As a Floridian, I am shocked at the impact that Hurricane Helene had on the areas north of my area. Florida was the first to be directly affected by this powerful storm, but it appears that there have been similar devastation and deaths elsewhere. The mountainous regions of western North Carolina have been particularly affected by the storm. Flooded rivers and terrain caused catastrophic damage.
While the rest of the nation struggles to understand the recovery process for communities located hundreds of miles away, one North Carolina politician seems to be oblivious. Kathy Manning represents the 6th Congressional District in North Carolina, the area north-central that includes the cities of Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and other areas that have been affected by the storm.
As a politician, Ms. Manning doesn’t seem to be very involved in the recovery effort. She displays a distracted personality. Residents are looking for solutions, while people need help. Manning wants to find people who can help… with the election. Manning wasn’t working with state leaders or gathering relief efforts on Sunday; she was staging an event for her campaign.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro visited Greensboro for a promotional event to boost the chances of Josh Stein who is running to be the next governor. Below is Rep. Manning’s X-post promoting the event. This could be a shining example of poor timing.
There’s no joshin’ around in #NC06 when it comes to protecting democracy.
Thanks to @JoshShapiroPA for coming to Greensboro to join me in supporting @JoshStein_ and Democrats up and down the ticket 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/ZJmaDhMo52
— Kathy Manning (@KathyManningNC) September 29, 2024
Manning did not mention the residents affected by the storm in her campaign media account or personal social media accounts after this post. Manning or someone in her staff realized that this tone-deaf posting was not a good look for them about five hours after it was posted. Then they posted a few boilerplate posts about the storm and this week’s events:
I am deeply concerned by the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina and heartbroken by the tragic loss of life.
My thoughts are with everyone impacted during this difficult time. (1/3)
— Congresswoman Kathy Manning (@RepKManning) September 30, 2024
There was also a report that Andy Beshear (Democrat Governor of Kentucky) came to North Carolina for Stein. This is a good example of how local politicians seem to put residents on a secondary level. Another governor has also shown interest in the situation in North Carolina. Ron DeSantis just completed the search and recovery missions in Florida. He has now redirected these teams to fly north to help with the necessary work in North Carolina, Tennessee, and other states.
With Florida’s recovery effort running on all cylinders (search & rescue nearly complete, 2M+ power restored, 12,300 mi of roadways cleared) @GovRonDeSantis is sending extra assets to North Carolina and Tennessee to help them in the wake of Hurricane Helene. pic.twitter.com/ZMHLDx8fAr
— Bryan Griffin (@BryanDGriffin) September 29, 2024
What about Josh Stein’s rival, the Republican Lieutenant Governor Marc Robinson who is currently under siege? One local paper reports that Robinson has “no upcoming campaign visit scheduled.” He may have other commitments. Even if you disagree with his scandal or the fact that his staff fled his campaign, he is still on the ground looking at the relief efforts in western parts of the state and acknowledging what work is needed.
The residents of the area can take some comfort from the fact that Ms. Manning is now tweeting about them.
