FEMA administrator Brock Long warned Hurricane Florence damage will 'be ugly, but we'll get through it' as areas in North and South Carolina headed into the fourth day of unrelenting rains.
'Unfortunately, the event is still unfolding for the next 48 hours,' Long told Meet the Press host Chuck Todd of the hurricane-turned-tropical-depression on Sunday morning.
As of right now, Long said emergency personnel are focused on life-saving efforts amid reports that the death toll has risen to 14, with 10 dead in North Carolina and three dead in South Carolina.
'[There are] 1,300 people in the field doing search and rescue, supporting our state and local capabilities, from the National Guard to local swift water rescues,' Long said. 'They've performed several hundred evacuations and rescues in isolated areas.'
However, Long said rescue efforts have been hampered by the fact that the storm has essentially parked itself over the region.
'We have to wait for the hazardous elements associated with the storm to exit the area before we can actually send our people in,' he said. 'We never want to put our own people in harm's way.'
In the meantime, the Marines, the Coast Guard, civilian crews and volunteers have been doing what they can with helicopters, boats and heavy-duty vehicles to help in communities ravaged by flash flooding, storm surges and powerful winds.
The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said so far Florence's damage has been as extensive as what was expected, saying: 'The National Hurricane Center did a phenomenal job of letting people know nearly a week in advance of what was coming.
'Everything that they've been predicting, the storm surge, the ocean rising, the coastal flood inundation, was realized. You saw the ocean rise anywhere from nine to 11 feet, causing a lot of damage along the coast and in the back bay and inlet areas of the Pamlico Sound.
And now what you're seeing is, we’re seeing actual rainfall in 30 inches or more in some areas. So, we're seeing damage very, you know, as predicted, unfortunately.'
One of the biggest obstacles facing officials right now is worsening inland flooding, which has closed several major highways and blocked access to remote areas in need of assistance.
'The frustrating thing about an inland flood like this in North Carolina, or South Carolina as well, is that you've got to wait for the water to recede in some cases to get people back in or to fix the infrastructure,' Long said.
He added that the agency is currently working out alternative routes to get supplies in to affected areas on the coast.
'We just need to make sure that we're meeting the demands of taking care of people in shelters,' he said.
A rescue team with the US Coast Guard can be seen in the middle of a flooded road in Newport, North Carolina on Friday after tropical depression Florence hit
US Marine Corp aid in evacuating the local populace in Jacksonville, North Carolina, Saturday
Maggie Belgie of The Cajun Navy carries a child evacuating a flooding trailer community during Hurricane Florence in Lumberton, North Carolina, on Saturday
A downed tree uprooted by Hurricane Florence lies next to homes in New Bern, North Carolina
Long went on to praise North Carolina Gov Roy Cooper and Division of Emergency Management Director Mike Sprayberry for their strong responses to the storm.
'We're meeting their demands as they're coming up to us, and we'll get through this,' he said of the leaders.
'It'll be ugly, but we'll get through it. Recovery is always a very frustrating process for people when they've lost their livelihood, but we're going to be okay.'
Todd later asked Long whether FEMA was utilizing any lessons it learned in the wake of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico last fall, referencing a comment from Donald Trump this week, who appeared to say there was no insight to gain from the island's catastrophic storm.
'I think the president is being taken out of context there,' Long said. 'I talked to the president every day this week, and the Secretary of Homeland Security, and we discuss what we're trying to do as a result of last year. He's well aware of that.'
Long went on to suggest that the reason the recovery efforts in Puerto Rico were so abysmal was because FEMA didn't have much help in the weeks after the storm.
'The thing about Puerto Rico is that disaster response and recovery is a whole community team effort,' he said.
'You have to have anybody from neighbor helping neighbor all the way up to the federal government response.
'I'll be honest, FEMA was the first responder and the only responder for many weeks going into Puerto Rico.'
President Trump, left, and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen listen to a Hurricane Florence briefing by Long, center, just days before the storm made landfall last week
Trump tweeted in support of federal officials' recovery efforts on Friday after the storm hit
The president also quoted a compliment from his FEMA administrator Long on Saturday
The second half of the 10-minute interview was focused specifically on the controversy surrounding recovery efforts on the island territory where Maria's death toll has been estimated at 3,000 people.
In response to Trump's multiple tweets disputing the death toll, Todd said: '2,975 people died as a result of Hurricane Maria or impacts from Hurricane Maria, according to the Puerto Rican government. Does FEMA accept that number?'
Long responded: 'The numbers are all over the place. FEMA doesn't count deaths. The deaths that are verified by the local county coroners are the ones that we take.'
Todd then asked why the White House is concerned with the discrepancies in the death toll, to which Long replied: 'One thing about President Trump is that he is probably the one president that has had more support for what goes on back here.
'I think he's defensive because he knows how hard these guys behind me work day in and day out for a very complex situation. And it's frustrating.
'There's just too much blame going around and we need to be focused, Chuck, on what is Puerto Rico going to look like tomorrow.'
Todd's final question addressed a Wall Street Journal article this week which claimed Trump was considering replacing Long as administrator at FEMA before Hurricane Florence hit because of the frequency of his trips home to North Carolina.
'Were you aware of this investigation? Are you cooperating?' Todd asked.
'Oh, yeah, absolutely,' Long said. 'Let me go ahead and clear up all the news. Secretary Nielsen has never asked me to resign. We have a very functional and professional relationship. We talk every day. We are both solely focused on Florence.'
Asked if he had any plans to resign, Long said: 'No. No, no, no, I'm here to serve my country every day. That's all I do.'
Link hienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2018/09/16/fema-head-warns-storm-florence-will-continue-to-cause-damage-over-the-next-48-hours/
Main photo article
FEMA administrator Brock Long warned Hurricane Florence damage will ‘be ugly, but we’ll get through it’ as areas in North and South Carolina headed into the fourth day of unrelenting rains.
‘Unfortunately, the event is still unfolding for the next 48 hours,’...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/09/16/17/50422BEF00000578-6173417-image-m-8_1537113707608.jpg
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