(“The National Map” shows Hawaii and Puerto Rico, but Anchorage and most of Alaska is not shown)
By many accounts there are people experiencing life and death situations in North Carolina right now and many are doing so without the assistance of the federal government. Let that sink in.
A number of videos have gone viral describing the devastation and limited response from Washington.
(The article above concludes with a list of ways that you can help the residents of Asheville, North Carolina.)
I have friends assisting with relief efforts, and I am hearing story after story of private citizens hiring helicopters and rescuing victims because the federal government can’t or won’t.
Some of these same friends were also heavily involved in rescuing Americans from Afghanistan when the American withdrawal collapsed. At the time, private citizens and charities had to intervene because the federal government couldn’t (or wouldn’t) rescue those whose lives were in peril. In fact, as Washington scrambled for damage control, it had difficulty even publicly acknowledging that these trapped Americans existed.
Closer to home, many of us still remember the federal government sending survivors of the Lahaina fires a check for $700 at the same time that American taxpayers were sending hundreds of billions of dollars to Ukraine. Politically speaking, it is easier to dish out money and resources to Ukraine today than it is to dish out the same amount of money and resources to Americans living in places like North Carolina. This is sometimes known as “The Easy-Hard Framework”, and it is alive and well in Washington D.C. today (see below*).
I know there are good men and women working diligently right now both in and outside of the federal government. Our own disaster medical team here in Alaska may soon be headed out the door to North Carolina. Those who are doing all they can right now do not deserve criticism, even if the bureaucracy which they are a part of does.
Even so, Alaskans would do well to note the difficulties of getting aid to beleaguered Americans in the wake of Hurricane Helene right now, and consider whether we would receive help any faster if an equally devastating disaster were to hit our state.
The National Map, published by the USGS, displays the lower 48, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Its default setting doesn’t show Anchorage or most of Alaska. It is more than 3,360 miles from our nation’s capital to Anchorage, as a crow flies. For most Americans, Alaska is out of sight and out of mind.
If another Good Friday Earthquake hits south-central or a Cascadia disaster shuts down the port in Seattle, Alaskans could be on their own for a spell (and that is without contemplating man-made disasters like dockworker strikes, terrorism, and military conflict).
The reality is that Washington D.C. is less functional today that it was even a decade ago. The continuing failures of the Secret Service confirm what we have long known to be true; when you fill government positions based on criteria other than competence, you get less competent government.
The fact that we now have an administration in Washington that is willing to see parts of the nation destroyed (e.g. communities near our southern border) for political reasons, should give every Alaskan pause. Like North Carolina, Alaska didn’t help put the current administration in the White House. Consider that some of the appalling political rhetoric now being aimed at hurricane survivors in North Carolina and Tennessee could just as easily be aimed at Alaskans in the future.
I encourage you to take the steps you need to take so that you are prepared when the shelves at the grocery store are empty. It’s going to happen sooner or later. To the extent you are able, start getting ready this week (see Prepping Food Storage List for Beginners).
For those willing to help their fellow Americans in times of disaster, please volunteer to join Alaska’s Disaster Medical Assistance Team or one of the other response organizations listed on Alaska Respond.
David Eastman is a proud member of Alaska’s Disaster Medical Assistance Team. Prior to serving in the legislature, he assisted in disaster response as Operations Officer for the National Association of State Emergency Donations and Volunteer Coordinators.
*Dr. Chris Martenson described The Easy-Hard Framework in a presentation on Hurricane Helene response efforts last night. Take a listen.
