Communities Across the Country Are Still Reeling from Natural Disasters Suffered Under Biden
Can you bring us up to date on what’s happening to people from the Maui fires, the East Palestine, Ohio, train spill, and Virginia + other states from hurricanes?
Obviously, a lot has happened since the Biden administration and other Democratic functionaries bungled multiple reactions to disasters, natural and manmade. President Donald Trump promised that, as best he could, he would try to put them right. So, what’s been going on there?
The situation in Maui is probably the most dire and pressing. The 2023 wildfires, which devastated the city of Lahaina, Hawaii — and were widely blamed on governmental incompetence, such as firefighters who were on lunch break and stayed there while the fires gathered unstoppable momentum — has presented pressing issues for both local and federal officials.
As of February, The Washington Post reported, only six homes had been rebuilt in 18 months despite the fact that over 2,200 structures burned in the fires. Part of the issue is clearing debris and restoring basic services, but there’s also the hurdles that getting permits to rebuild and the high cost of housing in the area generally.
“We’re at the point now where we should have been a year ago,” said Warren Freeland, whose family owned the now-destroyed Pioneer Inn.
According to the Associated Press, Maui wildfire survivors are getting an additional year of housing assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. And, in good news, the final debris was cleared from a commercial property in Lahaina in February, as well — ahead of schedule, at least for Maui County.
Part of the issue has been a huge gap between the amount of money needed to rebuild and that which has been allocated; the AP reported in February that Hawaii’s Supreme Court ruled insurance companies couldn’t bring certain legal actions, allowing for a $4 billion settlement to move forward despite the insurers’ recalcitrance.
As for the February 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, where hazardous chemicals — including vinyl chloride — were spilled and released into the environment and where the Biden administration seemed to want the whole thing to go away, there are some developments, both positive and negative.
As of April, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported that “[s]pot excavations at the east end of the derailment site are complete.
“Crews removed 2-butoxyethanol and installed more monitoring wells. Monitoring will ensure excavations were a success and no threat remains to the wetlands or human health,” the report read.
Furthermore, the bulletin stated that “EPA staff provided a comprehensive update on the response during the East Palestine Village Council meeting on March 24,” indicating continued involvement by the Trump administration in the mitigation efforts from the disaster.
Also, it’s worth noting that days after Trump took office, East Palestine and Norfolk Southern reached a settlement on claims related to the derailment that amounted to $22 million, the Associated Press reported.
However, in early May, the AP also noted that the school district in East Palestine filed a lawsuit, which “adds to doubts about the railroad’s commitment after plans for a student wellness center and athletic complex stalled. Some residents also point to Norfolk Southern’s attempts to force other companies to help pay for its $600 million class-action settlement and its agreement to abandon a training center for first responders that was meant to help the village recover.”
As for the damage from Hurricanes Helene and Milton — which wreaked havoc across Virginia, Florida, and North Carolina — progress has been slow but steady.
In western North Carolina, hit hardest by Helene, the North Carolina House passed a funding package worth $465 million on May 22, according to the AP, which is about half of what the state’s Democratic governor asked for — although the Republican-controlled General Assembly had begun work on the bill before Gov. Josh Stein’s request.
Meanwhile, Florida — hit by both storms — is suing FEMA for failing to provide prompt aid to the state in the wake of the hurricanes in part due to the fact that the then-Democratic administration saw nothing to gain in a state where little was expected to swing. Specifically, according to The Center Square, allegations were made that there was a “conspiracy to discriminate” against certain hurricane victims because there were Trump signs or flags in or around their household.
Virginia seems to be doing best out of the three states; a major milestone was realized just last week when a section of Rt. 58 — a critical east-west highway that runs the entire length of the state — destroyed by Helene was reopened months ahead of schedule, according to a state media release.
“In a true testament to the strength of our local workforce and the resilience of the people of Southwest Virginia, we were able to complete the project faster than expected and at a lower cost,” Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin said.
“Today is not just about restoring infrastructure and rebuilding roads, we are also rebuilding communities, livelihoods, and hope.”
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