“Mr. Trump and Governor Pence have shown true leadership by visiting those devastated by the flooding in Louisiana. I love interacting with people in their time of need; I’d nearly rather do this than go on vacation”.
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Chicago: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump visited Louisiana on Friday, as rescue crews and residents of the USA state worked to recover from historic floods that left 13 people dead.
Shortly after arriving, Trump’s motorcade drove through the hard-hit community of Central in East Baton Rouge Parish, where ripped up carpet and flooring, furniture and the entire contents of homes were piled on the curb.
Trump told reporters he had come to help.
“The current flooding in Louisiana is the worst natural disaster to strike the United States since Superstorm Sandy”, Brad Kieserman, vice president for Disaster Services Operations and Logistics for the Red Cross, said in a statement.
Donald Trump and running mate Mike Pence traveled to a flood-ravaged section of southern Louisiana on Friday to survey the damage that killed at least 13 people and displaced thousands more.
“We welcome him to (Louisiana), but not for a photo op”, the governor’s office said in a statement, urging Trump to volunteer or make “a sizable donation”.
Obama’s vacation is due to end on Sunday.
Of course, she was also silent until Trump announced his trip – forcing her to speak up lest anyone realize she’ll never feel the pain of any state she doesn’t expect to win in November.
The White House said in a statement, “The president is mindful of the impact that his travel has on first responders and wants to ensure that his presence does not interfere with ongoing recovery efforts”. The cast and crew will be collecting and sending items to Baton Rouge flooding victims.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate have already visited the flooded state.
Republicans and some in Louisiana slammed the President for not visiting the flood-damaged area, criticizing him for not cutting short his vacation to deal with the crisis.
Some 86,500 people have already filed for federal aid following the historic levels of rainfall. “You’re driving by what you realize was a neighborhood of homes before all this happened”. McGrew says, “A disaster doesn’t impact Louisiana, a disaster impacts everybody, and it’s all of our responsibility to pitch in and help where we can”.
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In a Facebook post, Trump’s Democratic rival Hillary Clinton said she called the governor to discuss the situation. She’s in Louisiana right now helping coordinate the volunteer effort.
