EXCLUSIVE: American Patriots’ Response to Hurricane Helene Puts FEMA to Shame
Volunteers have jumped in to help while the federal bureaucracy keeps failing.
As we watch the human tragedy unfold in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the corporate media has continued to fail to tell the American people the real story. The widespread destruction has taken a deep toll on the Big Bend area of Florida, northern Georgia, eastern Tennessee, and the mountains of western North Carolina. Much like the scenes that unfolded in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the loss of life has been widespread. The federal government response has raised all sorts of alarm bells about the bureaucracy. But hope has been renewed in the form of the response from some states, and from everyday Americans who have defied the odds to conduct rescue and relief missions that have saved lives.
Unique climatic conditions and the sheer size of Helene caused it to penetrate much further inland than a typical hurricane. It struck the Gulf Coast of Florida as a Category 4 storm, with sustained winds over 120 mph. Towns like Keaton Beach, Steinhatchee, and Crystal River on the coast of Florida suffered widespread destruction. The fast-moving tropical cyclone maintained hurricane-force winds all the way up through Georgia and into North Carolina, before merging with another front and stalling out over eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina. It dumped a reported 40 trillion gallons of rain on the mountains after it stalled, causing catastrophic flooding. These floods wiped entire towns off the map, and left thousands of people stranded. Interstate Highways 40 and 26 had large sections destroyed, with initial estimates of their restoration stretching well into next year.
In addition, the mountainous terrain in North Carolina has made rescue efforts especially treacherous. Hundreds of people still remain unaccounted for, a week after the storm hit.
Hurricane Helene has created a nightmare scenario for the people of the region. This is where the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is supposed to come in, right? Sadly, as we witnessed in 2005, the federal government not only has no capability to respond to natural disasters, the bureaucracy has actually impeded rescue efforts.
Joe Biden’s and Kamala Harris’ Katrina 2.0
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the professional left and the mainstream media created the perception that President George W. Bush failed to activate the federal government response quickly enough. The catastrophe led to over 1,800 lives lost in Louisiana and Mississippi. While leftists blamed Bush, the state and local government bore most of the blame:
NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 6, 2005 -- In New Orleans, those in peril and those in power have pointed the finger squarely at the federal government for the delayed relief effort.
But experts say when natural disasters strike, it is the primary responsibility of state and local governments -- not the federal government -- to respond.
New Orleans' own comprehensive emergency plan raises the specter of "having large numbers of people ... stranded" and promises "the city ... will utilize all available resources to quickly and safely evacuate threatened areas."
"Special arrangements will be made to evacuate persons unable to transport themselves," the plan states.
When Hurricane Katrina hit, however, that plan was not followed completely.
Instead of sending city buses to evacuate those who could not make it out on their own, people in New Orleans were told to go to the Superdome and the Convention Center, where no one provided sufficient sustenance or security.
This time, we have the opposite situation. In the wake of Hurricane Helene, FEMA has dragged its feet, and in some cases even played politics instead of allowing rescue operations and emergency supplies to flow to the affected areas. When confronted, FEMA cries poverty.
A Florida state legislator, Rep. Jason Shoaf (R-Port St. Joe), has worked tirelessly with state and federal authorities to get operations up and running in the Big Bend area devastated by the storm. In an interview with Restoration News, Rep. Shoaf said, “It has been heartbreaking to tour our region and witness the destruction and devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. But it’s also been inspiring to see the kindness from neighbors, the generosity in contributions and the volunteers who travel from all over to help our communities recover and rebuild.”
He had pointed criticism of the response from the federal government, however. “The reality is,” Shoaf said, “our communities desperately need the on the ground help and support of our federal government. So far the only real support has been from the state, the kindness of our business community and our amazing citizen volunteers. It is imperative for the President to direct resources immediately to all of the areas impacted here in North Florida. I’m working closely with the Governor and other leaders to urge the Biden White House to act immediately.”
So far, the White House has had muted public comments about the natural disaster. In the immediate aftermath, President Biden said the federal government had given all it would give to the victims:
"Do you have any words to the victims of the hurricane?"
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 30, 2024
BIDEN: "We've given everything that we have."
"Are there any more resources the federal government could be giving them?"
BIDEN: "No." pic.twitter.com/jDMNGhpjOz
A few days later, Vice President Kamala Harris announced a FEMA relief program that would pay storm victims cash to help them rebuild—a whopping $750.
Total.
(RELATED: Kamala’s Katrina: Where is the Would-Be Commander-In-Chief After Hurricane Helene?)
FEMA Failures Compounded
This on the heels of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announcing FEMA did not have enough money to respond if another hurricane hits the mainland this hurricane season. As many were quick to point out on social media, FEMA has spent upwards of a billion dollars this year on housing for illegal immigrants—in case you were wondering where their money went.
Lets check in on our government:
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) October 3, 2024
Biden announced a new $2.4B aid package to Ukraine last week while Kamala announced today that victims of Hurricane Helene will get a mere $750.
Oh, and FEMA doesn't have enough money to make it through hurricane season yet spent $640M on… pic.twitter.com/otIebCIidC
The situation has become dire in North Carolina, where the loss of life has gotten overwhelming. Hundreds of residents got stranded without food or water for many days. Even though Florida is still cleaning up its own affected areas, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) deployed Florida National Guard troops and air assets to North Carolina to assist with rescue operations:
During a press conference today in Suwannee, Florida, Gov. DeSantis said "…our view is, if we’re going to go halfway around the world and rescue people from Israel, we gotta also be willing to go and bring some helicopters into the mountains and rescue people there if they need that type of assistance."
It has to make American voters wonder why we have FEMA at all, when the states can and do respond better than any federal bureaucracy could. Indeed, deep state bureaucracies exist only to maintain and expand their power, while protecting their territory.
Private organizations and private pilots have stepped up to fly rescue missions in the mountains of North Carolina. According to one frustrated pilot, there are approximately 1–2 government aircraft for every 40 or 50 private helicopters flying in supplies and flying survivors out. In fact, he says local and federal authorities have stopped many private pilots from flying these missions, backing it up with the threat of arrest.
Are Rescue Efforts Purposely Stalled in Western North Carolina?
— 𝓝𝓲𝓴𝓴𝓲 (@PFKHealth) October 2, 2024
“Literally allowing these people to f**king die in the mountains”
HELICOPTERS ARE NEEDED,
Why are TITLE 10 Orders NOT Approved?
Jonathan Howard with the Florida State Guard Special Mission Unit, assisting… pic.twitter.com/kozqzGPxBb
This was not an isolated incident, as another private helicopter pilot was threatened with arrest by the local sheriff after attempting to go back to get his co-pilot—his 17-year-old son—while transporting elderly victims stranded in the mountains.
Meanwhile, whistleblowers have come out of the woodwork to accuse FEMA of misappropriating its funds for non-disaster pet projects.
Rep. Cory Mills (R–FL), an Army combat veteran, went to North Carolina to assist, and reported how Kamala Harris and Joe Biden have made things worse for the rescue efforts.
JUST IN: Congressman Cory Mills says Biden's visit caused a four-hour delay in rescue efforts, adds it will take months to uncover bodies from Hurricane Helene.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 3, 2024
Key updates:
- "They're going to be recovering bodies for the next couple of months due to the landslides."
- "We… pic.twitter.com/aAacYSAPYc
Others have also reported FEMA getting in the way of relief missions.
From @TimKennedyMMA of @SaveOurAllies on @BottomLineFBN
— Dagen McDowell (@dagenmcdowell) October 3, 2024
FEMA “is present but they’re in the way. They’re directly interrupting our ability to conduct missions and operations.”
Tim couldn’t find rooms for people just rescued off a mountain because federal employees had taken all… pic.twitter.com/OxiguIe9tF
If that weren’t enough, Secretary of Transportation and former mayor Pete Buttigieg shut down private aid flights into western North Carolina.
🚨NEW - Federal Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has shut down aid flights into Western North Carolina.
— Dr. Ben Braddock (@GraduatedBen) October 3, 2024
A NOTAM has been issued by the FAA that won’t allow anyone not approved by the state to fly aid missions. They said they would give permission but they’re not being…
The Government Has Left Survivors to Die. Patriots Won’t.
Things have gotten so bad in North Carolina, volunteers have had to go into affected areas on horseback and with mule teams. The roads simply don’t exist anymore after the flooding. The mule teams packed in large loads of life saving supplies like water, food, and medical supplies, and packed out the survivors they could transport.
Another nonprofit relief organization, Heal-Corp, has gone into the area to build a temporary medical facility. Jason Ladd, a board member, told Restoration News:
We’re constructing a temp medical facility site, staffed with multiple doctors and infectious disease docs. Running multiple crews of pack mules and horses into the most remote areas that are inaccessible by helicopter or vehicle.
Many of these mountain communities don’t have anywhere for helicopters to land, and with the roads washed out, four-legged transport remains the only option.
Elon Musk tried to step in with communications support for stranded victims with Starlink internet connections. Cellular and land telephone communications have been largely wiped out in the area. Musk lamented on X/Twitter that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) “illegally” revoked the contract they previously awarded to Starlink, putting many lives at risk:
Had the FCC not illegally revoked the SpaceX Starlink award, it would probably have saved lives in North Carolina.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 2, 2024
Lawfare costs lives. https://t.co/FF0ugexP2g
Another organization, Operation Airdrop, has attempted to coordinate flights and truck convoys of relief supplies into affected areas, from the Big Bend area of Florida, to Georgia, to North Carolina and Tennessee. They’ve arranged almost 200 aircraft to bring badly needed food, water, and medical supplies to those areas.
Operation Airdrop has 187 private owned aircrafts helping #Helene victims. / pic.twitter.com/vW8c31I5wi
— Lorenna “bipolarlioness” Cleary 🪷 (@Brodie_Dog) October 1, 2024
Samaritan’s Purse, an Evangelical Christian organization, has sent dozens of volunteers into the area with supplies and meals to help with the recovery efforts.
Today in Asheville, NC - where Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc like never before, Samaritan's Purse volunteers continued serving vulnerable families in Jesus' Name.
— Samaritan's Purse (@SamaritansPurse) October 2, 2024
The ongoing relief work in Asheville, along with our other response sites across Western NC and the Southeast,… pic.twitter.com/t1eBI3gbkB
The Cajun Navy, which stepped in to rescue victims of Katrina in 2005, has also coordinated helicopter and mule team missions in North Carolina.
Thanks to @Mercury1Charity, we've doubled our "Cajun Wing" Squadron from 25 to 50 🚁s doing SAR & Air Drops! We're also offering an all expense paid swamp tour back in Louisiana for anybody impeding relief efforts! #FAFO 🐊💪⚜️ #louisianimals #CajunNavy #NorthCarolinaFloods pic.twitter.com/0umeFEEWH9
— United Cajun Navy (@Unitedcajunnavy) October 4, 2024
Rednecks to the Rescue—Proving We Don’t Need the Feds
These represent merely a small sampling of the dozens of organizations, local first responders, state organizations, and regular Americans volunteering to help save lives in the face of unimaginable devastation. The federal government has grown far too large and intransigent to handle any such operations at a local level. We saw it with Hurricane Katrina in 2005. We saw it in the Maui wildfires in 2023. And see it today in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. The solution to all this is simple. Drain the swamp, return funding back to the states to handle their own business, and get out of the way of charitable organizations far more qualified to do these types of things. This would be a far superior solution, instead of allowing a territorial federal bureaucracy to be in charge, throwing its weight around and blocking real rescue efforts while misappropriating its funding and expanding its power base.
(READ MORE: Why is Kamala Harris Spending FEMA Funds on Illegal Aliens Instead of Hurricane Victims?)