangerous battle zones abroad?
I myself helped bring aid in mountain barrios, years ago, while a typhoon raged amidst the government's Communist counterinsurgency program. I rode in military choppers provided by the U.S. base in Clark. We just have to do our job. We were threatened, we were shot at--but the need to save mostly vulnerable children was utmost.
Again, this is America, not the Philippines. Who accomplished the government's job faster, instead? Local volunteers. The community. 🌬💨💓
[Photo credit: Associated Press.]
No comments:
Post a Comment