Is Government the Solution to Natural Disasters?

WIDESPREAD SUFFERING CONTINUES AFTER HURRICANE SANDY DESPITE FEMA, RED CROSS, AND OBAMA’S PROMISES

by Sharon Rondeau

(Nov. 3, 2012) — In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, which hit the Northeastern U.S. with ferociousness on Monday, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has signed an executive order to ration gasoline in 12 counties.  Residents of the counties experiencing the most severe gasoline shortages will be permitted to purchase gas every other day to ease the crisis caused by the storm.

The states of New York and New Jersey were particularly hard-hit, with damage also sustained to the Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland shorelines.  The U.S. death toll was reported to be 98 on Friday.  Entire communities have been obliterated along the eastern seaboard as a result of the high winds, heavy rain, and flooding. The famous boardwalk at Seaside Heights, NJ has been destroyed.

Christie had initially praised Obama for his response to the catastrophe, which Christie described as “a major disaster.”  On Wednesday, Obama toured the damaged areas with Christie after canceling campaign events on the previous two days.  Newscasters and print reporters made much of the “bipartisanship” which the photo-op appeared to project.

Evacuation orders had been issued for New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut before the storm which in some cases were ignored.  On Monday evening, Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy expressed clear annoyance that his warnings and those coming from local officials went unheeded by some who became trapped in their homes.  Instructions were given to those people to go to the highest point in their home and if that were flooded, to climb onto the roof, display a white sheet, and wait for help to arrive.  Malloy described the rising flood waters as “Katrina-like,” referring to Hurricane Katrina, which had devastated the Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama coastlines in 2005 and for his response to which then-President George W. Bush had been strongly criticized.

Some people in government-run housing projects in New York remain in the dark, unable to buy batteries or flashlights.  Many gas stations remain closed.  While Obama has “ordered” millions of gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel to be delivered to the storm-affected areas, without electricity, there is no way to pump it into a customer’s gas tank.

Residents of New York will be able to receive up to ten gallons of “free” gasoline from the supply to be delivered by the military at Obama’s order.  However, power is not expected to be fully restored to parts of Long Island until next weekend.  As many as 4.5 million residents of 15 different states are still without power as a result of Hurricane Sandy, which took a westward turn after crashing into the Northeast.

Bloomberg News reported that “Utilities are under pressure from state officials and residents to restore service faster. More than 1 million customers in New Jersey remained without power yesterday, four days after Sandy battered the state.”  A report that a utility team from Alabama which had come to aid in restoring power in Seaside Heights, NJ was turned away because they were not unionized has been amended to say that the Alabama utility team first went to Virginia to stand by but might have misunderstood the mandate to “affiliate” with a union before beginning to work.

A statement from the Decatur, AL utility team said that its help was not “turned away,” contrary to initial news reports.  A press release from the president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) stated that union status made no difference and that “all help is welcome” during a time of crisis.

On Staten Island, people are reportedly begging for help, asking Sen. Charles Schumer, “When is the government coming?” (see video).  Some Staten Island residents claim that their borough was “forgotten“by first responders and relief organizations.

Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro has urged residents not to donate to the Red Cross because of perceived slowness in its response to the disaster. Molinaro claimed that the Red Cross had failed to deliver food, clothing and “everything you can possibly think of” following the storm.

The Red Cross is seeking donations for storm relief and says on its website that it has assisted “thousands” of Sandy victims to date.  A Connecticut television station is holding a food bank and personal care items drive on Sunday to help victims of Sandy featuring celebrity performers.

In regard to Hurricane Sandy, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) states on its website, in part:

The entire federal family continues to lean forward to support the states, tribes and communities in their ongoing response efforts as they work to save lives. We also continue to work with the entire emergency management team, including with our state, tribal and local partners, the voluntary and faith-based community, the private sector, and we continue to encourage the public to be safe and listen to the direction of their state, tribal and local officials.

Email updates and “apps” from the FEMA website are available to those with power.

At 11:04 a.m. EDT on November 3, five days after the storm,it was reported that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano visited Staten Island “promising that help was on the way.”

The Hess Corporation reports that 90% of its New Jersey stations are open after the company shipped generators in advance of the storm.  The company has donated $5,000,000 to relief efforts in New Jersey and New York, the same amount which Donald Trump would have donated if Obama had released his college and passport records and designated storm relief organizations as the recipients.  However, on Thursday, statements made in a California courtroom regarding Obama’s college applications indicated that they “do not exist.”

There are signs of recovery from Hurricane Sandy after the Atlantic City casinos and some rail service reopened on Friday.

Northeastern states have been known to vote for big-government state legislators, U.S. representatives and senators. Even with a potential loss of 340,000 votes in the upcoming election, Obama is expected to win the Northeast easily.  The region consists of larger cities with dense populations and is considered the wealthiest region of the country.  The eight Ivy League universities are located in the Northeastern states.

In 1952, in the presidential contest between Dwight D. Eisenhower and Adlai Stevenson, the Northeast voted for Eisenhower, who was a Republican.  At that time, the South was predominantly Democrat, while the Northeast and other parts of the country tended to support Republicans.  One historian claims that the reversal of parties and regions which they dominate began in 1964.

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“When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe.” — Thomas Jefferson