Posted on 10/06/2024 2:03:52 PM PDT by Weirdad
From X.com (Twitter) at https://x.com/MikeVonsteuben/status/1842745328530772054
Mike VonSteuben @MikeVonsteuben 8:54 PM · Oct 5, 2024 3.1M Views
Today I had my first direct encounter with FEMA. I've also heard firsthand reports from people I closely work with here on the ground about similar incidents. A trend is forming. I'll do my best to provide an accurate, unbiased analysis of it here.
Buckle up, this is a long one. [I pulled these into one message for readability and printing.]
Today we convoyed to Pensacola NC. The route had just been partially cleared from the North. We loaded up 10 vics with generators, filters, charcoal, and all the blankets we could fit. Our large convoy took all hour to make the trip over the must treacherous roads I've seen yet.
We finally arrived safely at the fire station. We were informed by a female "logistics officer" that they were not accepting any more donations until Monday, and to take our supplies back.
Some locals who were distributing supplies from that fire station told us that FEMA had taken over and was doing an inventory. They also told us that they were only distributing animal feed and hygiene items like toilet paper.
We did our best to distribute our load anyway. We sent ATVs into the hills to knock on doors. I put a cardboard sign on my truck advertising what we had to passers by, and managed to offload some of it. In the end, we were forced to return with 70% of what we came with.
I reported the incident to the church leadership and they were stunned. The pastor's wife told me that something similar happened today at the Mitchell High School, where American Red Cross workers arrived, kicked out all the volunteers and took the supplies to "inventory" them.
Summary: FEMA and the Red Cross seem to be methodically taking over distribution centers and shutting them down to "inventory" them. They also sent representatives to our distribution point at the church, but left us alone.
Analysis: Prior to this incident, FEMA had only been observed in an administrative role, but the results of that role are now coming into effect. They are attempting to centralize control of supplies and are allowing bureaucratic red tape to interfere with distribution.
Recommendations:
-Drop off supplies at churches only. FEMA has no authority to seize anything from a church, for now.
-Send a route recon ahead of planned convoys to check for roadblocks and verify that supplies will not be rejected at the destination. Motorcycles are ideal.
Shelnutt @ttunlehs
Great work Mike. I have yet to see FEMA here in Saluda. I've been in town everyday and we just assumed they forgot about us. Fine by me honestly. But we won't be letting them in at this point either.
Sam Stephenson @SAMIAM775
It was my understanding FEMA and the Red Cross have no jurisdiction, unless the sheriff of the county allows it. Could be wrong…
Red Shell @Elil2002
I’ve been posting this all over. FEMA has the authority, granted unto themselves, to do what they say they are not doing. Pay attention to the use of the words “may” and “shall” in two different regs. It would take a lot of unraveling to see exactly what laws and EO’s have led them to create these regs. I don’t have the time to hunt for them. Two places to start would be the EO’s issued by Carter and Bush (Bush put them under the authority of DHS). The Stafford Act is another place to look. They have a long history and have been shuffled under various agencies until Carter so there is a long list of acts and EO’s that probably apply and have been assumed as they were gaining power.
[ I adjusted this image Red Shell posted for clarity. CLICK to OPEN in NEW TAB ]
The "article" was pulled out of a "community" on X and formatted. The image at the end indicates there may be some laws they could use to try to keep people from helping, but obviously I disagree that it has force especially given the terrible job FEMA seems to be doing.
I post this for discussion and our education. I do not know how much I myself will be able to reply back to this today.
Keep praying, of course, we need God in these perilous times.
It is our inalienable right (see 9th amendment) that We the People are free to try to help other people (and even protect some property) that is in life and/or limb and other danger or disasters, ESPECIALLY when those people in need are NOT promptly and actively being helped by government.
This is the INALIENABLE RIGHT of We the People, and that right must be acknowledged. protected, and not violated by government as declared in US Constitution Bill of Rights Amendment number 9 (IX).
The Federal Government has overthrown The United States of America.
“Inventory”
....?
It’s been a Week now.
This is what Hezbollah did to the Gazan relief...just grabbed it.
They are using genocide to try and set off a powder keg so they can use federal troops against US citizens and declare martial law.
This is what Stalin did to the Kulaks’ food ...just grabbed it.
The administration is overflowing with Marxist-Leninists, trying to do here what their mentors did 100 years ago over there. Only imbeciles can’t see that.
Yup
The new Fed budget started on 1 October.
Spread the word. This is the equity part Harris was yapping about the other day
She is running the show and her orders are to distribute equitable.
I can’t believe people didn’t understand that.
Yep, seize the resources. FEMA (and the Red Cross?) seem to have learned from the Ukraine Holodomor.
Maybe they really are trying to super slow roll the recovery there.
They are clamping, shutting things down, disallowing etc. in order to freeze at a point in time where they think they can accurately report a true “status on the ground” up to Harris/Biden et al. They mistakenly think what they’re doing is vital because the higher ups want to know.
In actuality, Harris/Biden could give a crap - only information needed they can point to and say “it’s accurate” and “they have all they need and are doing fine.”
Just because there may be supplies on hand doesn’t mean they’re where they should be. And, to turn people and supplies away like at that fire station is criminal, IMO. It’s just like Biden saying “they’re fine.”
And NONE of the volunteers resisted? No one argued, or heaven forbid, gave some ARC dork a bloody nose?!?
Listen, volunteers, you are going to have to work around FEMA. FEMA is breaking the law. Just avoid FEMA.
100 per cent.
Most all sent relief supplies were found in locked warehouses on the island many months later.
What tends to happen is, the federal and state officials have time to spend doing these big strategic plans, and when they bring them to the county/municipal level it sounds great. They’ve got everything figured out in plans that the locals don’t have time or expertise to do, and there’s pressure from above for them to sign onto them. So they do, even though no one really understands what it means until a real disaster happens and the local authorities find themselves in this situation.
I have no reason to disbelieve the volunteer’s report is dishonest. They are in a group working on this, they are not just bragging. They made recommendations for others.
“the must treacherous roads I’ve seen yet” <— did you read that?
How many vehicles went by in that area, do you think? It’s not rush hour.
How many considered themselves “in need?” Not all.
How many that did go by were leaving the entire area, so did not want to take items others might need? Maybe some were.
“No one in need wants free stuff?”
Where do you get “no one” from? — they gave away 30% of what they had.
And people in that area are not likely to just take “free stuff” that they cannot use. A frail 80 year-old couple is not too likely to take a chain saw, though they may take something else.
So I do not think that your reason is a good reason to lump their report in with whatever “can’t get honest reports” you refer to.
This is why those volunteers should just have gone ahead and taken that stuff themselves wherever they wanted to probably based on talking to the people living there. Although there have been threats of arrest, I have not heard any reports of folks actually being arrested. Granted a lot have backed off some like these volunteers did.
At the outset, they describe rough roads. I imagine most folks in need are along or behind roads that are too rough to travel on or were closed by authorities.
But it’s posts like this that are helpful, don’t you think?
Perhaps it’s better if we trying fighting back - by working to help rescue people despite of the government’s actions.
Just my $0.02
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