Tag Archives: disaster declaration

medical news

Can a ‘snake’ get a presidential disaster declaration?

I am getting this sick feeling in my gut about how Donald Trump might react to a request from a governor he recently called a “snake.”

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is asking the president to issue a federal disaster declaration for the state that once was known as Ground Zero for the coronavirus pandemic that has wrapped itself around the world. Ground Zero in this country has shifted to New York City; the worldwide location is in Italy.

Inslee also was a Democratic candidate for president and said some unkind things about Donald Trump. I guess the president holds a grudge. Vice President Mike Pence took a trip out west to see the pandemic damage for himself and made some supportive statements about the job Inslee is doing to lead his state in its fight against the coronavirus.

Trump’s reaction? Pence can say those nice things, Trump said. “I don’t have to.” He called Inslee a “snake” and a “terrible governor.”

Now Inslee is asking the president for help. My gut is telling me that Trump is going to allow his anger at Inslee to keep him from doing the right thing and making the declaration, which would expedite federal assistance to one of our 50 states that is in dire need of it.

Say it ain’t so, Mr. POTUS.

local news

City, FEMA haggle over disaster aid

(AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Parrish Velasco) 

Dallas got clobbered on Oct. 20 by a tornado that tore through the city, causing considerable damage totaling something well north of $35 million.

The city is asking the Federal Emergency Management Agency for federal help as the city seeks to rebuild from Mother Nature’s wrath.

FEMA is balking. The feds are insisting that the damage level doesn’t rise to the level of a presidential disaster declaration. Local officials argue that, au contraire, it certainly does reach that level.

The feds say the city must suffer at least $38.5 million in damage for FEMA to seek a disaster declaration. According to the Dallas Morning News, Elizabeth Reich, the city’s chief financial officer, said the disaster totals have surpassed $45 million.

Good grief, FEMA. The city needs help. Schools have been forced to close because the tornado destroyed their structures; children have been uprooted and sent to other schools far from their neighborhoods; their families have been traumatized.

Isn’t the federal government supposed to respond to communities such as Dallas that have been ravaged by forces well beyond human control?

One issue appears to be the city’s street signal system, which reportedly is outdated. The storm knocked many of the signals out. FEMA doesn’t want to help the city cover the deductible costs it would incur by trying to restore service to the signals as well as begin work on repair all the damage that the storm inflicted.

In my view, FEMA is quibbling with a stricken major American city’s public officials.

As the DMN reported: “It seems as if this should be declared a disaster,” said Reich. “It clearly has been for the community, and it will take a long time to recover. We need all the help from our federal partners we can get.”

Well, FEMA, are you there for the city … or not?