By Jana Tehfe

It’s been a week since Hurricane Florence hit the Carolinas, but it still continues to take its toll. Beginning as a Category 1 hurricane, it has since been downgraded to a tropical storm, but not before leaving destruction behind. Some parts of North Carolina have reported as much as 30 inches of rain, with certain areas of the state getting even 15 inches higher, according to the National Weather Service.

The storm, and its subsequent flooding, has already killed 42 people. Nearly one million power outages have been reported in both North and South Carolina.

Duke Energy, the local energy provider, warned that power restoration could take weeks in the hardest hit areas.
This is not the only damage Hurricane Florence caused. On Friday, there was a dam breach that allowed coal ash to seep into the river, though the severity of this event has not been fully investigated. Recovery efforts are already underway.

There are at least 6,000 National Guard, soldiers and even more federal disaster-response workers, ready to take action.
They have prepared emergency meals, four million liters of water, 700,000 blankets and 6,000 cots for the victims of this national disaster. The state and local governments have to be prepared to face the challenge this hurricane has brought.
After President Trump’s infamous response to Hurricane Maria, both parties now have a perfect chance to show that they are ready to take action.

The Category 4 hurricane that hit Puerto Rico last year left the island without food or electricity. Most people agree the devastation was not dealt with correctly, with 10 thousand containers of relief supplies being held up in the capitol’s main port for days and a sluggish response to the power outage.

As Florence threatened to make landfall, Trump tweeted that his administration had done “an unappreciated great job in Puerto Rico” and that Democrats had inflated “6 to 18 deaths” to “make him look as bad as possible.” Trump has not provided evidence for these claims.

With the most recent devastation, everyone is sitting on the edge of their seats waiting for the government’s next move. We all want the Trump administration to take the quickest course of action.

The states need the help of the federal government to get back on their feet. They should have checks given to victims and emergency loans granted to businesses that were severely impacted by the storm.

The environmental consequences from the storm are a whole other ballgame. The concern regarding the coal ash spill and the hog waste does not seem like a priority, even though I believe the Trump administration should focus on every aspect of the storm to reset its reputation regarding disaster relief. Action needs to be taken before the hog waste floods the river. However, the government has started with some positive actions when it comes to relief efforts.

As the New York Times reported, South Carolina reversed the flow of the traffic on major roads so that it would be easier to get away from the Atlantic. The state government prepared for the storm rather effectively. South Carolina developed an app to inform users if they were in an evacuation zone and where to find the nearest shelter.

North Carolina has a website where users can sign up for text messages that tell them when the water is rising in their neighborhood. The local government even put up signs in areas they thought were prone to flooding.

As efficient as the state government has been, handling the hurricane after the event will be another feat. It will certainly test the competence of our federal government.

After making sure American citizens are safe with a roof over their heads, FEMA needs to take quick action in regards to the closure of wastewater treatment plants, flooding and the breach of dams before these issues cause even more harm.

Roads are still closed by state troopers to keep everyone safe. Our government is taking this national disaster very seriously, but we must keep this work and help going if we want to recover from Hurricane Florence as quickly, effectively and successfully as possible.

Jana Tehfe, FCRH ‘21, is a politial science major from Brooklyn, New York.