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From Breitbart: Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Tuesday on MSNBC’s “Ana Cabrera Reports” that people who feel the federal government’s response to Hurricane Helene was insufficient were warned about increasing extreme weather events.
Cabrera said, “So you’re still in that search and rescue mode, it sounds like. Some residents into these impacted communities are telling us they feel like local and federal government was caught flat-footed. I want to get your reaction to some of what we’re hearing.
North Carolinian Ricky Brown said, “There you go that is your government. They don’t care about us. You know what I mean, they care more about the damn election and all that stuff than they care about these people that just lost everything.”
Cabrera then asked Mayorkas, “Mr. Secretary, how do you respond to that? Should the federal government have been better prepared to get to these isolated areas?”
Mayorkas then pulled out an “I told you so” card.
“Well, our first priority is the well-being of people. That is absolutely critical and we are executing on that accordingly. We have been speaking about the fact that the frequency and gravity of extreme weather events have only been increasing. This Hurricane Helene is unprecedented in the amount of terrain it has devastated and we are responding accordingly. People should rest assured that we will be there for them.”
Cabrera pushed back, asking, “Was the federal government adequately prepared for this?”
Mayorkas again touted, “We have been speaking about the need to prepare for extreme weather events for years now.”
‘Focus is on search and rescue’
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas joins @AnaCabrera to give an update on the recovery efforts in the Southeast after Hurricane Helene left communities reeling and with devastating damage. pic.twitter.com/s0Htxut9QC
— MSNBC Reports (@MSNBC_reports) October 1, 2024
In another MSNBC interview, a letter from Canton, North Carolina Mayor Zeb Smathers was read to Mayorkas. Smathers had voiced his outrage over the widespread cell phone outage which occurred at the same time rescuers were trying to help hurricane victims.
“What we have experienced, in my opinion, is an unacceptable and disgraceful breakdown of cellular technology. This is 2024, and we are having to deal with this crisis with 1990s technology … it’s heartbreaking, the thought that we could have helped more people get out and prepare for what was coming if we had the ability to place a call,” Smathers said.
“Is this a systemic problem? Is this something that is going to be more and more normal as we see more devastating storms?” the host asked Mayorkas.
Mayorkas again claimed, “The reality is that the severity and frequency of extreme weather events are only increasing, and it is precisely why our infrastructure is in such need of improvement and strengthening…. as we build for the weather of today and tomorrow, not according to the weather of yesterday.”
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