CRISIS/FEMA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Federal Emergency Management Agency is calling on Americans to help with the response to Hurricane Harvey through financial donations or by assisting with search and rescue efforts, as the rainfall continues over the next few days.
The federal government was focused on rescue operations on Monday morning and expected about 30,000 people to be put in temporary shelters. The hurricane hit the Gulf Coast of Texas over the weekend, but the floodwaters are not expected to peak until Wednesday [8-28-17] or Thursday, officials said.
‘People need help, and we are working to provide it,’ the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Elaine Duke, said on Monday morning during a news conference. ‘Harvey is still a dangerous and historic storm.’
The government’s search and rescue mission has been complicated by the ongoing rain, and more rainfall is expected in Houston and the surrounding areas…
Hurricane Harvey is the first major natural disaster during the Trump administration, and the lessons of past responses, particularly Hurricane Katrina in 2005, were apparent as officials detailed the federal government’s responsibilities — specifically that it has a supporting role and provides assistance to state and local governments.”
-Eileen Sullivan, “In Texas Flooding, FEMA Asks ‘All Citizens to Get Involved’ to Help,” The New York Times online, Aug. 28, 2017