(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Remember when Trump warned a Biden-Harris administration would reroute Americans’ emergency calls to automated lines and the legacy media claimed he was fearmongering? Well, that’s now reality.
Biden-Harris’s FEMA failed to answer nearly half of the calls from Americans affected by this year’s hurricane season, according to disturbing data reviewed first by Politico.
Between Oct. 14 and Oct. 20, approximately 423,000 callers were unable to reach a FEMA agent. This was 47 percent of the week’s 900,000 calls. Those who managed to reach a person waited an average of an hour and five minutes.
The following week, from Oct. 21 to Oct. 27, FEMA ghosted 342,000 callers and forced those who did get ahold of an operator to wait an average of 25 minutes. These missed calls accounted for 31.5 percent of the week’s 500,000 calls.
Hurricanes Helene and Milton have left FEMA struggling to handle phone calls from survivors and maintain staffing.
(📷 Chris Carlson/AP) pic.twitter.com/cbroMaUeqR
— POLITICO (@politico) November 1, 2024
Politico reported that the data covers 19 disasters nationwide, including hurricanes Helene and Milton, which impacted Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Both hurricanes left destruction in their wake, destroying homes, flooding several neighborhoods and triggering power outages.
FEMA spokesperson Daniel Llargués defended the agency’s failure to answer calls, absurdly claiming phone operators were busy assisting other customers.
“We will not rush disaster survivors to get off the phone,” Llargués said, according to Politico. “We’re going to stay on the phone with them as long as they need to stay on the phone to get all their answers.”
Llargués added that calls are lengthy because operators assist with programs allegedly tailored to specific needs such as hotel stays, emergency cash or home repairs.
“We want to make sure you understand the programs to see which program you’re best qualified for,” Llargués continued.
