More than 1 million people are without power across more than eight states due to an ice storm. Kentucky was particularly hard hit, with 438,000 homes and businesses without power. The storm also hit hard in Arkansas, Texas, Missouri, Virginia, Oklahoma, Indiana, West Virginia and Ohio.
Some in Kentucky are criticizing FEMA for a slow response, as shelters and relief agencies are overwhelmed by the scale of the emergency. FEMA is responding but blames still impassable roads for the delay.
Read more here.
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While Kentuckians await generators FEMA responds in slow motion. Where are the generators? People who cannot afford to go to hotels and cannot make it to shelters are having to deal with dwindling supplies of food and water without electricity or water. The red cross is trying to cope with a ten state emergency but its resources are now strapped. What did Obama say last week, that a little ice closed his daughters’ school. Yeah, maybe we all have to get a little tougher Mr. President.
I’m a resident of Richmond, KY – which received 3/4 to 1″ of ice – enough to cripple the town and leave 20,000+ customers in its county without electricity. I don’t know what the story is in communities that are farther from the interstates, but the roads are clear in Lexington and Richmond. FEMA is just looking for a bull excuse. But to their credit, you can salt roads, but you can’t salt trees and power lines -until the ice melts off completely and the lines are cleared of fallen trees and limbs, Kentucky will continue to have slow progress back to normal. To their discredit though, I haven’t seen one FEMA responder. When Kentucky recovers it will be to the credit of the members of these communities, responders from surrounding states, and national guardsmen in Kentucky; but not because FEMA stepped in.
If this were in an inner city, there would be riots in the streets…
Frankly, it’s a state and local repsonsibility. Not the Feds. Come on people. Quit looking to Washington for your salivation.
Continuing down the path of a super-nanny state.
What did FEMA do for Ky? I finally had my electricity back on Saturday the 7th of Feb. Eleven days with no power. I did not see a Guardsman or FEMA where I live at. We had to leave after the first Friday; we ran out of water and available food. We stayed with my brother who had power. We went home daily to check on the house. We got by on my brothers generosity not FEMA or the National Guard.