How Presidents and Governors collaborated in Disaster Relief

• Hurricane Ian is predicted to impact Florida’s Gulf Coast this Wednesday.
• Governors often work directly with the White House in times of disasters and rely on federal resources from the government.
• We take a look at the disaster relief efforts of the three previous presidents and what Biden can do to address this crisis with DeSantis.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is one of President Joe Biden’s most vocal critics. He has attacked Biden’s character. Pandemic strategyHis immigration policy and Encourage congressional RepublicansTo go after his government if they gain the US House during November’s midterms.

But there are other things. Hurricane IanDeSantis gains strength to strike Florida’s Gulf Coast. He may have to stop politics and rely on the federal government to provide disaster assistance.

DeSantis rejected federal aid previously: The Associated Press, 2021 reportedThe governor rejected funding for the American Rescue Plan. It included $1 billion for an Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund. The governor claimed the funding had strings attached — such as parts of it only being accessible through grants — that made it unusable, per the outlet. 

Ian — which could become a Category 4 storm — will be DeSantis’ First major hurricaneOnly six weeks to go before Election Day.  

Earlier Tuesday, Biden So called the mayors of Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater, Florida, to discuss preparations for Ian including evacuation efforts — but not DeSantis.

But, Tuesday eveningKarine Jean-Pierre is White House Press Secretary TweetBiden and DeSantis met to discuss federal government steps to aid Florida. She stated that the President and Governor had agreed to continue close coordination. 

The White House has the ability to call FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) during an emergency. FEMA is responsible for recovering from the effects of natural disasters.

It can also be invoked Stafford ActThe act allows the governor of a state to authorize the use by the military in disaster relief operations. The act empowers the president of the United States to provide federal aid to states affected by natural or manmade disasters.

Here’s how the presidents of the past three decades worked together with governors to aid in disaster relief efforts.

George W. Bush and Kathleen Babineaux Blanco

2005 Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans, Louisiana, killing at least 1,800 people. displacingNearly one million people are at risk of property damage. Over $125 billion was totaled.The shelter was home to more than 20,000 people SuperdomeThey were trapped for several weeks at the NFL stadium. 

Michael D. Brown was the FEMA head days after Katrina. admittedOn live television, he said that his agency had just heard of the thousands of people living without food and water at the Superdome. 

In the days to follow, the Bush administration drew intense criticismFor its slow response. 

Instead of going to the ground to help the relief effort, George W. Bush chose to stay home. FlyAir Force One flew over the region. As he looked up, he said “It is devastating.” According to The Washington Post. “It has to be twice as devastating on the ground.”

Ray Nagin, New Orleans Democratic mayor The White House was blasted, saying: “They flew down here one time two days after the doggone event was over with TV cameras, AP reporters, all kind of goddamn — excuse my French everybody in America, but I am pissed,” he said.

Democratic Gov. Kathleen Babineaux BlancoAccording to her, the state’s despair was made more severe by a Republican-led White House that wanted to put the blame on someone else for its failure disaster response. She said, “There was just too much pain.”

Barack Obama, Chris Christie

The response of former President Barack Obama Hurricane Sandy2012 was a fast year. 2012 was a fast year. Day beforeObama issued emergency declarations in New Jersey for Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts and New York after the storm struck.

FEMA was able to use the declarations. Transfer resources directlyPrepare for the storm by contacting state, tribal, and local organizations. More than $1.2B was spent on housing assistance. This includes costs for temporary housing as well as repairs to property damaged.

The hurricane caused $70 billion of damage and killed 285 people. Obama and the New Jersey Republican Governor visited the coast to assess the damage. Chris Christie A bond formed that was unlikely. 

These photos show the two sides side-by. Christie “I want to say thank you to the president for coming today,” he said. It is very important that the president of the United States acknowledges all the suffering happening in New Jersey. I appreciate this greatly.” 

The New York Times reportedRepublican leaders were not happy with Christie’s praise for Obama. They were offended by how close he worked alongside the president.

A White House pool report says that Obama told survivors at Brigantine shelter that his governor was working overtime to ensure that everyone can return to normal as soon as possible.

Donald Trump and Carmen Yulín Cruz

In 2017, three major hurricanes struck in the space of two months under former President Donald Trump: Hurricane Harvey in Houston and Hurricane Irma (Florida), and Hurricane Maria (Puerto Rico). 

Harvey was one of the costliest disastersin the US, and one the first serious crises that his presidency has faced. Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley from Iowa Trump called out on TwitterTo “keep on top” of the hurricane, and to warn him not to “make that same mistake as President Bush with Katrina.”

Given his previous experience, there were questions about whether Trump would be able to handle the situation properly. “zero disaster-response experience,”Matt Mackowiak is a Texas-based Republican strategist. 

Trump has received criticism for his actions. DownplayingClimate change was a contributing factor to Harvey and Irma’s intensity, but it was nothing in comparison to the criticism he received for the way his White House dealt with Hurricane Maria.

The White House did not make many PreparationsFEMA took weeks to mobilize all of its resources for the island in the days preceding the storm.

Despite Nearly 3,000 people die each yearFormer president refers to his administration’s handling as “incredibly successful.”

He also Tossing paper towelsDuring a trip to the territory, you will see many survivors. 

Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz of San Juan, Puerto Rico, who led her city’s response during Maria, blasted Trump’s claim, saying: “The president keeps To make matters worseI find his words to be deplorable. They don’t even have any connection to reality.”

Trump during Hurricane Dorian 2019, Modifications to a mapThe National Hurricane Center supports his efforts. False claimDorian was following Alabama. This incident was called SharpiegateThe Category 5 stormInstead, the Bahamas was devastated. 

Joe Biden and Ron DeSantis

Although President Joe Biden has had to face a few hurricanes, such as Nicholas and Ida in 2021 so far, he appears to be actively preparing for the potential damage caused by Ian. 

On September 18, Hurricane FionaPuerto Rico was ravaged by the hurricane, causing widespread flooding and blackouts. As the storm approached Biden declared an emergency. ordering federal assistance to supplement disaster response efforts.

An estimated 746,000 homes, and businesses, were still without power as of Monday. According to Reuters. The White House provided this information Additional support, Approving 100% retroactive federal funding for debris removal, emergency protective actions, and direct federal aid for 30 days.

As Hurricane Ian inches toward Florida, FEMA AnnouncementFederal emergency assistance would be available to complement the state, tribal and local response efforts.