After Trump’s widely hailed tour of disaster-stricken Louisiana went so remarkably well, Obama relented to mounting criticism and announced Friday that he would abbreviate his vacation golfing in Martha’s Vineyard to personally visit Baton Rouge next week.
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In case you missed it, Louisiana is underwater and now experiencing the worst natural disaster since Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
An editorial in the newspaper, the largest in Louisiana, on Thursday asked that Obama visit the state before his vacation ends Sunday in Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., saying the president should “back his bags now” and leave the “playground for the posh and well connected”. We can talk about levees that couldn’t hold, about a FEMA that’s seen as not just incompetent but paralyzed and powerless, about a president who only saw the people from the window of an airplane.
John Bel Edwards says people around the USA are just starting to pay attention to the extent of flooding that killed at least 13 people in the state.
“Today, Donald Trump acted more Presidential than the President himself, by immediately going to Louisiana while President Obama chose to continue playing golf and Hillary Clinton phoned in her views”, Giuliani said in a statement, according to The Hill.
“My point is.Do u think USA wants to C him playing golf while Louisiana is 20 feet under water & people R dying?”, she wrote. It resulted in overwhelming support for the victims’ families and it gave the people of NY a strong indication that they were not alone.
Who knows the real motivation for his inattention, but at least we do know the good news is that Obama is leaving office in five months. Storm victims who are staying in cars, hotels, shelters or their workplace are eligible – but not those staying with friends and family.
A member of the St. George Fire Department helps residents wade through floodwaters in Baton Rouge.
The governor said a disaster food stamp program will begin Monday in eight parishes. He says more will open as buildings are found with enough parking and proper access for people with disabilities.
In Livingston Parish, which was hard-hit by the floods, John Marston from the coroner’s office said they’ve received reports of about 30 caskets unearthed, and they anticipate finding more when waters recede off the southern part of the parish. Because of the damage, he said they’ll start over, as will many others affected by the flood.
In a uniquely Louisiana problem, some families are also trying to rebury relatives whose caskets were unearthed by the floods.
“If we go by and this house has waterline up to the roof line, no one’s been there, there’s no trash piled out by the road, we want to check that house to see if anyone inside that, maybe, perished”, said Clint Sistrunk, a firefighter. “You’re smarter than that”, one Twitter user responded.
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Max Becherer reported from Walker, Louisiana, and Emily Wagster Pettus reported from Jackson, Mississippi.
