“Nobody’s been bringing in supplies except civilians.”
In the wake of Hurricane Helene’s wrath, residents of the tiny town of Bat Cave, North Carolina, are facing a devastating reality — they’ve been left to fend for themselves.
FEMA, the federal agency tasked with disaster relief, has all but abandoned the community, citing a “road closed” sign as the reason for their absence.
As the town continues to pick up the pieces, it’s clear that this is yet another example of Biden’s government failure, and local residents are none too pleased.
Chelsea Atkins, 38, a health researcher originally from Buffalo, NY, shared her frustration with FEMA’s incompetence in an interview with the New York Post.
“FEMA called me and told me they wanted to inspect my house, then called me back to say they couldn’t drive around the ‘road closed’ sign. They weren’t allowed,” she told The Post.
“You can drive it by car for sure, it’s not that bad, you just have to drive around the ‘road closed’ sign. I explained that to them. They said they couldn’t.”
Take note that it is the very same road The Post successfully traversed on its way to Bat Cave.
“FEMA hasn’t been here,” Atkins said, adding, “It’s been a civilian-run operation since day one. You can’t ask the authorities for help — they’ll say you need to leave.”
“We’re handling it. Leave it to us and we’ll get it covered.”
While FEMA sits on the sidelines, the resilient residents of Bat Cave have taken matters into their own hands.
Apple orchard workers and local contractors armed with chainsaws have worked tirelessly to clear the roads and begin rebuilding their shattered community.
Even before the Department of Transportation arrived to lend a hand, these civilians had already cleared a path for recovery, according to The Post.
“This has been a civilian-run operation since day one,” Atkins said. “Nobody’s been bringing in supplies except civilians.”
Meanwhile, military helicopters buzz over the town, a cruel reminder that help is being sent elsewhere, but not to Bat Cave. Residents, however, don’t seem to mind FEMA’s absence anymore.
As the community bands together to rebuild without federal interference, they’ve grown increasingly wary of what the agency’s late arrival might mean.
“At this point, I don’t care if FEMA comes by. I don’t want somebody to pull me out of here, saying I’m working in an unsafe spot,” said Curtis McCart, a retired Los Angeles fire department captain and paramedic.
FEMA abandons residents of devastated NC town because they can’t drive around ‘road closed’ sign: ‘nobody’s been bringing in supplies except civilians’ https://t.co/A2LZkR1ba7 pic.twitter.com/OBskYQmWzT
— New York Post (@nypost) October 6, 2024
The New York Post reported:
While the sick and elderly* residents of Bat Cave were airlifted to safety a week ago, those left behind have seen virtually no sign of government agencies, save for a handful of Louisiana State Police troopers “keeping an eye on everything,” who locals say haven’t done much of anything.
The few remaining locals have scavenged building supplies to shore up homes teetering on the edge of the Broad River, which is now ten times wider than it was before Helene carved its path of destruction.
The town itself has been ripped in half — a 15-foot segment of bridge connecting the two halves of the town was destroyed. Though the gap is now spanned with pieces of sheet metal, it can’t support a car’s weight, forcing residents to traverse the span exclusively on foot.
The Broad River was only 10 yards wide in front of McCart’s home before the hurricane. Now it’s a 100-yard-wide riverbed strewn with trees, concrete slabs, twisted tin and powerlines with their transformers still connected.
This level of incompetence is not new for FEMA. This is the same agency that threatened to arrest civilians and block any humanitarian efforts by volunteers who sought to step in where the federal government has failed.
The irony is thick — FEMA, who couldn’t bother to drive around a road sign, has previously claimed the authority to stop locals from helping each other, essentially blocking life-saving civilian efforts in past disasters.
