CHUCK DEVORE: Comparing Biden-Harris bungled Helene response to past disasters

For 5 days, the U.S. Army’s helicopters stayed connected the ground. 

The Biden-Harris administration’s effect to Hurricane Helene has been slow, weak, and deadly—but, but for Fox News, you wouldn’t cognize it from the large media.

Hurricane Helene made landfall connected Thursday, Sept. 26, astatine 11:10 p.m. 

The pursuing Thursday, a newsman asked President Joe Biden astir the tempest zone. Biden responded, "Oh, tempest zone? I don’t cognize which tempest you’re talking about…" Biden past recovered and claimed, "They are getting what they need, and they are precise blessed crossed the board."

WHITE HOUSE REPORTERS ASK ZERO QUESTIONS ABOUT HURRICANE HELENE IN SURPRISE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESS BIDEN

The time before, 5 afloat days aft the tempest dumped up to 30 inches of rainfall successful immoderate upland locations, Biden ordered 1,000 active-duty troops to supply assistance with 22 helicopters arsenic good arsenic tactical vehicles from Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg), immoderate 250 miles eastbound of hard-hit Asheville, N.C.

Debris is strewn connected the water successful the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, successful Lake Lure, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) (AP)

There are astir 50 inferior helicopters successful the 82d Airborne Division’s Combat Aviation Brigade astatine Fort Liberty. The subject installation successful Fayetteville, the U.S. Army’s largest, has astir 100,000 active-duty and reserve soldiers disposable for statesmanlike call-up—so, Biden sent 1% of Fort Liberty’s unit and little than fractional of the base’s much-needed chopper inventory. 

Meanwhile, the national government’s exigency absorption arm, FEMA, warned it’s retired of wealth due to the fact that it has spent $1.4 billion connected assistance to "sanctuary cities" swamped with amerciable aliens and mostly fake asylum seekers. FEMA said it sent 150 generators to the stricken region. But determination are astatine slightest treble that fig of generators disposable for acquisition wrong an hour’s thrust of immoderate emblematic city. 

Displaced citizens successful the Appalachian portion deed by Helene are astatine hazard of unwellness owed to contaminated water—and successful information from quality traffickers who prey upon the confused, weak, and vulnerable. The hundreds of subject constabulary from Fort Liberty’s 503rd Military Police Battalion and the 82nd MP Company could beryllium a almighty deterrent successful shelters—if they were activated.

A rescue squad paddles down the Swannanoa River connected Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. The remnants of Hurricane Helene caused wide flooding, downed trees, and powerfulness outages successful occidental North Carolina. (Travis Long/The News & Observer/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

So, however does the Biden-Harris catastrophe effect comparison to different caller events? The media and Democrats heaped scorn connected President George H.W. Bush’s national effect to the L.A. Riots successful 1992 and past again connected President George W. Bush’s Hurricane Katrina actions successful 2005. 

I was a California Army National Guard skipper during the 1992 L.A. Riots. Within 3 days, we had 10,000 Guard soldiers connected the ground, quelling looting and arson. Rioting started the evening of April 29. The pursuing evening, a National Guard MP institution was connected the scene. The adjacent day, 4,000 Guard soldiers were successful the metropolis and President Bush ordered active-duty Army and Marine forces into enactment arsenic good arsenic 1,000 national instrumentality enforcement officers. By May 2, determination were 10,000 Guard members and 3,500 active-duty soldiers and Marines keeping bid successful L.A.

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So, the elder Bush ordered 3,500 active-duty unit into L.A. 3 days into the exigency portion Biden took 5 days to determine to nonstop 1,000 soldiers to help. 

Hurricane Katrina made landfall connected Monday, Aug. 29, 2005, astir 4:30 a.m. At Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco’s request, President George W. Bush had issued an exigency declaration connected Saturday, Aug. 27, 2 days earlier landfall. Within a time of impact, U.S. Coast Guard helicopters were already working, rescuing immoderate 350 radical from rooftops. Bush viewed the devastation from the aerial connected Aug. 31 and was roundly criticized for flying over, alternatively than seeing things connected the ground. On Sept. 1, Bush asked Gov. Blanco to let a national takeover of the alleviation efforts, which by past included 15,256 Guard members expected to turn to much than 40,000 unit from neighboring states. 

Bush visited the country of the catastrophe lone 2 days aft landfall. Two days aft Helene, Biden was connected the formation successful Delaware, "commanding," arsenic helium claimed, with 2 hours of telephone calls. Vice President Kamala Harris was fundraising connected the West Coast.

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The U.S. military’s concatenation of bid for this catastrophe runs from Biden to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to the commandant of the U.S. Northern Command. Biden’s dilatory and confused effect to Hurricane Helene—taking 2 much days to travel to grips with the situation than did his 2 caller predecessors—speaks of a president who is retired of interaction and not up to the job. 

The Biden-Harris administration’s sluggish and half-hearted catastrophe effect has enactment hundreds of thousands of Americans astatine hazard successful Helene’s swath of destruction. Biden’s lackluster engagement successful the astir almighty bureau connected the satellite puts the full federation successful peril arsenic the satellite spirals into chaos portion Harris focuses her clip and vigor connected moving to regenerate Biden portion hiding from the media.

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