Americans online furious with billions sent to Israel while bracing for hurricanes at home
US citizens who have been impacted by the ongoing intense hurricane season have expressed their frustrations this week with the lack of attention storm victims have received, comparing it with the increase in US government spending on Israel’s expanding wars in the Middle East.
Over 230 died in several states during Hurricane Helene when it struck the south coast of the country in late September. Now, many are anticipating what is said to be one of the worst potential hurricanes ever recorded to hit Florida, Hurricane Milton, and many are scrambling to flee before its expected landfall late Wednesday or Thursday.
“This is literally catastrophic,” Tampa mayor Jane Castor said in an interview with CNN on Monday. “I can say this without any dramatisation whatsoever: if you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you are going to die.”
As Americans brace for the unknown, many have expressed their anger with the Biden administration's continued focus on supporting Israel's operations abroad.
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we have a hurricane so bad that a veteran meteorologist in florida broke down into tears while talking about it and begged for climate intervention and yet our political leaders choose to continue sending arms, etc to israel. the US will be the death of humanity
— isaac 🍄 (@androgynyfiend) October 8, 2024
On 26 September - the same day that Hurricane Helene made landfall – Israel announced that it secured a $8.7bn aid package from the US to support its ongoing military efforts.
The White House said in a press release on Monday afternoon, NPR reported, that FEMA "has sufficient funding to both support the response to Hurricane Milton and continue to support the response to Hurricane Helene - including funding to support first responders and provide immediate assistance to disaster survivors."
But WLRN South Florida reported on Tuesday that FEMA is “running out of staff to deal with the potential devastation of Hurricane Milton”, and as of Monday, “just 9% of FEMA’s personnel, or 1,217 people, were available to respond to the hurricane or other disasters, according to the agency’s daily operations briefing”.
Despite the US administration's assurances, people on social media have remained critical of the government using taxpayer money to fund Israel’s war as citizens are being internally displaced in the US.
we got ppl yelling at us about how we need to “worry about problems at home,” but when a hurricane absolutely swallows the east coast, gets no response or coverage, yet we just sent billions more dollars for Israel to bomb Beruit, it’s just crickets?
— astro himbo 🐺 (@MxMercuri) September 29, 2024
Another social media user on X used the hurricanes to highlight the irony of the US sending money towards humanitarian aid in Lebanon while simultaneously funding Israel’s operations in the country, which have caused widespread destruction in southern villages and the southern suburb of Beirut, Dahiye.
The US is giving $157 million in humanitarian aid to Lebanon to help repair damage from the $8.7 billion military aid just sent to Israel. Doing the math, that’s like offering displaced North Carolina residents $750 after sending $226 Billion directly to Hurricane Helene
— Sammy Obeid (@SammyObeid) October 5, 2024
In addition to people’s posts about the US’s failure in accommodating the victims of the hurricanes, a recent video of South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham – whose state has lost dozens of citizens to Hurricane Helene – has been making its rounds online.
"I've been going all over South Carolina, like most people I haven't slept much,” Graham said in an interview with Fox News. “But look what's going on in Israel. We have to help our friends to keep the war over there from coming here."
Who does #LindseyGraham truly work for?
— Alfred Lanning (@alfred_lanning1) October 5, 2024
As a South Carolina's senator, he seems more invested in supporting Israel's #GazaGenocide than in addressing the urgent #HurricaneHelenevictims' needs
Serious doubts about his dedication to his constituents... pic.twitter.com/x45pzBzQ93
For many online, the interview validated their beliefs that many politicians are more concerned about the safety of Israel than some of their constituents at home.
heard a clip of Lindsey Graham essentially telling the victims of Helene that it's more important for money to keep flowing to Israel than handle the hurricane relief. I like genuinely started to feel physically ill and nearly started crying. what a fucking evil world we live in.
— hideous kojima (@VoltySquirrel) October 8, 2024
"This should infuriate every American," one user posted on X. "Your own security and well being means nothing to do them. If people like Lindsey Graham can benefit from dead Americans either through disasters like Helene, or in war, they will."
"'But look what's going on in Israel' should become the official slogan for the American government."
Just when I think a person can't go any lower, people like Lindsey Graham finds a way. His own state looks like a warzone, yet he is more concerned about Israel where no Israelis are dying except for inept soldiers in Gaza and at the Lebanese border. This should infuriate every… https://t.co/J8bN7vZtil
— Daniel F. Prinsloo 🇿🇦 (@Daniel7Prinsloo) October 4, 2024
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