Hillary ClintonHillary Rodham ClintonWatchdog releases new batch of State Department emails Mark Cuban: Trump lies more than Clinton Florida poll: Clinton has double-digit lead over Trump MORE’s Democratic campaign said she would visit the area when it was clear her presence wouldn’t “disrupt” the response from emergency officials. “The reason I can say that with confidence is because that’s what Americans do. I don’t know if you can quantify it, but I think it will affect donations and a lot of things”.
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Meanwhile, Trump made a quick visit to Baton Rouge last Friday with his running mate, Mike Pence, to speak with volunteers and those affected by the flooding. The president has been criticized for waiting until after this New England vacation to tour the flooding. Louisiana continues to dig itself out from devastating floods, with search parties going door to door looking for survivors.
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson arrived in Baton Rouge on August 18. He said flatly he doesn’t “worry too much about politics” and that he is focused on improving the speed and efficiency of the federal response. “But I’m glad to see everybody is safe, at least”.
Obama’s vacation ended Sunday, and the White House has maintained that he has been regularly briefed by senior staff on the situation on the ground and top administration officials also were sent to the Louisiana. “And the federal government has certainly done our part in the first eight to 10 days after this disaster, but there’s a long road ahead”.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said Sunday that people around the US are just starting to pay attention to the extent of flooding that killed at least 13 people in Louisiana.
However, the governor of Louisiana had asked that the president not visit because of the logistics that come with accommodating the motorcade.
The storm and its flooding have damaged an estimated 60,000 homes and forced thousands to seek temporary housing. More than 115,000 people across south Louisiana have signed up for federal disaster assistance.
At least 40 state highways still remained closed.
In 2005, then-President George W. Bush was faulted by critics for flying over but not touching down in Louisiana in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
In 2012, Obama and GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney wasted no time in heading to Louisiana to see the damage from Hurricane Isaac.
Obama praised FEMA Director Craig Fugate, who took over in 2009, for a “change of culture” at the agency, and White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Monday that FEMA officials “learned from the painful lessons of Katrina”. And it dismissed criticism of Obama’s decision to stay away during the first week-and-a-half after the flooding as politically motivated.
Obama said he wants Louisianans to know they’re not alone in recovering from the flood, even after the news cameras leave. Three Baton Rouge area police officers were killed last month when they were ambushed by a gunman.
As he toured a battered neighborhood in Zachary about 26 km north of Baton Rouge, Obama tried to buck up beleaguered residents of the water-soaked region, according to the state’s daily newspaper the Times-Picayune.
Obama’s visit comes four days after Republican nominee Donald Trump visited flood-stricken areas around Baton Rouge. Although we have some of that in place now, it would be very helpful if people would donate to the Red Cross, to the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, and also to come volunteer to help people get back in their homes as quickly as possible.
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Before leaving Louisiana, Obama paid another visit he has been criticized for delaying.
