On Sept. 7, a state of emergency was declared in North Carolina. The next day, the same was done for South Carolina and Virginia. Over the next two weeks, these three states would see evacuations, flooding and 38 deaths. However, it is difficult to consider the effects of Hurricane Florence without comparing it to Hurricane Maria, which made landfall in Puerto Rico in Sept. 2017.
Hurricane Florence has been on the forefront of the media. It is impossible to turn on the news and not empathise with displaced fellow U.S. citizens. The same could never be said during and after Hurricane Maria. We aren’t talking about how many on the island lacked power for months after the storm. We aren’t talking about the countless blue tarps that still serve as roofing for homes across the island. We aren’t talking about the 2,975 people that died—or the fact that President Trump denied the reality of this tragic death toll.
On Sept. 11, 2018, Trump claimed that the U.S. response to Hurricane Maria was “one of the best jobs that’s ever been done.” Are we to believe that a death toll of nearly 3,000 equates to success? If the U.S. response to Hurricane Maria was really our best work, can we consider ourselves prepared for any storm at all? As states remain flooded, it’s hard not to question how long it will be before they’re back on their feet. Being a part of the continental U.S., these states likely won’t face the same issues of timeliness and political ignorance that Puerto Rico dealt with—but the East Coast’s struggles are still valid and tragic.
This comparison, of course, is not to weaken the tragedy of Hurricane Florence; any natural disaster that creates so much distress should be taken seriously, and those in its wake deserve as much aid as possible. However, this comparison is still important. For us to better our responses and our government’s responses to disasters like these, we must understand the actions and patterns we’ve condoned in the past.
In the face of rising sea levels, we cannot expect these superstorms to lessen. On the contrary, we must be prepared to better deal with these storms’ aftermath. Every region has a right to aid after a natural disaster. Our government must be much more prepared to provide the aid that it takes credit for, regardless of whether or not the disaster strikes the continental U.S. The aftermath of a natural disaster is not a place to make empty promises or appeal to the press—it is the place to provide support and reparations to people who desperately need them.
