U.S. Airmen clear roads in Florida, after the landfall of Hurricane Helene, Sept. 27, 2024 -- The National Guard, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
By Global News Service
The U.S. South is contending with the trail of destruction left by Hurricane Helene, which has devastated the region, including the states of North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina, moving across the Central Gulf Coast and reaching the southern Appalachian region. The extent of damage is only beginning to be revealed now as the death toll climbs to more than 130 people, with hundreds more still missing, according to an Associated Press September 30 report.
Some of the most impoverished areas of the U.S. are contending with what could amount to up to $160 billion in damages and economic loss. More than 1 million people are still without power.
Despite the unprecedented level of devastation, the federal money to deal with disaster relief appears to have run out.
Thanks to the efforts of conservative lawmakers, the recently passed funding bill excluded disaster aid, even the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which has depleted funds for the second year in a row, has run out of money before the peak of hurricane season.
This is despite the fact that members of Congress left Washington two days earlier than planned precisely because of the hurricane. This includes conservative lawmakers from Florida, Senator Rick Scott and Representative Matt Gaetz, who both opposed FEMA funding or skipped the vote to be in Florida ahead of the hurricane.
Congress is now in recess, but there is a possibility that lawmakers will cut their breaks short to provide special funding for disaster relief.
from the Peoples Dispatch / Globetrotter News Service
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