Some on the right are lambasting FEMA for being dawdling, bureaucratic, and ineffective at responding to the recent Hurricane Helene floods here in Tennessee and throughout the Southeast. Duh. Name me one federal agency that evokes an entrepreneurial, roll-up-the-sleeves, and solve our problems spirit. I’ll wait…
It’s alright to criticize the agency that many rely on in times of dire need. It’s alright to question the spending priorities not only within the agency (disaster relief versus immigration-related funding), but within the federal government at large (U.S. citizens versus foreign entanglement). But the ultimate flawed premise behind the FEMA criticism is to never expect the federal government to be the go-to source for disaster relief.
No, we should never rely on FEMA to adequately deliver.
Instead of crying FEMA foul on social media, let’s spend our time and energy directly helping those in need by donating money and goods, and by arriving at their doorstep with supplies in hand and ready to help clean up the carnage. At the end of the day, it will be the families, friends, neighbors, and even strangers of the victims who are there for them when they need it most.
The proof is in the pudding: volunteer flights to airdrop in supplies abound. A family member of mine told me the story of her fellow churchgoers who loaded up numerous vans and headed from central Kentucky to Newport, Tennessee, where they delivered supplies and fed more than 4,000 local residents.
Of course, we should expect FEMA to play a role in disaster recovery and relief, especially in disasters that span state lines. But we should be asking what states can do to lead relief efforts for their citizens without having to defer to FEMA. We should be asking what reforms we can advance at the state and local levels to accelerate the rebuilding efforts. And at the end of the day, we should be asking what we as individual humans can do to make a difference.
As citizens, we can mobilize quickly, efficiently, and in heartfelt ways no federal government agency ever could. And that’s not only alright, it’s as it should be.