Current livestream.
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President Trump holds a briefing with North Carolina emergency responders on the response to Hurricane Helene. Press conference below.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive in Asheville, North Carolina, to show support for those in Western North Carolina devastatingly impacted by Hurricane Helene. President Trump has vowed to support the long-term recovery of the region and correct the negligent approach by Joe Biden and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
President Trump has said he increasingly sees the FEMA results as fraught with too much bureaucratic red tape and negligent positive results. He is now holding the opinion that a better use of federal support funds is to allow the states to operate the recovery operations with federal assistance.
Upon arrival at the airport, President Trump and First Lady Melania delivered remarks to the assembled press pool as well as morale boosting conversations with those impacted.
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President Trump and Melania signed autographs and walked the rope line of supporters. video below.
Posted in Big Government, FEMA, Hurricane Helene, Melania Trump, President Trump, Press Secretary - Trump
After saying the devastated people of Western North Carolina, Eastern Tennessee and Northern Georgia would not be forgotten, President Trump returned to the area today to deliver a message of hope for those who are in the middle of a long-term recovery.
President Trump brought the national media to focus attention to the incredible task that remains. Delivering remarks from Asheville, North Carolina, President Trump led a team of recovery workers and rebuilding experts who share the stories of those hardest hit by the flooding as a result of Hurricane Helene. WATCH:
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UPDATE: We will continue bumping this thread to keep the communication lines available.
...”I live in the Western part of the US; reading these comments is like listening in on a (telephone) party line. This is the first I’ve heard firsthand live reports from the people directly affected. For the first time there is no canned, approved spoon fed mis-information delivered by the faceless and unaffected paid to be there.”….
Which is exactly the reason we keep this thread going!
As the areas in Eastern Tennessee, Western North Carolina and the Western gulf coast of Florida continue recovery operations from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, our thoughts are with those who are still impacted and dealing with the long-term recovery process.
If you have stability and the ability to communicate, we are wondering how you guys are doing.
Can we get a Standing Ovation for our hardworking Linemen? pic.twitter.com/jyP2hmbqub
— Still🏝️Roaming (@roaming_rn) October 17, 2024
Working with several ground groups, we have sent toolboxes and resources into the area for the arduous tasks that remain. There are many who feel overwhelmed; just know our thoughts and deepest prayers remain with you. It will get a little better every day.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has initiated an emergency fuel service in the central and western Florida regions impacted by Hurricane Milton. Fuel is the lifeblood of all recovery efforts.
The program is for several areas to have tanker trucks that can pump directly to consumers. Each resident who can go to the fuel distribution center will get 10 gallons of gasoline free, either in their gas cans or into their vehicle gas tank. Distribution will be made in Port Charlotte, Pinellas, Sarasota and Hillsborough counties, with more on the way.
Additionally, 50 highway patrol vehicles have been assigned escort duty to assist fuel tankers getting quickly to gas stations in the needed areas. There are a few videos below outlining the emergency distribution:
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Additionally, FEMA has extended the full reimbursement for debris removal to a 90-day window. This will help municipal areas quickly get their contractors working to remove debris.
This is a little bit unusual, and I don’t generally recommend going to a bizarro leftist narrative article for full review; however, in this case it is worth it.
Politico has written an article about FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, saying disinformation about the federal government response to Hurricane Helene, “is absolutely the worst I have ever seen,” Criswell told reporters on a Tuesday morning call. “It’s creating distrust in the federal government, but also the state government, and we have so many first responders that have been working to go out and help these communities,” she added. {link}
However, if you go read the article fraught with pearl-clutching and protestation, you might curiously discover there is not a single citation for any claimed “disinformation.” {SEE HERE} It is very odd to see FEMA and by extension Politico in their defense, claiming that massive disinformation is running rampant, and yet they do not cite a single example of the disinformation they claim to exist. Seriously, no joke – GO LOOK.
If you are an intellectually honest observer of government, you are left with the question: where is this disinformation you speak of?
Most of the shared examples of FEMA’s failures have been with full citation, presented with factual information – raw source attribution and audio/visuals of FEMA officials on the ground in Eastern Tennessee and Western North Carolina to bolster the claims. In short, all the claims against FEMA are specifically cited; however, all of the deflective justifications and denials are not.
As anticipated, Tropical Storm Milton is now Hurricane Milton with top winds of 80 mph. In the past 24 hrs., Milton slowed down a bit, wobbled a little south, and gained strength about a half-day earlier than predicted. The probability cone shifted a little south and the center consensus is now just south of Tampa in the Sarasota area.
As mentioned last night, this storm is going to be unique in contrast of condition between the areas immediately North and South of the storm. There are far too many variables for any accurate assessment at the moment; however, all interests should pay close attention. As a result of the slowing, the prudent evacuation timeline has moved from Tuesday morning to Tuesday afternoon.
(NHC) – At 100 PM CDT (1800 UTC), the center of Hurricane Milton was located by an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft near latitude 22.5 North, longitude 94.0 West. Milton is moving toward the east near 6 mph (9 km/h), and this general motion is expected today. An eastward to east-northeastward motion is forecast on Monday, followed by a faster northeastward motion on Tuesday and Wednesday.
On the forecast track, Milton is forecast to move north of the Yucatan Peninsula and to move across the Gulf of Mexico and approach the west coast of the Florida Peninsula by midweek.
As we enter Day #10, Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham appeared on Fox News this morning to discuss the scope of the crisis in Western North Carolina.
According to Graham, the two most pressing needs are (1) volunteers and (2) hope. Volunteers are needed to just grunt out the work of trying to clear homes, clear trees, get access to some of the most rural and isolated areas; and then provide HOPE to the people who have been devastated and lost everything.
As outlined, the Starlink communication system is being deployed to the churches as a rally point for the communities in the rural areas. If they can get communication lines opened up at the same place fellowship can provide support, then two major issues can be tackled long-term for the residents in the most impacted areas. WATCH:
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Both Eastern Tennessee and Western North Carolina are suffering from the flood damage. In places of highest elevation, the Blue Ridge Parkway is reported to look desolate, every leaf removed from the entire tree line by hurricane force gales. The valley areas are in various states of destruction caused by flooding; however, communication is starting to increase. There are still a large number of missing people, and many estimate the death toll will climb.
Generally speaking, Day #8 follows a recovery psychology filled with determination provided by the key focus on fellowship. Many impacted families cut-off from their traditional supply resources are now finding hope amid strangers, angels and a very focused group of recovery workers.
Unfortunately, there are multiple reports of scant federal assistance now becoming excessive federal interference. Many people now reporting that the Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA is actively blocking efforts to deliver critical supplies.
Several people have asked me if I have ever experienced FEMA stopping me from my personal efforts to deliver supplies or blocked my transit into some of the most devastated areas during emergency response. The answer is no, I never have; however, the team I work with has never asked for permission. That said, I do not doubt the reports.
Elon Musk has reported that people working on his relief missions have been blocked from rescue flights in the region. Apparently, FEMA is trying to intercept “unapproved” transit by air, mostly helicopters, under the auspices of FAA flight authority.
SpaceX engineers are trying to deliver Starlink terminals & supplies to devastated areas in North Carolina right now and @FEMA is both failing to help AND won’t let others help. This is unconscionable!!
They just took this video a few hours ago, where you can see the level of… pic.twitter.com/abpOsfNenF
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 4, 2024
I have never seen FEMA block private sector relief efforts before. Remember, emergency management responses are state issues.
It is the STATE that must grant FEMA the authority to operate (under an emergency declaration), not vice-versa. My gut reaction to these reports is that the real source of the problem is the North Carolina STATE government abdicating its responsibility to the FEDS. I might be wrong, but something tells me this is the core issue at hand.
I want to start the Day seven conversation with something I am very familiar with. This is the phase when shock, turns to frustration, turns to a sense of being simply overwhelmed. This is the phase when critical fellowship is THE MOST important aspect to recovery operations.
As the adrenalin subsides, there will likely be a great deal of despondency, as people succumb to dark imaginings, get angry psychologically, and with empty reserves of hope begin to express thoughts on the anger side of their mental ledger.
Try not to focus on the whispers that want you to look at the impossible horizon. Instead, with a heart of God filled fortitude, force your gaze at the 2 feet around you and work that problem… then the next two feet… then the next two feet, etc. etc.
If you are a relief worker, GIVE GRACE, and an ear, to every voice that is shouting despair. Let them cry through the apex of their desperation, until they can pause to encounter your shoulder. Then GIVE HOPE. At the core, this is what makes Samaritans Purse so effective. They live this creed as they elevate much more than just crushed stuff. Day #7 is a day to remember the focus on soul food and the nutrition of fellowship.
GOD is all around YOU! WATCH:
If you have 5 minutes, PLEASE watch this.
This woman loaded her family up to go help the flood victims in TN and NC.
This is such an amazing story.
When things get tough, Patriots show up!!!
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/5iFRW9vuqK
— AmericanPapaBear (@AmericaPapaBear) October 2, 2024
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Just keep going. Sometimes the knights in shining armor appear wearing jeans, overalls and boots. It doesn’t take an emergency beacon to activate them, just a need… and they come. Purposefully, without condition, ready to move, activate and respond.
Look and see them. This is the army that matters, the Christian America we know well.