in World News Politicians Are Hindering Rescue Efforts in North Carolina, and One Rescuer Has Had Enough
by Chris Queen
The devastation that Tropical Storm Helene inflicted on western North Carolina is still heartbreaking several days after the storm has passed. Countless North Carolinians are stranded in the mountains and valleys of that part of the state, many of them without medications or other things that they need to survive.
Towns and cities like Asheville are dealing with widespread damage and power outages. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has several road and trail closures, even as U.S. 441, the main highway between Cherokee and Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge/Sevierville, remains open and passable.
It’s hard to describe how difficult people in North Carolina have it, but this Facebook post explains some if it:
The terrain and the damage have made rescue efforts difficult, but that hasn’t stopped people from trying. However, bureaucrats are hindering these efforts, and they’re often passing the blame between local, state, and federal entities.
One Florida entrepreneur who has been trying to rescue people for several days vented his frustrations in an Instagram video on Tuesday. Jonathan Howard has been working on rescue efforts since over the weekend, and he didn’t hold back in explaining what’s going on. You can watch the video here, but I didn’t embed it because of the profanity.
“I try not to cuss but I am just so mad at the lack of Government support and I need people to hear how desperate this situation is,” Howard wrote in his caption. “I don’t have time to be nice or gentle right now. People are literally dying by the day here and it can all be fixed with Helicopters. It’s like our Government wants these people to die. They’re so incompetent, disorganized, and dishonest it’s disgusting.”
Howard is a member of the Florida State Guard Special Missions Unit, and he has been working with a non-profit called Aerial Recovery to help save lives. But he’s running into infuriating bureaucratic brick walls.
“I’m gonna tell you everything that’s happening from the ground, what I’m actually seeing because what they’re telling you is complete bulls**t on the news, and these politicians don’t have a f***ing clue and they’re lying,” he began.