When Misinformation Cancels Hope
... the human spirit fights back, to rebuild and heal
October 5, 2024
Even though my town in Western North Carolina escaped the worst of Helene, it’s hard to find words to fit what so many of us feel as we try to help those who lost homes, cars, belongings, businesses, and even lives.
In my county, two neighborhoods were evacuated. Today some power and cell service is still out. Many people still rely on the bottled water, cooked meals, medications, shelter, clothing, groceries and other supplies donated by generous people, organizations and businesses.
But, like the mountain roads in my county and others where the earth under the pavement has been washed away in a landslide, a hidden, negative presence is working to destroy the human spirit and the recovery effort itself.
I’m not alone in my dismay that responders’ heroic efforts have been attacked by rumors that government aid is missing.
The reality is that for days we’ve seen with our own eyes a constant stream of helicopters, rescue vehicles, earth-moving equipment, supply trucks, and lots of hand-written signs for free meals and supplies. And our local and state Election Boards are working to clear the way for a safe Election for all voters everywhere.
Whether this storm has been a news report for the world, an inconvenience for some, or an incomprehensible tragedy for many others, if you have any sense of empathy you honor the truth: that families, neighbors and strangers, and government agencies have all come together to do what is humanly possible to set the world right, for the well-being of everyone.
All residents who have been affected by this devastation must be grateful for the government's swift ft and competent response as it has been proof of government at its best! To witness the many individuals and communities who have been generous in their help and support has also been awesome. But without the government and its massive resources, our communities would remain in great tragedy. Thank you, Deda, for an important and timely post.
Thanks for this Deda. While I do think we should try to stay positive, we also need to be aware of misinformation and recognize disingenuous spin. My congressman Chuck Edwards sent me this in his email update--clearly trying to take credit for what he wants to imply was not done by Biden :
"Directly after the storm hit, I was hearing from county after county that FEMA and the state were not filling their food and water needs quick enough and there was barely any cell service. After trying to work through FEMA and NC Emergency Management with little luck, I demanded the White House immediately get three pallets of water and two pallets of meals, ready to eat (MREs) delivered to each of our seven, hardest hit counties, and 20 pallets of MREs and 20 pallets of water for Buncombe County to hold them over until state resources were finally delivered.
All 75 pallets were delivered same day. I also demanded temporary cell tower assets be deployed to the six counties with the worst-off communication systems. All six locations also received at least one temporary cell service asset same day with some counties, like Haywood County, seeing more than one asset deployed after my request.
I’ve delivered seven box trucks to Buncombe County to disburse resources from their central distribution center, secured an FAA operator to help regulate air traffic at Rutherford County Airport, helped the Murphy Fire Department get their assignment number through NC Emergency Management so they could deploy to Henderson County, delivered dozens of truckloads worth of food and water amongst our hardest hit counties, expedited county requests for critical assets, and more. I will continue to support our community in any way that I can."