Hurricane “Helen” has come and gone, and in its wake, Hurricane “Milton” has arrived.
In just half a month, two hurricanes have struck, highlighting the perilous and ruthless nature of this year’s storm season in the U.S. However, the slow progress of relief efforts, the suffering of affected residents, and the political squabbling among rival politicians have revealed an even darker side to this natural disaster, coinciding with the American election season.
“I feel forgotten,” one resident lamented.
On September 26, Hurricane “Helen,” a Category 4 storm, made landfall in Florida and moved northward, wreaking havoc in North Carolina, Georgia, and surrounding states, leading to over 236 deaths. This makes it the deadliest hurricane on the continental U.S. since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
As recovery efforts struggled to take shape amidst the debris, Hurricane “Milton,” categorized as a Category 3 storm, hit Florida’s central west coast on the night of October 9. This new storm has already claimed at least 17 lives across the state, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warning that the death toll could continue to rise.
The arrival of “Milton” has compounded the challenges in the disaster-stricken areas, with fallen trees, damaged bridges, collapsed homes, and widespread lack of water and power.
In response to the destruction, the Biden administration declared major disaster states, enabling the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate disaster relief and provide necessary assistance. Yet, the aid from both federal and local governments has been slow to materialize, hampering relief operations.
Caught in a whirlwind of conflicting government messages—one moment urging swift evacuation and the next advising residents to shelter in place—the affected communities have had to rely on their own efforts for survival. Many residents have expressed feelings of abandonment, saying, “I feel forgotten.”
Criticism of the government’s slow response has escalated, providing ammunition for politicians eager to leverage the situation for party gain as the presidential election approaches. According to The Hill, the destructive hurricanes could disrupt voting in key swing states like Florida, North Carolina, and Georgia just weeks before the election, intensifying political tensions among leaders.
In a report by USA Today, Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris criticized Florida’s Republican Governor DeSantis for not responding to her calls, accusing him of engaging in “political games.” DeSantis countered that Harris has shown little genuine concern for Florida’s disaster relief until this campaign season, calling it a mere façade.
Republican presidential candidate and former President Trump, along with his supporters, has seized the opportunity to criticize Biden and Harris for prioritizing foreign aid and assistance for undocumented immigrants over disaster relief for Republican-leaning areas impacted by the storms. In return, Harris and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell called Trump’s remarks “irresponsible” and “insensitive,” arguing that political maneuvering should not overshadow the urgent need to assist those affected.
Disaster politics has become an integral part of the U.S. electoral landscape. The hurricane season represents a regular cycle of devastating weather events that the government is expected to prepare for each year. Between July and September, storms like “Beryl,” “Debby,” and “Frances” have battered various regions, causing extreme rainfall, flooding, and significant casualties and property damage.
While one would expect that the government would have robust contingency plans, there have been numerous instances of negligence—from the train derailment involving hazardous materials to tragic building collapses in Florida and rampant, extreme weather conditions—demonstrating a troubling pattern of indifference toward citizens’ safety and inefficient rescue operations.
As USA Today noted, manipulating disaster situations for political gain is far from new in America.
The Washington Post highlighted that the ongoing hurricanes not only challenge the government’s capacity to respond but also put the political structure to the test. As voters prepare to head to the polls, the mutual accusations between the two parties have amplified the sharpest political divisions in the country.
In reality, one of the main issues at play is funding. Since the beginning of this month, FEMA has expended approximately $9 billion on disaster relief, leaving just $11 billion in the disaster response fund. Officials have stated that the agency had to suspend all other ongoing disaster recovery obligations in August to redirect funds for the impact caused by Hurricanes “Helen” and “Milton.”
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas recently stated that the current government budget “simply cannot sustain the hurricane season from June 1 to November 30 this year.”
Ironically, it was the staunch opposition from conservative Republicans that led to the exclusion of $10 billion in additional disaster relief funds for FEMA in a short-term federal spending bill passed last month.
Some think tank experts have criticized the political elite for prioritizing military interventions abroad over domestic disaster responses. They argue that crises in regions far from the U.S., such as the one in the Middle East, overshadow urgent needs right at home. Notably, the crisis stemming from Hurricane “Helen” hasn’t even made the front pages of major publications like The New York Times or The Washington Post, and the government’s response has been limited.
While over 6,700 National Guard members have been deployed to the disaster zones, there are as many as 27,000 stationed overseas. The federal government has only allocated a meager $20 million in disaster relief for Hurricane “Helen,” a fraction of the $8.7 billion in military aid recently given to Israel.
This stark comparison highlights a disturbing reality: funding for disaster response agencies is critically lacking. If the political elite continue to prioritize foreign warfare over the lives of American citizens, they will inevitably fail the test of public accountability.
