Stress Of Recovering From Weather/Climate Disasters Compounded By Politics And Ideology

Recovery from weather and climate disasters like 
Hurricane Helene in western North Carolinas is being
made much more difficult and stressful due to
political preening and ideological rigidity. 

The good news from that mess of a time last week in Washington is $110 billion in disaster relief was ultimately include in a government funding bill that averted a government shutdown. 

For the many victims of recent weather and climate disasters, the stupid battle in Washington just added to the stress and exasperation of those just trying to get a semblance of their old lives back. 

Especially since there was wide, bipartisan Congressional support for the disaster relief, but the whole thing was unnecessarily hijacked by ideologues, narcissists, politicians and hangers who believed getting in front of TV cameras and on social media is more important than actually doing their jobs. 

The result was the disaster relief package went through, but caused a lot of unnecessary stress among those who are counting on the federal help. 

"This is ridiculous," North Carolina restaurateur Katie Button told the Washington Post, with considerable understatement. 

The disaster relief is needed in a whole bunch of American places, including here in Vermont, but perhaps especially in Hurricane Helene-trashed western North Carolina. 

People in these disaster zones did receive immediate relief right after the calamities, such as temporary housing or reimbursements for staying in hotels.

But what they really need now - be they in Hawaii, or Vermont, or Florida, or North Carolina - is help rebuilding roads, loans to keep businesses afloat, aid to farmers to recover from the destruction stuff like that. 

These are the types of aid that got held up in the government shutdown battle last week.  It's also the type of help Congress should have approved months ago. 

According to the Washington Post:

"...the problem isn't limited to any one state of catastrophe - those recovering from the past two years of floods and fires say a faster and more permanent solution is needed for victims of the next tragedy.

At a news conference at the U.S. Capitol this month, disaster survivors from across the country asked lawmakers to not just approve the current recovery bill, but to permanently authorize a pot of money that can go out right after a disaster."

Here's just one tiny example of what a small town has to do when it's hit be a weather/climate disaster and Congress and politicians posture instead of do their job. 

Another section of Interstate 40 in western North Carolina
recently collapsed due to damage from Hurricane 
Helene back in September. This is another delay to
storm recovery, demonstrating just how hard it can
be to recover from weather and climate calamities

An intense July flash flood in the tiny, mountainous town of Bolton, Vermont suffered immense road damage. Many of the roads are gravel, on steep hills, so they were especially susceptible to damage.

Bolton was still waiting for federal aid to pay for the road fixes, and those bills are due. So, voters there on December 17 passed a $3 million bond to pay for the contractors who repair the road. They couldn't wait any longer for the FEMA aid to come that would fund the road repairs. 

It's a 10 year bond, so this will fall at least to an extent on already stressed Bolton property taxpayers.   Eventually, FEMA will provide money for those repairs. We think. But we have no idea how long that will take. And will the incoming Trump administration screw that up somehow?  We hope not. 

Now magnify Bolton, Vermont's experience many times over when you go to North Carolina. 

At least in Vermont, despite have a Republican governor and a Democratically controlled legislature, the lawmakers more or less cooperated and did what they could in the wake of the series of destructive floods that started in July, 2023.

No such luck in North Carolina, where partisanship got in the way of flood relief.  Washington Post explains:

"When North Carolina lawmakers passed their latest recovery package for the Hurricane Helene - ravaged western part of their state this month, it didn't feel like relief to residents there, many hoping for small business grants or eviction bans.

"Most of the aid bills 132 pages focused on stripping powers from state offices that will soon be held by Democrats. 

Gov. Ray Cooper (D) proposed a $3.9 billion relief package, with $650 million for economic assistance including all business grants, and another $650 million to address housing needs. That would go along with more than $25 billion that Cooper requested from the federal government for Helene recovery efforts. 

.....but the Republican-controlled state legislature didn't follow that plan."

The Republicans did pass three relief bills. One provided $100 million for water and wastewater infrastructure repairs, $50 million for public school repairs, $50 million in small business loans, $25 million for mental health resources and $9 million for utility fixes.

Local leaders in western North Carolina have said they appreciate any kind of assistance, every little bit helps, but they are frustrated the Republican state package did not include more direct assistance to people struggling after the calamity. 

I do like the $25 million North Carolina is allocating for mental heath services in the disaster zone, but I think it should be more. 

The trauma of enduring a weather and climate disaster is tough on mental health. Investing in mental health services in the aftermath of such an event probably benefits the whole region or state. After all, the better people are able to get back on their feet, but physically and emotionally, the more everybody benefits. 

 In Vermont, the state's Agency of Human Services mental health division has the Starting Over Strong VT program to help people and communities recover from recent disasters. It covers the counties declared disaster areas from last year's flooding - Addison, Caledonia, Chittenden, Essex, Lamoille, Orleans and Washington counties.

It seems to have been a success, as state officials say it has helped 14,000 or so participants since it was launched shortly after devastating floods in the summer of 2023.  Since then, we have had more destructive, home and business-destroying floods.

This program was slated to end this past October, but state officials have decided to extend it through July, 2025.  I'm hoping we don't have any further Vermont calamities between now and then.

Of course, the way the federal government is handling things, and seems destined to essentially not handle things over the next few years, I'd probably advocate for the Starting Over Strong program to continue indefinitely.