FEMA gets worse reviews

Communiqué from the disaster area – and a bad review for FEMA

CNAV will begin with a direct, eyewitness report from a source on the ground, who prefers to remain anonymous. This source is a retired Army Reserve officer, and all her friends are military veterans. So she’s no shrinking violet – but she is terrifically angry, and so are her friends.

Good people, those of you who might have thought of me and been concerned about my welfare here–I’ve got power and comms back now. For those who don’t know where I live, I was right dead center in Hurricane Helene’s crosshairs: Western North Carolina, 20 miles NW of Asheville.

[Bless His Holy Name], I am alive and my home is intact. Power means I’ve got water again–thankfully, I have a well. Anyone on public water won’t be seeing a drip from a faucet for a very long time. My voice mail is full and I’m working my way through it. The first nine messages are storm updates from Duke Energy, but there are 30+ more, and I’ll get to them and return calls when possible.

You can get first hand, live, real-time coverage of Helene in WNC on https://wwnc.iheart.com/ [Radio Station WWNC-AM, 570 kHz]. Our local TV channel is https://wlos.com/ [WLOS-TV, Channel 13, ABC-TV, Raleigh, N.C.]. Power and comms are iffy, so sometimes they go off the air briefly, but God bless Elon Musk for sending planeloads of Starlinks to keep our radio station lifeline on the air, and for rescue/recovery and relief operations. Without them, we’d be in bigger trouble.

I am fortunate–my critters and I are alive and my house is intact. I’m at the dead end of a deep cove, protected by a high ridge on three sides. Lots of trees down, but none hit my house or barn. Barn might still get washed out–it’s in the middle of the flood plain for the whole mountain. I haven’t been able to get out on foot to survey my whole property yet, but I’ve only lost about a tenth of a mile of my driveway, fully half washed out but passable. High-clearance, 4X4 vehicles can get in. I drive a heavy-duty, off-road, diesel F250. As soon as the water runs off, I’ll tackle what I can with my tractor, but it will take at least 60-80 tons of road bond to repair it. Now that I’ve got power and water, I’ll offer to take in horses and donkeys that needed to be evacuated.

My next door neighbors on top of the mountain had trees fall on their vehicles, but apparently missed the house. I haven’t been able to get up there yet—their 1/4-mile-long driveway is washed out, but another neighbor got up there on a tractor to check on them. The farmers at the delta opening of the cove had serious damage–trees down, crops destroyed, but it looks like their homes are largely intact. They lost all their silage corn and hay, major erosion of their fields. Loads of hay and grain for livestock are being shipped in from as far as Canada, but it’s going to be a struggle if we have a hard winter. Our new bridge held—the old one was badly damaged by Hurricane/Tropical Storm Fred a couple years ago… a dress rehearsal for Helene. The creek is normally a couple feet wide and a few inches deep–it transformed into a torrent a hundred yards wide and covering the bridge.

A friend of mine, a 100% disabled veteran (IED on the road to Baghdad), and her husband, also a combat vet, bought their dream home on 7 acres with a creek running through it in bucolic Sandy Mush a few miles from me. They’d just got their barn and fences built, and moved their horses in when Helene hit. Their beautiful seven acres are now three.

I’ve completely lost track of days. I’ve heard that my Chabad House miraculously survived what is described as Biblical flooding here, and that with no power or water, Rabbi powered through his middle daughter’s bat mitzvah and High Holiday services with a handful of people who could get there. l missed Rosh Hashanah services and the bat mitzvah, but God willing and the creeks don’t rise any more, I’ll be there for Yom Kippur services. Can’t risk driving at night for Kol Nidre—trees and power poles are still falling, and sink holes are developing without warning in roadways. Some roads have fallen off the mountain.

I ran out of gas for my generator three days into this nightmare. All the gas stations were closed–those that still had gas had no power to pump it. My freezer and fridge were defrosting all over my kitchen floor when a team of Maccabean warriors arrived in an F350 loaded with survival goods from Chabad Charlotte, three hours away. They gave me 5 gallons of gas and 3 cases of water, and offered to help me clear some of my downed trees, etc. here. I fired up my generator again to refreeze my freezer–frozen mush is easier to clean out than melted, stinking mush.

FEMA is getting really bad reviews here. Terrible. So far all I’ve heard that they’ve done is ordering volunteer pilots, search and medical teams out of the state on threat of arrest and seizure of licenses. FEDGOV wants to be the only hero. None of these volunteer teams are operating like Lone Rangers—they all coordinate through local authorities.

Here the witness reveals that local civilians and volunteers are very angry with the performance of FEMA in this matter. CNAV will, after Mark Twain, “close the curtain of charity” on the witness’ exact words.

From what I hear, the local WNC Red Cross is busting their collective butts—I know the leadership from the County Veterans Council (I represent MOAA on it.) Donations specifying “WNC Red Cross” stay in WNC. Local churches, volunteer fire departments, National Guard, American Legion and VFW, horse & mule owners, and private pilots are leading the relief and rescue ops. The Army has sent aviation and ground support from Ft. Bragg. Volunteer kitchens and distribution points have sprung up everywhere. People with wells are supplying water to all comers. People with power are charging cell phones for all comers. People with nothing left are helping others. New shelters continue open up. The Asheville and Hendersonville hospitals have power now, but no water—tanker trucks are supplying it in the parking lots. I don’t know the situation of the hospitals in the next county. One old boy has only one 5-gal gas can and an old truck—he calls the radio station every time he can refill the can to find out who needs it. Now that I’ve got power and water, I’m trying to reach friends without to invite them to come to my house to do their laundry.

Potable water is the biggest need, followed by water for flushing toilets. Temps next week are supposed to drop to the 30s-40s around here—clothing collection is shifting to warm clothes and blankets. Doctors, veterinarians, lawyers, mechanics, all kinds of professionals are providing free services to anyone who needs them. Two free clinics for repairing chainsaws and generators have set up in the area. Some of the restaurants that were destroyed set up kitchens in their parking lots or the street to provide free meals as long as the supplies last. The biggest grocery chain here lost their entire warehouse, but they’ve managed to open a few stores to offer whatever goods they can get. My nearest grocery/pharmacy opened back up yesterday for a few hours—they let people in ten at a time to buy whatever they had, cash only. I’ve been out of my antibiotics and BP meds for a week—they were able to fill my VA prescriptions. Last I heard yesterday, my VA hospital is still out of operation. Open pharmacies are filling anybody’s prescription regardless of whose customer they are.

Hundreds of our roads are closed and bridges gone. Volunteers are packing with mules into the mountains to find survivors. Appalachian Trail hikers and mountain climbers have come in to aid in searches and relief missions up in the mountains—I heard one of them on the radio this morning that they’ve been able. Missing persons count in my county is down to about 300—two old ladies were found alive today. County fatality count as of yesterday was more than 70.

Funeral homes and morgues are either damaged, out of power or destroyed. Refrigerated trucks have been brought in to store the bodies.

To get an idea of what it’s like here right now, read my friend Bill Forstchen’s One Second After trilogy. It happens to be set right here in our mountains.

To put that citation into perspective, One Second After depicts a North Carolina town suffering from the elimination of modern technology from an electromagnetic pulse attack. In short, this witness just told us that the situation is apocalyptic.

Hurricane/Tropical Storm Fred a couple years ago was a dress rehearsal for Helene.

Of course, the scammers and con men are already here in force. Local radio every hour carries warnings from [Law Enforcement] about them.

One of the amazing things is local radio—it’s been a true lifeline. The first three days the only broadcast was from just two guys trapped in the station. Slowly more staff made it in—their road was blocked by more than 150 uprooted big trees and downed power lines. By the fifth day they had enough staff in to run shifts, and all the local stations merged for the duration. They start the morning shift off with the national anthem. Probably in defiance of federal law, they have local clergy delivering prayers at the end of every shift—lovely, eloquent prayers. I don’t know if our two local rabbis have volunteered. One is a Marxist, but maybe my Chabad rabbi will if asked. I’ll try to be a liaison.

Elon Musk, God bless him, donated Starlink to the station—the only way the radio has stayed on the air. He’s donated a lot more Starlinks to local government and rescue/relief ops since lat week. A Godsend.

Historic towns and villages dating back to Colonial days are GONE. Erased from the map.

Reliable places that I know of at the moment to donate for WNC relief are:

* Chabad Charlotte

* Hearts With Hands (local Christian org)

* Samaritan’s Purse (Rev. Franklin Graham)

* Mercury One (Glenn Beck’s organization–I heard they were here or on the way Day Two)

Sorry for the rambling, disorganized account. Thanks for caring.

God bless and [Happy High Holidays], Anonymous

Why is FEMA falling down on the job?

Tom Renz, attorney and podcaster, shared his own article giving documentary proof that FEMA has been helping illegal aliens at the expense of the native-born. Last week, SecHomeSec Alejandro Mayorkas said FEMA hasn’t the funds to last the hurricane season. The legacy media are trying to deny the reason: that FEMA has been helping illegal aliens. Renz has the documents, showing the flow of money through the agency’s Shelter and Services program.

Then Renz shared a post he made on X last Friday. Apparently Vice-President Kamala Harris approved an emergency appropriation of $17,085,000 for Western North Carolina hurricane relief. But 19,102 people have applied for the program, each representing a household. That works out to $894 per household.

BREAKING: Harris has approved about $894 per HOUSEHOLD for North Carolinians to rebuild their lives. Ukrainians have received about $4605 PER PERSON!

Don’t worry North Carolina – Kamal Harris really cares about you. As you can see 19,102 people applied for help from FEMA and… pic.twitter.com/dOxGXrVA2U— Tom Renz (@RenzTom) October 5, 2024

What’s worse, the $750 per person Harris mentioned last week, is a loan. Failure to repay it will result in confiscation of real estate.

🚨BREAKING: Hurricane victims are now realizing that the $750 from FEMA that Kamala Harris is offering them is actually a loan, not real relief. And that if they don’t pay it back the feds can seize their property. These people don’t even have property anymore because of the…— Philip Anderson (@VoteHarrisOut) October 5, 2024

Another witness shared a page from the FEMA site that seems to confirm this user’s statement:

🚨 Beware of FEMA’s $750 "Assistance" 🚨

FEMA offers $750 in quick disaster aid, but here's the catch: if you later get insurance for the same expenses, you must pay FEMA back. That "help" could come back to bite you. 💸 pic.twitter.com/yexjqIwPOt— Apple Lamps (@lamps_apple) October 5, 2024

Alarmed, FEMA’s spokeswoman, Jacklyn Rothenberg, denied the repayment obligation. CNAV shares the denial to put FEMA on record in case any attempted “clawback” by them lands in the courts.

This is not true. We do not ask for this money back. https://t.co/P4D9edAD8g— Jaclyn Rothenberg (@FEMAspox) October 5, 2024

In fact, “Vlawgger” Viva Frei noticed that Ms. Rothenberg locked her account over the weekend. It is unlocked at time of preparation.

How in the hell does the Director of public affairs of FEMA lock their Twitter account during an emergency? @jaclynroth pic.twitter.com/kMCIQxBAcI— Viva Frei (@thevivafrei) October 5, 2024

“A feckless, vindictive, weaponized federal government”

This morning, Col. John Mills USA (retired) noticed that the Rotherberg account was unlocked. But he noticed that more than half the posts on it are reposts of attacks on Trump, “lessons on disinformation,” and accusations of disinformation. Mills reiterated almost everything CNAV mentioned about FEMA’s poor performance last Friday. He told similar stories of FEMA nonperformance – or malfeasance – on Maui and in East Palestine, Ohio.

Yesterday, Lara Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee, appeared on CNN’s State of the Union with hostess Dana Bash. The program’s managing editors boasted that Bash called Lara Trump out on “President Trump’s false claims.”

.@DanaBashCNN presses @LaraLeaTrump on former President Donald Trump’s false claims about the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. pic.twitter.com/4RMAPKbllZ— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) October 6, 2024

But influencer Eric Abbenante had a different take, as did Cullen Linebarger of The Gateway Pundit, who provided a transcript.

BASH: He said that FEMA is only offering $750 to Americans who have had their homes destroyed. That’s not true. He’s also echoing conspiracy theorists online who say the administration is redirecting disaster money to undocumented immigrants. That’s also not true. Why is he spreading misinformation in a crisis like this and does this concern you about your fellow North Carolinians and how they can get help?

TRUMP: I’m incredibly concerned. In North Carolina, I hear every day from people on the ground there, and they are desperate for help. It is a dire situation there. I actually think we don’t even know the extent yet of truly how bad it is there. And look, Kamala Harris did come out and say it‘s $750 per family right now. The idea that we’ve spent $650 million in fiscal year 2024 on the migrant crisis that Kamala Harris was responsible for stopping — by all accounts, she created — by having an open-door policy at our southern border.

BASH: But Lara, let me just stop you right there. Let me just stop you right there because I just want to not let this get out there. You are right that FEMA is giving $750, but that is a first step. It’s for immediate needs; it’s called serious needs assistance.

TRUMP: Well, Alejandro Mayorkas came out, Dana, and said they are out of money in terms of their hurricane relief. We have another hurricane heading towards Florida right now. Why is this government inept right now? Why don’t they have anything in order? Why is it that right now, the citizens in western North Carolina are screaming for help, and it’s having to come from local citizens?

BASH: It is bad there. But my question is about the misinformation, particularly the notion that they are moving money to, you say, undocumented migrants, which FEMA says flatly is not true. If people are not getting correct information, then they can’t go for assistance.

TRUMP: You have migrants being housed in luxury hotels in New York City! We have paid so much money from our tax dollars into the crisis that didn’t need to happen. We could redirect money to help people immediately on the ground in North Carolina.

At this point, Dana Bash said lamely, “That’s a separate tranche of money.” In other words, “we refuse to redirect the funds.”

Lara Trump forces Dana Bash to admit Democrats allocated a much larger sum of money for illegals than Americans in need of disaster relief post Hurricane Helene:
Lara Trump: "Kamala Harris did come out and say 750 dollars per family. The idea that we've spent 650 million dollars… pic.twitter.com/PYnIdaDtw5— Eric Abbenante (@EricAbbenante) October 6, 2024

This shows that the federal government is not the only “feckless, vindictive, weaponized” institution. Those words also apply to the legacy media.

Time to grow up

In this election season, the Biden-Harris administration is trying to appeal to the young. As it happens, the strongest appeal they have is that they will make abortion legal nationwide again. In short, theirs is an appeal to a desire to continue to live irresponsibly.

CNAV begs leave to suggest that it is time for these young people to grow up. No doubt those in western North Carolina (except maybe the city of Asheville) had to grow up fast. Of course, that doesn’t apply to those whose bodies now dangle from trees.

If Gov. Roy Cooper (D-N.C.) had declared an emergency as swiftly as did Govs. Glenn Youngkin (R-Va.), Brian Kemp (R-Ga.), Bill Lee (R-Tenn.), Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), and Henry McMaster (R-S.C.), many of those whose bodies now dangle from trees would still be alive. And why did Gov. Cooper refuse to cut mission orders for a thousand National Guardsmen?

CNAV’s source on the ground confirms that Western North Carolina is on its own resources, and those of its people. If all that had happened was that the money had run out, while FEMA gave to illegal aliens, that would be bad enough. But we’ve reason to believe that the government is working against those people – perhaps because they are “too white.” Was David Axelrod talking about that when he mentioned that those people wouldn’t be able to vote? Let the youth of America think about that – and whether they really signed on for that.