Private groups shame feds
Government hurts credibility with Helene response in Appalachia
Samaritan’s Purse volunteers work to remove a tree from a home in North Carolina. Photo via Samaritan’s Purse website.
The left worships the government and the national media has strived to condition Americans to think they must rely on the government too.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
The response by private organizations and individuals to the Southeast U.S. following Hurricane Helene is proof.
We don’t need more government. We only need the government doing what the constitution authorizes, and demonstrating competence while doing so.
Numerous private organizations have engaged in natural disaster relief work for decades. Among them are the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the United States, Samaritan’s Purse, CBN’s Operation Blessing, and Convoy of Hope among others.
The groups are organized. They have manpower, equipment, and supplies on a massive scale. They have done this work repeatedly–no matter the tornado, tropical storm, or hurricane. They are veterans of relief work, and they know how to mobilize, set up staging areas, and get things done for people who now have their lives wrecked by a storm.
Additionally, they have people with experience with chainsaws and other equipment to remove downed trees and to mud homes destroyed by floodwaters. They also have people who can operate ATVs, tractors, bulldozers and other heavy equipment, including helicopters.
The only things that are different are the kinds of devastation they encounter and the people and communities they will help.
These organizations take donations and people can be confident their money will be used to benefit hurting people. These religious organizations would have been exposed a long time ago if they lacked credibility in that area.
These organizations do what they do in the name of and with the love of Jesus Christ.
Another group that has gained attention following Hurricane Helene walloping the Southeast U.S. is Aerial Recovery. This is a group of ex-military and first responders who are trained for these situations and provide supplies for disaster relief. Save Our Allies is also on the scene in North Carolina.
This was just one of the scenes in Boone, N.C. on Sept. 27 when Hurricane Helene thrashed Appalachia. REUTERS/Jonathan Drake via Reuters.com
Both Aerial Recovery and Save Our Allies also respond in war-torn areas worldwide. People from these two organizations came together to rescue an 11-day old baby in North Carolina.
Glenn Beck’s Mercury One was on the scene in a helicopter. Another group that gained attention is the Cajun Navy.
Private organizations are more efficient because they have vast experience and act swiftly. They don’t have the bureaucracy of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). When a disaster unfolds, as has been witnessed in Appalachia, the bureaucracy too often acts as a hindrance for people needing immediate action.
This intensified in the days after the rain stopped and flood waters receded when volunteers descended on Appalachia doing search and rescue, clearing debris, and delivering food, water, and medicine to people cut off from others with no communication and impassable roads.
Rumors swirled about FEMA getting in the way, blocking deliveries of materials, and other accounts that are hard to believe with no flagrant accusations on video. Elon Musk, who has a team in Appalachia delivering Starlink, confirmed some of what people heard about FEMA from his people on the ground in the Tarheel State.
Meanwhile, Beck had two moments when he spoke to or saw FEMA staff in North Carolina. Blaze TV reported on Oct. 5:
‘FEMA is despicable,’ says Glenn in disgust. ‘I don’t like calling people traitors, and I won’t today, but I will tell you — a case could be made that there are a lot of people that are bordering on the line of treason.’
The people running FEMA are included on that list.
‘FEMA has spent $1.4 billion dollars on [illegal] immigrants ... on rehousing [and] flying these illegals in without your knowledge,’ says Glenn.
But what do American citizens who just lost everything get when tragedy strikes?
FEMA is offering an embarrassing $750 to the victims.
Meanwhile, people in the small town of Bat Cave, N.C. said the feds should stay out, as the New York Post’s Jack Morphet and Chris Nesi reported:
‘The DOT’s been here, and random fire departments, like Kannapolis. They were great. But nobody’s been bringing in supplies except civilians,’ (Chelsea Atkins) shared.
At this late stage in the recovery effort, Atkins said, there are concerns that FEMA showing up at this point could do more harm than good.
‘It’s been a civilian-run operation since day one. You can’t ask the authorities for help — they’ll say you need to leave,’ she said, calling Bat Cave a ‘country boy can survive’ kind of place.
‘We’re handling it. Leave it to us and we’ll get it covered.’
The New York Post story also reveals FEMA wouldn’t make contact with Bat Cave residents because they weren’t allowed to drive around “Road Closed” signs. Private organizations would not be stopped by that.
Attention on FEMA disregards the many federal resources that can be mobilized during a natural disaster. The president can mobilize the military.
Deploying the National Guard is normal. Deploying the 82nd and 101st Airborne divisions and others for search and rescue isn’t normal. Look at the timeline that radio talk host Erick Erickson created. It took between Helene’s landfall on Sept 26 and Oct. 2 for President Joe Biden to mobilize the military. On Oct. 3, the mobilization of 500 soldiers began. However, it took two more days, Oct. 5, to mobilize 500 more troops for search and rescue.
The days nothing happened, people died in the mountains.
These are events that crystallize lost confidence and trust in government. Government officials ought not wonder why polling consistently shows Americans believe the nation’s on the wrong track. Yet, questioning their actions raises the smear of “disinformation” and “misinformation.” Officials never reflect on how their actions caused the lost credibility and trust.
Private groups put the feds to shame with disaster response and relief.
Nothing will ever change that.
