FEMA head said Hurricane Ian aid will go to ‘all communities’

​The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency insisted that Hurricane Ian aid will be provided to “all communities” — dismissing Vice President Kamala Harris‘ position that the assistance should be “based on equity.”

​”​We’re going to support all communities. I committed that to the governor, I commit to you right here that all Floridians are going to be able to get the help that is available to them through our programs​,” FEMA head Deanne Criswell said on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday. ​

Criswell was responding to a question from host Margaret Brennan about Harris’ comments last week and the backlash that it prompted, including from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ reelection campaign, which said the remarks ​could cause “undue panic.”

Earlier in the show, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said the FEMA aid should be colorblind. 

Deanne Criswell, administrator of FEMA, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves and Jim Craig of the Mississippi State Health Department visit the City of Jackson’s O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Facility.
AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis
A yacht sits in the front yard of a home In the wake of Hurricane Ian on October 02, 2022 in Fort Myers, Florida
A yacht sits in the front yard of a home In the wake of Hurricane Ian on October 2, 2022 in Fort Myers, Florida.
Win McNamee/Getty Images
FEMA response team in Florida
“​We’re going to support all communities,” FEMA head Deanne Criswell said.
Facebook/FEMA

Criswell responded that she had been on the ground assessing damage from Hurricane Ian in Florida on Friday and Saturday and “there are a lot of people that are going to need assistance as a result of this.”

She also insisted that the federal government will remove any barriers that hinder people’s ability to access aid.

“T​hese people that need our help the most are going to be able to access the help that we offer. I know that the ​v​ice ​p​resident and the ​p​resident, they share the same values​,” Criswell said, adding “we are going to be there to support everybody that needs help.”​​

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the DNC Women's Leadership Forum, Friday, Sept. 30, 2022
Vice President Kamala Harris said that Hurricane Ian assistance should be “based on equity.”
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
People work at FEMA headquarters, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, in Washington
People work at FEMA headquarters, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, in Washington.
AP Photo/Evan Vucci
FEMA head Deanne Criswell
FEMA head Deanne Criswell insisted that Hurricane Ian aid will be provided to “all communities”
CBS

The vice president raised eyebrows last week when she ​said that “communities of color” should be first in line for hurricane relief.

“We have to address this in a way that is about giving resources based on equity, understanding that we fight for equality, but we also need to fight for equity,” ​Harris ​told actress Priyanka Chopra ​in an interview ​at the Democratic National Committee’s Women’s Leadership Forum on Friday.

“If we want people to be in an equal place sometimes we need to take into account those disparities and do that work,” she ​said.



Read the full article Here

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

DON’T MISS OUT!
Subscribe To Newsletter
Be the first to get latest updates and exclusive content straight to your email inbox.
Stay Updated
Give it a try, you can unsubscribe anytime.
close-link