Many Elected Officials Appear Tone Deaf to Helene's Damage

The lambasting received by President George W. Bush following his response to Hurricane Katrina compared to our own officials’ nonchalance over the weekend.

Nearly two decades ago, Hurricane Katrina made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane. The storm had first hit Florida as a Category 1 storm but re-entered the warm waters of the Gulf where it slowed, gained strength, and ultimately slammed into New Orleans. As a 400-mile-wide storm, moving only 12 mph, it would impact 4 states, trap approximately 100,000, and ultimately be responsible for the death of 1833 people.

The Perceived Insensitivity of the Response to Hurricane Katrina was a Political Disaster

Not wanting to detract from the rescue operations with a presidential visit, it was decided that former President George W. Bush would survey the damage while aboard Air Force One. In 2005, he had spent most of the month of August at his Texas ranch, leaving two days after Katrina made landfall. Photographers captured his somber assessment of the storm’s destruction.

The President’s flyover would be critiqued harshly and frequently as the days and years followed. Deemed by many to be an anemic, uncaring response by an emotionally detached leader, this would later be termed as the “undoing” of President Bush.

How Times Have Changed

Similar to George W. Bush, our nation’s 46th president was also vacationing at home during the time of the current natural disaster. Freshly back from Rehoboth Beach, President Biden announced Monday that he would tour the destruction of Hurricane Helene later this week when his entourage’s travel was less likely to impede rescue efforts.

Vice President Harris’ team did take to Twitter to share that she had been briefed on the unfolding Hurricane Helene tragedy, but otherwise it seems her calendar was largely unaffected by the storm. Harris had a trip to the Mexican border and a meeting with Ukraine’s Zelensky over the weekend.

Former President Donald Trump also kept to campaign events this past weekend but made time to tour the damage in Valdosta, GA on Monday. A partnership with Elon Musk to restore internet to especially hard-hit areas of the Southeast was also announced by Trump’s campaign.

The Optics of Apathetic Politicians in an Hour of Need

Social media was in its infancy at the time of Hurricane Katrina, but now essentially every single public figure has at least one account. Such access affords constituents the opportunity to peek into the priorities of their elected officials in real time – and such can be illuminating…