The incivility of Twitter users is legendary, but new lows were reached after the storm that hit Western Alaska this past weekend. Political critics of Gov. Mike Dunleavy pounced, asking why the governor had not had a federal disaster declaration in place already. Some even demanded the governor declare a state disaster, which he had already done on Saturday.
Dunleavy said on Monday, “As mentioned yesterday, I am requesting a Federal Disaster Declaration for the 2022 September storm currently impacting the west coast of Alaska. The damage assessment is now taking place with the State, local governments, regional entities, and FEMA.”
Some critics wanted to know why Puerto Rico already has a federal disaster declaration for Hurricane Fiona, but Alaska does not have a similar declaration. Some want to know why the Red Cross is on the ground and helping and, according to the critics’ storytelling, doing more than the government.
“I will be submitting a request for federal assistance as soon as we gather the necessary information. If approved, at least 75 percent of eligible disaster costs would be covered by FEMA, with the state picking up the tab for the rest,” Dunleavy said.
Still others in the media practiced the soft bigotry of low expectation by offering the presumption that the mainly brown-skinned Alaska Natives of Western Alaska were not aware of the storm before it arrived.
In fact, the Alaska Division of Homeland Security did outreach, which was also reported in the local media in advance of the storm.
Les Gara, the Democrat running for governor against Dunleavy, criticized the governor for not being at a debate with Gara, when the governor was at the command center in Bethel to work with agencies engaged in recovery efforts.
Earlier, Gara had criticized the governor for not doing enough in advance of the storm. But Gara also took time out of his busy not-helping-anyone schedule to raise money for his campaign in the middle of the storm:
Dunleavy, on the other hand, canceled his fundraiser scheduled for Monday so he could focus on the disaster.
The politicization of the attacks on the governor come during an election cycle for Dunleavy, but they are also attacks on local communities and their own emergency management responses, and are sideswipes at the state workforce in the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, who train continuously for disasters.
While the Twitter warriors went to their keyboards, the Coast Guard sent a C-130 Hercules to survey the damage and Coast Guard Sector Anchorage deployed to the region to assess port conditions and inspect fuel storage facilities.
Over the next several days, additional Coast Guard personnel will deploy throughout the region to expedite recovery of local marine transportation systems, allowing barges to access communities to provide fuel and supplies.
“Our top priorities are to ensure the safety of the public and our responders as well as protect the environment from any potential pollution incidents resulting from the storm,” said Capt. Leanne Lusk, commander, Coast Guard Sector Anchorage.
Photo: A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak aircrew flies over Golovin, Alaska, to assess damage to houses and facilities, Sept. 18, 2022. Coast Guard crews are responding to impacted communities following a historic storm, Typhoon Merbok, that hit Alaska’s western coast. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Ian Gray.
Gara and Walker will aim low at Dunleavy for just about anything, because Dunleavy is kicking their a—– at the polls.
The Left doing what they do best telling tall tales.
I’m an overall critic of Dunleavy. But credit where due, he’s handled this very well.
He has had plenty of experience. Dunleavy likes to free up those federal funds.
I read most of those replies and knew, before I even read this, that Dunleavy would first do his job and be at a command center, finding out more about the damage. Then he will go and see it for himself to better get a more complete picture of what has to be done. That is what governors do. Kristi Noem, the Governor of South Dakota, has written a great book on her life, including what a governor does in a disaster, called “Not My First Rodeo”. So maybe some of those people should read the book so they could understand why Mike Dunleavy is so seldom available during a crises. He is busy doing his job as the state CEO. And if Gara has so little conception on what a governor does, he should pull out of the race. Alaska does not need him. Personally, I admire Big Mike’s staying power and devotion to Alaskans that led him to run for a second term. To put up with all of the straight-out guff and garbage he has had to deal with from democrats life Dermot Cole, along with all the underhandedness from the Walker Camp during his first term, is way more than a less dedicated person can put up with.
His will be by far the easiest race, he will win by the largest margin, and this is last ditch mud slinging and political opportunism that will fall flat. No Governor, in Alaska, that I can recall, has faced more natural disasters than this guy, and he polls well because he doesn’t lose his mind, but behaves rationally. Same this time as all the others. Blaming someone for the weather is a sign (one of many with the left and the media) Of weakness and desperation.
Biden only agenda for Alaska is to shut down the fossil fuel industries. Biden will not offer Republican Governor any federal assistance as a result of the typhoon.
Biden is supportive of only democratic states
Why ask for $ from the Federal government Governor Dunleavy dislikes so much? Maybe Governor Dunleavy can use some of the $2 Million he budgeted to sue the Federal government for disaster relief instead?
Or maybe, radical leftist extremists like you (“Republican” my patooty!) can stop slinging puerile political mud and specious ad hominem attacks, and actually try to make an intelligent and constructive comment once in a while. I know, it’s asking a lot.
What’s the deal with Gara’s syntax? He writes like a junior high school student. I thought he was supposed to be educated.
In today’s world, a college graduate writing like a junior high school student actually does represent the typical level of ‘education’ provided by the government day care, er, ‘educational’ system.
Wonder what percentage of messages are actually “bot” traffic…
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Remember Elon Musk’s Twitter purchase soured because so many Twitter users turned out to be bots.
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May have to recalibrate the Impress Me meter…
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Nothing Gara said or says seems to be moving the pointer on ours.
Twitter is simply evil. A few thousand hyperactive SJW twits have managed to intimidate the entire establishment with their vicious, coordinated attacks. Companies, frantic at the possibility of bad PR, will do and say anything to avoid a twitter cancellation.
I will not read news stories that are filled with extensive quotes from tweets by twits. I don’t care what they think, and no one else should either. Quoting them only encourages their self-absorbed absurdity.
I agree. I can’t stand how some “journalists” will ask questions at pressers with the phrasing “some people are saying” when they mean some smooth brained idiots with a twitter account have herded together on twitter to see what kind of influence they can do with their collective self-absorbed stupidity. And it is always much more left leaning for a number of reasons. Twitter should not be considered the pulse of the public in any way. The fact that it has been used that way is why the world is in such a mess and why so many young people are having mental issues and struggling to find a real purpose to reality. 5% of the pubic use twitter and that’s not the right 5% we should be looking to.
Podcasting 2.0 and decentralizing everything is the only way ahead. I would like to see congress break up social media and search engines in an antitrust so they can’t own the content they distribute and must make it available for anyone to distribute because they do not own the users’ content. We did it to the movie industry when that new tech came along. We need to do something similar to the new tech of today.
I hope Elon totally ruins twitter. That’s where the left gets much of its validation to say stupid shallow and destructive stuff like this and believe they are the enlightened majority trying to defeat evil because they get more hearts (likes) then naysayers to their self righteous fits. Like moths to a flame, they just want to be cool with the cool kids and give each other high fives. They are not the type of people that think you can do good in the world only if you don’t care about getting credit for it.
“The Left Goes Politically Nuts”.
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There. That could have and should have been the entirety of the article right there.
If you people living out in the villages can’t handle your problems, move to the city.
This would have made a perfect tweet. Maybe you missed the point Suzanne was trying to make–be civil and supportive or don’t comment.
Ahahaha. Cause civility means anything to her… long as you direct it at those she doesn’t like she will happily post it
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