I remember watching, nineteen years ago, as Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and surrounding areas. I remember donating bags full of supplies to an organization that was collecting them in New York City and taking them to the stricken areas. I remember hearing about people who lived in those areas coming together, getting organized, and doing whatever they could to help each other – and I remember hearing about FEMA agents doing everything they could to prevent them from helping each other.

For those who missed out on that experience, or have forgotten about it, here are some highlights, courtesy of A Midwestern Doctor:

Two days before the storm made landfall, while FEMA was floundering, the [Mormon]
church dispatched 10 trucks full of tents, sleeping bags, tarps to cover wrecked roofs, bottled water, and 5-gallon drums of gas from its warehouses to New Orleans and other hard-hit areas. The supplies were distributed in an orderly fashion to people who desperately needed them.

The Cajun Navy are informal ad hoc volunteer groups comprising private boat owners
who assist in search and rescue efforts in the United States as well as offer disaster relief assistance. These groups were formed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and reactivated in the aftermaths of the 2016 Louisiana floods, Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, the 2018 Hidalgo County flood, Hurricane Florence, Tropical Storm Gordon, Hurricane Michael, Hurricane Laura, Hurricane Ida, Hurricane Ian, and Hurricane Helene. They are credited with rescuing thousands of citizens during those disasters.

FEMA's response to such efforts was to seize generators and other supplies, threaten to arrest anyone who crossed their imaginary lines, and in at least one case, shoot a man who was getting impatient standing in line for supplies.

This book has a pretty good accounting of all that, for anyone who is interested.

A Midwestern Doctor goes on to tell us that FEMA is repeating its destructive – and I would go so far as to say criminal – behavior in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene:

"…consider this headline:

A South Carolina pilot who flew stranded Hurricane Helene victims in flood-ravaged North Carolina to safety claims he was told he would be arrested if he continued the rescue missions.