Trump promises all-out response to Hurricane Florence

[webfact]

Trump promises all-out response to Hurricane Florence

 

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an Oval Office meeting on hurricane preparations for Hurricane Florence at the White House in Washington, U.S., September 11, 2018. REUTERS/Leah Millis

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the federal government would spare no expense in responding to the likely damage from Hurricane Florence, which is forecast to slam the Carolina coast later this week.

 

"Any amounts of money, whatever it takes, we're going to do it," Trump told reporters at the White House as he met with top aides and federal disaster officials.

 

In remarks aimed at Americans who could find themselves in harm's way, the president noted that experts were predicting a storm the likes of which the East Coast of the United States has not seen in decades.

 

"I would say everybody should get out, he said. "It's going to be really, really bad along the coast."

 

Federal forecasters expect the storm to make landfall on Friday with 130 mile-per-hour (215 kph) winds and massive waves, with rains taking a heavy toll inland. Some 1 million people have been ordered to evacuate their homes.

 

The government's top disaster response official, Federal Emergency Management Agency head Brock Long, told reporters that residents in areas likely to be affected should not under-estimate the threat.

 

"This has an opportunity of being a very devastating storm," Long said. "The power is going to be off for weeks. You are going to be displaced from your home in the coastal areas, and there will be flooding in the inland areas as well."

 

Trump, who has faced criticism for his administration's response to Hurricane Maria in 2017, which killed an estimated 3,000 people in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, knocked out power to all 3.4 million residents of the Caribbean island, with thousands still without power even six months after the storm hit, said the federal government was "totally prepared" for Florence.

 

"We're ready. We're as ready as anybody has ever been," he said.

 

Asked what lessons could be learn from Maria, Trump said the government's response in that case was complicated because Puerto Rico is an island and its electrical grid was already impaired.

 

"I actually think it was one of the best jobs that's ever been done," he said. "I think that Puerto Rico was an incredible unsung success."

 

The mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico's capital, Carmen Yulin Cruz, blasted Trump for touting his administration's response to the hurricane as a success.

 

"This was a despicable act of neglect on the part of his administration," Cruz told CNN.

 

Florence, a Category 4 on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, was located about 785 miles (1,260 km) southeast of Cape Fear, North Carolina, at 4:30 p.m. EDT (2030 GMT), according to the National Hurricane Center.

 

(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Writing by Tim Ahmann; Editing by Mohammad Zargham and Leslie Adler)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-09-12

[Bluespunk]

7 minutes ago, webfact said:

 

"I actually think it was one of the best jobs that's ever been done," he said. "I think that Puerto Rico was an incredible unsung success."

Think again. 

[mtls2005]

Presumably, he's been fine-tuning his paper-towel toss?

 

 

[zaphod reborn]

There's enough white votes in the Carolinas to justify an all-out FEMA response, unlike Puerto Rico where he just let the brown US citizens die.

[Lupatria]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Trump promises... 

...and now you know the rest of the story.

[Boon Mee]

I Trump isn't going to let another Katrina happen. 

[mtls2005]

Maybe those displaced by hurricane damage can live in these detention centers? If anyone can out-Bush on a hurricane, it's Trump, again.

 

 

Democratic senator releases document showing ICE got $9.8 million from FEMA

 

Washington (CNN)Sen. Jeff Merkley released a document Tuesday showing a transfer of nearly $10 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and accused President Donald Trump's administration of diverting funds from hurricane relief just as hurricane season was starting.

 

However, the document from the Department of Homeland Security specifically mentions the money would come from the agency's budgets for travel, training, public engagement and information technology work. The department denies that the money came from disaster relief funding.

Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon, said on MSNBC's "Rachel Maddow Show" that the administration is taking money from "response and recovery" and "working hard to find funds for additional detention camps."

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/09/11/politics/fema-ice-hurricane-funding/index.html

[soalbundy]

He'll have forgotten all about it in 12 hours while practicing to say anonymous in front of the mirror.

[mtls2005]

1 hour ago, Boon Mee said:

I Trump isn't going to let another Katrina happen. 

 

He already did. Mission Accomplished.

 

Katrina death toll: 1,833

Maria death toll: 2,975

 

Maybe you meant to say that Trump isn't going to let Maria happen again?

 

 

 

 

[heybruce]

" "I actually think it was one of the best jobs that's ever been done," he said. "I think that Puerto Rico was an incredible unsung success." "

 

He's not a reality TV President, he's and alternative reality President, defined by alternative facts.

[soalbundy]

2 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

 

He already did. Mission Accomplished.

 

Katrina death toll: 1,833

Maria death toll: 2,975

 

Maybe you meant to say that Trump isn't going to let Maria happen again?

 

 

 

 

He'll pay her off next time.

[Psimbo]

Bigliest, bestest response ever was Puerto Rico, not.

 

Just reading Woodward's latest book about him. There's some scary excreta going on in the White House at present.

[Tug]

Ready for more lies?

[overherebc]

Sad.

Let's not think about the poor buggers on the ground out there who are going to have a bad time when this hits. It's a big storm and unfortunately some people are going to get seriously hurt and worse. They are going to lose homes businesses etc.

Let's concentrate on trying to out do each other on 'Trump facts.'

Whether you like or loath him doesn't matter a sh-t because it's not your life or home that's going to be damaged or destroyed.

Not one post with any consideration for others. 

I would like to see, although I doubt it, a report on last minute change of direction and the centre of the storm missing high population areas.

[Grouse]

6 hours ago, Boon Mee said:

I Trump isn't going to let another Katrina happen. 

I thought he liked Stormies

[Srikcir]

13 hours ago, webfact said:

The government's top disaster response official, Federal Emergency Management Agency head Brock Long

What will he do about Trump?

[JCauto]

8 hours ago, Boon Mee said:

I Trump isn't going to let another Katrina happen. 

Trump isn't going to let his second disaster larger than Katrina happen. FTFY.

[Nyezhov]

15 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

Think again. 

Actually, thinking folks know that the failures came from local government. I hear they just found thousands of bottles of water just sitting there undistributed.

 

That comports with what a heard from locals on my last visit there. No matter what their politics, they blamed the local honchos. One taxi drive told me that the Mayor of San Juan and her cronies were stealing funds and black market selling. Another told me that supplies were given first to activists for local government and that if you werent in the Mayors "club" you waited...a la Venezuela.

 

Regardless, the Feds did their job to get the supplies there. Where were the locals? 

 

 

 

[JCauto]

1 minute ago, Nyezhov said:

Actually, thinking folks know that the failures came from local government. I hear they just found thousands of bottles of water just sitting there undistributed.

 

That comports with what a heard from locals on my last visit there. No matter what their politics, they blamed the local honchos. One taxi drive told me that the Mayor of San Juan and her cronies were stealing funds and black market selling. Another told me that supplies were given first to activists for local government and that if you werent in the Mayors "club" you waited...a la Venezuela.

 

Regardless, the Feds did their job to get the supplies there. Where were the locals? 

 

 

 

Yep, it's just like Truman said, "the buck stops here". So it's always someone else's fault when things go badly with this guy, and always his accomplishment when something goes well even if it happened long before he became president (which is usually the case). So tell me then, why if this was such a mess due to the "locals" that Mango Mussolini is trumpeting what a great success it was? He surely isn't lying again, is he?

[Bluespunk]

11 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

Actually, thinking folks know that the failures came from local government. I hear they just found thousands of bottles of water just sitting there undistributed.

 

That comports with what a heard from locals on my last visit there. No matter what their politics, they blamed the local honchos. One taxi drive told me that the Mayor of San Juan and her cronies were stealing funds and black market selling. Another told me that supplies were given first to activists for local government and that if you werent in the Mayors "club" you waited...a la Venezuela.

 

Regardless, the Feds did their job to get the supplies there. Where were the locals? 

 

 

 

Trump is 100% wrong if he thinks his actions were successful. 

 

In addition sources for blaming the local govt are hardly reliable. 

Edited September 12, 2018 by Bluespunk

[Nyezhov]

14 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Trump is 100% wrong if he thinks his actions were successful. 

 

In addition sources for blaming the local govt are hardly reliable. 

Dunno, Id tend to believe a bunch of San Juan Taxi Drivers, bartenders, waitresses, store clerks, condo owners and the dude down in La Perla with the excellent ganja before I beleived the press or the Mayor and her shills. ?

[Nyezhov]

24 minutes ago, JCauto said:

Yep, it's just like Truman said, "the buck stops here". So it's always someone else's fault when things go badly with this guy, and always his accomplishment when something goes well even if it happened long before he became president (which is usually the case). So tell me then, why if this was such a mess due to the "locals" that Mango Mussolini is trumpeting what a great success it was? He surely isn't lying again, is he?

I guess its sort of like Katrina. Nagin the Democrat whinged while the folks in other areas just pitched in and got to work.

 

During the last big blast in NC, my nephew and his neighbors got out the chainsaws and cleaned up the street before the government even got there.

 

Everybody should pitch in, nah?

[Bluespunk]

7 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

Dunno, Id tend to believe a bunch of San Juan Taxi Drivers, bartenders, waitresses, store clerks, condo owners and the dude down in La Perla with the excellent ganja before I beleived the press or the Mayor and her shills. ?

I wouldn’t. 

[Nyezhov]

Thats because your weltanshauung is different than mine.

 

https://nypost.com/2018/09/12/massive-stockpile-of-bottled-water-found-in-puerto-rico-a-year-after-maria/

 

So the Feds are supposed to hand out the bottles to folks?

 

 

[heybruce]

7 hours ago, overherebc said:

Sad.

Let's not think about the poor buggers on the ground out there who are going to have a bad time when this hits. It's a big storm and unfortunately some people are going to get seriously hurt and worse. They are going to lose homes businesses etc.

Let's concentrate on trying to out do each other on 'Trump facts.'

Whether you like or loath him doesn't matter a sh-t because it's not your life or home that's going to be damaged or destroyed.

Not one post with any consideration for others. 

I would like to see, although I doubt it, a report on last minute change of direction and the centre of the storm missing high population areas.

My kid brother is in ICU in a VA hospital in Charleston South Carolina; you think I'm not thinking about that?  This just doesn't seem the appropriate forum to discuss these particulars.

Edited September 12, 2018 by heybruce

[heybruce]

2 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

Actually, thinking folks know that the failures came from local government. I hear they just found thousands of bottles of water just sitting there undistributed.

 

That comports with what a heard from locals on my last visit there. No matter what their politics, they blamed the local honchos. One taxi drive told me that the Mayor of San Juan and her cronies were stealing funds and black market selling. Another told me that supplies were given first to activists for local government and that if you werent in the Mayors "club" you waited...a la Venezuela.

 

Regardless, the Feds did their job to get the supplies there. Where were the locals?

Rumors count for little; your accusations of corruption preventing the distribution of supplies would count for more if you had credible references.

 

Off-loading pallets of supplies at a port counts for little when the greatest need is in towns cut off by washed out roads and with no electricity or phone signals to call for help.  The military has equipment and people trained and practiced to build roads, bridges, and airfields in war zones; where were they?

 

 

[heybruce]

2 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

I guess its sort of like Katrina. Nagin the Democrat whinged while the folks in other areas just pitched in and got to work.

 

During the last big blast in NC, my nephew and his neighbors got out the chainsaws and cleaned up the street before the government even got there.

 

Everybody should pitch in, nah?

Good thing that your nephew and his neighbors had fuel for their chain saws, clean water for when they were thirsty, and passable roads to carry the debris away on.

[Nyezhov]

2 minutes ago, heybruce said:

Rumors count for little; your accusations of corruption preventing the distribution of supplies would count for more if you had credible references.

 

Off-loading pallets of supplies at a port counts for little when the greatest need is in towns cut off by washed out roads and with no electricity or phone signals to call for help.  The military has equipment and people trained and practiced to build roads, bridges, and airfields in war zones; where were they?

 

 

Building roads. Where you get your rumours from? Been to PR have ya? Have relatives or friends there?

[Nyezhov]

3 minutes ago, heybruce said:

Good thing that your nephew and his neighbors had fuel for their chain saws, clean water for when they were thirsty, and passable roads to carry the debris away on.

Good thing they had the forethought to get the chainsaws ready and stock up on supplies instead of whinging.

 

Funny when I was living in the AK, I had a week's worth of supplies and ammunition in case of an earthquake. 

Edited September 12, 2018 by Nyezhov

[heybruce]

2 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

Building roads. Where you get your rumours from? Been to PR have ya? Have relatives or friends there?

Actually a very good Puerto Rican friend and retired USAF colonel who had to play tag team with her brother to go to Puerto Rico and look after parents with medical needs in a retirement home in Puerto Rico that went without reliable electricity for months.

 

Her mother died.  Her father is doing ok for a man his age.