Hurricane Laura is the first big hurricane to hit the southern region of the United States. According to CNN, Laura first made her landfall appearance on August 27, 2020. Within 24 hours before reaching the shores in Texas and Louisiana, the sustainment of winds were over 150 mph, with even higher gusts of wind as it approached the shore.
The storm surge from the National Hurricane Center, there was an estimated 12 to 21 feet of height in advance to the storm. The Washington Post states on the cover of the 8/28/20 paper, “Louisiana suffered ‘tremendous devastation’ at height of Hurricane Laura’s power” leaving a total of over $25 million in damage. Combined with Texas and Louisiana, the estimated damages are about $12 billion.
As of August 31st, the death toll in the United States was up to 16 people. The Washington Post reports that there were more than 910,000 people that were left without power or electricity after the hurricane hit the mainland.
President Trump and others from Washington D.C. visited parts Louisiana that were deeply affected by the storm's power this previous Saturday. The president said while he was there “I am here to support the great people of Louisiana, it’s been a tremendous state for me. I love the people”. He helped send the Army National Guard to Louisiana to evacuate the citizens of the state before the impact. As of 8/28, the LANG helped evacuate over 2,000 people and 20 animals before Hurricane Laura’s impact. While he was there, he made a comforting speech to the people of Louisiana about how they bounced back after the damage of Hurricane Katrina nearly 15 years to the day. He has made no further explicit details about what he and the others are doing to insure the people of Louisiana of their safety and well-being during this time. It makes you wonder, what are some of the things that he is going to do to help these people that are in desperate need of help. Is he acting fast, or is he waiting until after the election to he;lp them out.
First, thank you Jameson Hall for bringing up the damages of hurricane Laura and talking about the help that went on after the hit. According to ABC News, the death count is up to 25. For a Category 4, this is low compared to others such as Hurricane Harvey back in 2017 that claimed the lives of 68 directly. There are a lot of good and swift support groups such as going around in support of hurricane relief. This brings me to my next point. President Trump prepared for the natural disaster. Through FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), declarations were made out to Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas. He deployed the Coast Guard as well as their state's National Guard to help out. I do not see a cause for Mr. Trump to wait until after the election to help the people of Louisiana as this would only make him more favorable in votes.
ReplyDeleteSources:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/hurricane-laura-death-toll-louisiana-rises-25-72850366
https://www.cnn.com/2013/05/31/world/americas/hurricane-statistics-fast-facts/index.html
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-briefing-hurricane-laura-fema-headquarters/
While I think it's great that President Trump went to visit Louisiana after the hurricane, I still think there is more that can be done. He hasn't truly responded to the natural disaster. The Washington Post states that Trump criticized President Obama for continuing his campaign when victims of Hurricane Sandy were still suffering. After Hurricane Laura, Trump hypocritically continued his campaign decreeing that the show must go on. Also, his response to this natural disaster highlights the amount of times he has had no plan whatsoever. Many events that have needed immediate response have been either delayed or been treated with denial. For example, his lack of a plan to defend the nation against coronavirus has caused permanent damage to the country. Hopefully the response to Hurricane Laura will be different, and he will come up with a plan to ease the suffering of the victims. -Kirstyn M
ReplyDeletehttps://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/08/26/hurricane-laura-looms-trump-is-again-man-without-plan/