Cuts made it harder to respond to Mother Nature

It is hard to comprehend that a July 14 letter to the editor could be so ill-informed and misleading in just 25 words or less. The letter makes the point that President Trump cannot be held responsible for Mother Nature’s behavior. But the author should not be surprised that many feel that Trump must be held to account for his administration’s actions before, during and after the Texas flooding tragedy.

In the last six months, his administration has made large cuts in funding, personnel and contracts in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Weather Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency — the very agencies responsible for forecasting the weather, alerting local officials and the public to weather hazards and providing prompt rescue and recovery services to affected areas and people.

In short, these actions left the flood victims with vastly inadequate warnings and preparations to protect themselves from the ensuing flooding, causing unnecessary death and suffering.

Further, Kristi Noem, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (which includes FEMA), has a protocol that requires her sign-off on expenditures of $100,000 or more. An action that is silly on its face but tragic when she cannot be reached for 72 hours to sign off on FEMA expenditures. So, FEMA could not promptly assist local first responders as they have usually done in the past until they were freed to do so by the absentee DHS Secretary.

President Trump can try to gaslight us and misdirect our attention by praising Secretary Noem and FEMA. But we should not be fooled. His administration should be judged by the disastrous consequences that have resulted from his policies and decisions, not his rhetoric. They have made us worse off than we were just six months ago and less safe.

Lynn Jensen

Lake Zurich