In the aftermath of hurricane Katrina George W Bush, Republican, and Bill Clinton, Democrat, joined together to raise funds to help New Orleans rebuild from the devastation of that storm. I was awed by their willingness to set aside political differences in a common cause for the good of people who had lost so much. It was the kind of effort that I believe demonstrates the compassion and greatness of our nation. 

I witnessed the same kind of cooperation during and after hurricane Harvey that flooded my city and suburban towns with over fifty inches of rain over the course of several days. Everyone living here knew numerous people whose homes filled with many feet of water. We all sat inside our houses watching the incessant rain that never stopped and hearing of friends and family members who had to abandon their neighborhoods and homes walking in waist high water to safety.

People came together both before and after the horror without regard for personal beliefs or preferences. We worked as one to make sure that everyone would be okay. Images of people of many races and religions doing everything possible to insure the safety of others are permanently etched in my mind. I was very proud of my city and the fact that nobody became mired in “them and us” kind of thinking. Republicans and Democrats alike worked for the common good, Religious folks and atheists were as one. No labels prevented the people of the city from working together. 

I also know that the recovery took time, many months in fact. For some it would be years before they once again felt normal. FEMA had offices for the duration, doing its best to help the people both short term and long term,. It was a glorious demonstration of what is the very best about the people of our city and the entire nation because help came from all parts of the United States. 

Today we see people suffering from the devastating effects of hurricane Helene while a new storm called Milton seems to be barreling toward an area in Florida that was already hit by Helene. Meanwhile there are people in Houston still waiting for companies to rebuild their fences and roofs that were damaged in early summer by hurricane Beryl. Climate change has made the exceptional the rule this hurricane season and it’s time that we remember how to work together rather than making a natural disaster a political football game. 

Here are some truths that must be addressed immediately…FEMA is responding as quickly as possible in every case, but is running out of funding due to the high volume of destruction this year. This is not because money was diverted from FEMA to housing for illegals, but only because there have been so many destructive storms this year. Added to that is the fact that almost thirty Republicans voted against a bill that would have provided additional funding to FEMA only days before Helene struck. Now the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, refuses to call a special session of Congress to address the monetary needs. Instead he insists that it would be wrong to call back the representatives this close to an election. 

I can’t imagine the kind of thinking it takes for people to create an environment of divisiveness in the midst of an emergency. I am up to my eyeballs in disdain for the partisan gaming that is dividing us into tribes, phony groups of “them and us.” What is the purpose of pulling us apart and making us believe that we can’t work together anymore? 

The trouble seemed to begin during the Covid pandemic when we had politicians making fun of those who wore masks and attempting to demonize the medical community. At a time when we should have been together the epidemic became political. From there it morphed into efforts to force us all to live alike. A kind of hatefulness has tainted our relationships with one another and our willingness to understand and treasure all people, not just those exactly like ourselves. We have a man running for President of the United States with a platform of rancor and outright lies. Now he is using the misfortune of those caught in storms to foment even more hate aimed at innocent groups of people who have done nothing to deserve the danger in which he has placed them. 

This is something that we have to stop. We should all be insisting that our lawmakers work together for the common good, not just to pander to one group or another. We are all people caught in a dangerous storm. It’s time for us to once again have each others’ backs. Mother Nature does not discriminate in its wrath. People are suffering and need us to stop the bickering and just get things done. It will take time so we must have patience as well. We can do this one step at a time with the resolve to help not hinder. Milton is on its way. We must insist that Congress comes together to be prepared for whatever may happen.