They Really Don’t Care
We are fortunate to live in a somewhat secluded neighborhood across the street from a lake and surrounded by hills. Over the years, we and other neighbors have had to spend increasing amounts to rebuild retaining walls and regrade the slope of our properties due to the increased flow and force of stormwater due to upstream development. Fortunately, however, flooding and safety hasn’t been a major concern. Until this summer. During Tropical Storm Chantal, a neighbor sent us a video of the flash flood on the road in front of our houses.
Our road appeared to merge with the lake even though our property isn’t lakefront. Scarier yet is the fact that it occurred so quickly and quietly. We had no idea there was a torrent of water so close. The good news is that no one was hurt, although some neighbors ended up with significant damage to their homes and cars, and one home’s sceptic line broke open contaminating the surging water. Worse yet was the damage to residents further downstream where apartment buildings and retail establishments flooded, displacing occupants and closing businesses, most for months and some permanently.
It could have been so much worse. Consider the tragedy in TX caused by the same brutal storm, or, closer to home, the devastation that Hurricane Helene wrecked on Western NC over a year ago. Our close call reinforced my awareness of how vulnerable, physically and financially, the Trump Administration has made all Americans. Trump’s cuts to the Federal workforce, to FEMA, to the Weather Bureau, and to the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), along with his denial of the effects of climate change erode our safety.
What made me sit down, however, and write this article today was an email from a Senate Democratic candidate and former Governor, Roy Cooper. It turns out that Michael Whatley, Cooper’s likely Republican opponent in the mid- term elections next year, is the man that President Trump “put in charge” of making sure that “everything goes well” with the recovery process in Western NC, where over a million North Carolinians live.
How well has Whatley done? Helene left over 100 North Carolinians dead and thousands of homes destroyed, but NC has received only 9% of the estimated total damage ($60 billion) from the Federal Government. This is despite the fact that other states have received up to 70% of damages from the Federal Government after major hurricanes. Clearly, everything hasn’t “gone well”, as witnessed by a petition from residents of Western NC calling on FEMA to replace Whatley on the FEMA Review Council and to provide the critically needed Federal funding.
I had assumed that the NC Republican Party couldn’t do much worse than Mark Robinson. But to stiff millions of people whom you hope will soon vote for you puts Whatley right up there. But, you know what, it is increasingly clear that the Trump Administration and their Republican cronies and electeds really don’t care.
Maybe Melania was trying to warn us with that jacket?
