FEMA Is AWOL After St. Louis, Kentucky Tornadoes

Crews and volunteers start cleanup in front of badly
damaged homes in St. Louis in the wake of last
Friday's big tornado. FEMA has been notably absent
from both St. Louis and the Kentucky
tornado disaster zone.

 The Trump administration has vowed to get rid of FEMA, but officially, it still exists.

But apparently FEMA is in no hurry to help after the latest disasters.  

ST LOUIS

A week after an EF-3 tornado ripped through St. Louis, killing 5 people and causing an estimated $1 billion in damage, FEMA is nowhere to be found in the Gateway City

FEMA typically shows up within a few days after a disaster to start helping with immediate aid to help people just get through the days after the storm.  

With a disaster this big, presidents usually declare a federal disaster soon after the calamity hits. By now, FEMA should at least be mobilizing. But this time, crickets.

A few FEMA officials have joined state and federal teams to begin assessing damage, but there certainly has not been any full blown immediate aid yet. Nobody from the federal government is actually handing out aid. 

Missouri officials are beseeching the Trump administration to declare a disaster. On Monday, Missouri Gov Mike Kehoe, a Republican to issue a federal emergency declaration.

Also Sen. Josh Hawley, (R-MO) a staunch supporter of Trump, on Tuesday pushed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to get an emergency declaration for Friday's storm ASAP.

FEMA and Trump have also not responded for pleas for help in Missouri for a series of floods and tornadoes in March and early April.

KENTUCKY

In Kentucky, five days after tornadoes killed at least 19 people and left huge swaths of destruction in part of the state, Kentuckians had still not heard from FEMA.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear asked for federal help on Saturday, just hours after the tornadoes swept through.  He said he spoke with Noem on Saturday.  "They vowed to help...They showed real empathy for our people."

But so far, there's been little tangible help in Kentucky from FEMA.  Usually FEMA swoops in shortly after a disaster to meet immediate needs, like helping with food distribution or putting tarps on damaged roofs so that rain won't cause added damage to the homes. 

FEMA did say a deadline for applying for aid after devastating February floods in Kentucky is May 25. And survivors of a second serious flood in the state in April have until June 25. But no mention of the tornadoes last Friday in Kentucky. 

Beshear said President Trump called him on Saturday, but other than that, we haven't heard a peep about the tornadoes from Trump.  In the past, if a disaster was big enough, he'd visit the town or city that was victimized. If the president didn't visit the disaster site, he'd make public remarks saying victims are in his thoughts, that the federal government would do everything it can to help and all that stuff. 

I guess Trump has better things to do lately, like debating whether Taylor Swift is still "hot," or battling Bruce Springsteen because The Boss dared to sharply criticize the Trump regime. 

St. Louis and Kentucky are giving us an early view of what disaster response will be like in the coming years. FEMA still exists, so some help is coming to those two disaster zones.

Future disaster victims might not be so "lucky." If Trump gets his wish, FEMA will cease to exist, and states and local governments will be on their own. Or, people will lose their homes and the federal government will just shrug its shoulders, say "tough luck" and move on to giving additional tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires.

By the way, hurricane season is just around the corner. NOAA on Friday issued a seasonal hurricane prediction that forecasts another busier than normal season in 2025.

The United States is getting more dystopian by the day.