Original title: Hurricane killed 63 people and cut power to nearly 800,000 households. Biden: Americans frustrated
[文/观察者网 丁悦]
“I know you are upset.”
Hurricane “Ada” struck the United States and claimed at least 63 innocent lives. On September 3, local time, US President Biden rushed to inspect the disaster area and said in a speech to the people affected by the disaster.
Since making landfall on August 29, Hurricane Ada has swept across 8 states in the United States, causing huge storms. Strong winds, heavy rains, trees collapsed and cities flooded. According to statistics from the American Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), as of now, Hurricane Ida has caused at least 49 deaths in the northeastern United States and at least 63 deaths in 8 states across the United States. Up to now, there are still nearly 800,000 users who have not restored power supply.
At that time, on September 3, according to the Associated Press, US President Biden went to Louisiana for an inspection and once again talked about his infrastructure bill. Biden said that he would urge Congress to introduce infrastructure bills as soon as possible to strengthen the construction of roads, bridges, water supply systems, drainage systems and power grids to deal with floods and hurricanes caused by extreme weather.
American cities have been criticized for lagging in infrastructure construction, and New York City is one of them. Recently, the New York subway has been flooded more and more frequently. Hurricane “Ada” even turned the subway into a “waterfall.” The New York Times bluntly stated that Hurricane “Ada” highlighted the fragility of New York City’s infrastructure system and reflected racial and economic injustice. Issues left over from history.
Promote the infrastructure bill
“In my opinion, if we rebuild and rebuild in a better way, we can save our voters a lot of money and avoid a lot of pain.”
At that time, on September 3, US President Biden went to Louisiana to inspect the damage caused by Hurricane Ada, and said in a speech on the government’s disaster relief work.
According to the official website of the PowerOutage.US project, which records power outages in various places in the United States, there are still more than 750,000 users in Louisiana that have not restored power, and nearly 800,000 users in the United States are still experiencing power outages. At the same time, Louisiana also has a shortage of natural gas, causing residents to wait for hours in high temperatures.
On the 3rd, Biden was accompanied by Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards and several local officials to inspect the damage in New Orleans. He said when talking about the restoration of power supply: “I know you are very Frustrated.” He reiterated that the government has been working with power companies to provide generators.
When explaining the government’s disaster relief work, Biden said that there are currently 25,000 electric power personnel from all over the United States, as well as multi-state staff, assisting Louisiana to restore the power supply system paralyzed by the storm. He also said that the government has provided disaster victims. With the aid of US$100 million, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is providing financial support for residents who have to be evacuated and need to stay away.
September 3,Biden is inspecting the disaster-stricken neighborhood.Pictured from the Associated PressIn his speech, Biden did not forget to promote his nearly $1 trillion infrastructure bill. Biden said that the severe blow brought about by the storm reminds the United States to accelerate the pace of infrastructure construction. He will continue to maintain close cooperation with state governors and Congress to introduce infrastructure bills as soon as possible to strengthen the construction of roads, bridges, water supply systems, and drainage. Systems and power grids and other facilities to deal with disasters such as floods and hurricanes caused by extreme weather.
“For the whole country, the hurricane Ida in the past few days, the wildfires in the west, and the unprecedented floods in New York and New Jersey all remind us once again that these extreme storms and climate crises are within easy reach,” Biden said. He pointed out that the $1 trillion infrastructure bill under consideration by Congress includes some funds to help communities resist disasters. “We need to be better prepared. We need to take action.”
“As far as the environment is concerned, the situation has changed so drastically.” Biden said, “We can’t restore anything like roads, highways, bridges, etc. to the previous state. We must consider the current state and what is needed now.”
Biden once again emphasized: “We have important legislation, including the infrastructure bill and the budget bill, a coordinated bill that requires a lot of investment to deal with the next situation.”
“In my opinion, if we rebuild and rebuild in a better way, we can save our voters a lot of money and avoid a lot of pain.”
Biden said frankly: “I can feel what I said is selling.”
Senator Cassidy later said on Twitter that in his conversations with Biden, “We agree that putting electrical wires underground can avoid all these situations. The infrastructure bill provides billions for the restoration of the power grid. Dollar.”
On the 3rd, Biden was at a briefing about Hurricane Ida.Pictured from the Associated PressBiden emphasized that his bill bridged the split between the two parties and also received the support of the Republican Party: “I think all of us have seen it, and my Republican friends in Congress have also received the same response, that is, there is nothing. Political significance. This is just to save lives and get people to stand up again. We are together. Therefore, we will not leave any communities, villages, cities, or coastal areas behind. I promise to support you until this is done.”
“This is a matter of life and death, we are all together.” Biden said.
But at the same time, Biden’s approval rating fell to a new low. According to CNN, in a recent opinion poll, Biden’s approval rating dropped to about 47% at the end of August, compared with early June (54%), July (52%), and August. Compared with the beginning of the month (51%), it has steadily decreased.
HighlightInfrastructure, racial inequalityproblem
On September 1, local time, New York City in the northeastern region of the United States suffered a “century rainstorm” and floods. The hourly rain in some areas even reached 80 mm. The unprecedented rainstorm flooded the city drains, flooded the basement, and turned the New York City subway into “Waterfall”. So far, the heavy rain has caused at least 13 deaths.
Before the storm came, New York City and state officials launched a preparation plan: clearing drains, erecting flood barriers in subways and other areas, and warning the public. However, the amount and speed of water brought by this rainfall exceeded the city’s “extreme” flood event standards.
In the early morning of September 2, floods flooded into the underground passage in Queens, causing a bus to be trapped.Pictured from the New York TimesAccording to the National Weather Service, New York City’s Central Park had 7.19 inches (about 18.26 cm) of rainfall that day, almost twice the amount recorded during the same period in 1927. The bureau issued an emergency flood warning for the first time in New York City’s history.
“The New York Times” on September 3, the flooding of New York highlighted the US infrastructure problems and racism.
First, the US government has not spent enough time and money to deal with the climate shock that has been predicted for a long time.
Since Hurricane Sandy caused the New York subway to be flooded in 2012, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has invested $2.6 billion in disaster relief projects to maintain and reinforce electrical wiring and drainage systems, and to reinforce 3,500 subway vents. Vents, stairs and elevator shafts to withstand flooding. However, this hurricane “Ada” proved that these investments did not reduce the impact of the flood, and the flood control system is still very fragile.
Secondly, the subway system in New York City has a history of over a century and cannot withstand heavy rains. Even if the weather is dry, the pump system can discharge 14 million gallons (approximately 53 million liters) of water from tunnels and stations.
Moreover, coping with heavy rainfall means more places to absorb and store water, whether it is the construction of so-called green city plans such as parks, or the construction of underground storage tanks, increasing the capacity of the sewer system to handle more water.
But New York City is clearly not up to the standard. Three-quarters of the ground in New York City is covered by impervious surfaces such as asphalt, which means that water flows into streets and sewers instead of being absorbed by the ground. Government officials also did not make flood prevention a priority. They focused on coastal areas to prevent storms caused by hurricanes.
In addition, in New York City, most of the victims were drowned when floodwaters rushed into underground apartments. Such apartments do not meet safety requirements, but have become a concentration of poor people and illegal immigrants, and the number has surged.
In the early morning of September 2, a mother and her young child were killed in the basement of 90-11, 183 Street, Queens, New York City.Pictured from the New York TimesThis also highlights the chronic problem of racial inequality in the United States: low-income communities of color are more severely affected, because of the long-standing inequality, these communities receive less maintenance and often suffer from lax enforcement of housing laws. , It is also more vulnerable to flooding.
The New York Times concluded that the transformation of American cities has been very slow. There are many reasons, including the government’s unwillingness to coercely deal with private property, the legacy of racial and economic injustice, and the fact that governance and regulatory systems often operate much slower than climate change.
“These incidents tell us that we are not ready yet,” said Alice Hill, the former National Security Council responsible for climate risk planning. “The climate when we built our cities and communities no longer exists.”
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