Louisiana Underwater
The rains began last Thursday, August 11. By Saturday, here in Baton Rouge we had endured 24 inches of rain from the continuous storm. Rivers and creeks were flooding at levels seen less than once in a century (maybe once every 500 years; until now the new normal). By Monday 30,000 people had been rescued, 12,000 were in shelters, 20,000 customers were without power, 40,000 homes were damaged or lost, and 13 of our friends and neighbors were dead. These statistics are grim; the individual stories behind each number are daunting and sorrowful.
The crisis is not over. Flooding continues west and east and south of the Baton Rouge area first affected. Thankfully, much of Baton Rouge has been relatively dry since Sunday or Monday, mitigating what might have been even worse conditions. The road to recovery will be long, and difficult, and expensive.
There will be an acute need for significant disaster relief assistance for a minimum of 3-6 months to come in 1/3 of Louisiana (20 of 64 parishes). As of August 22, with flood waters finally receding, the toll stands at 60,000 homes damaged and 110,000 registered for Federal disaster aid.
As everyone knows by now, Trump graced our community with his presence in a lightening drive-by last Friday morning (August 19) for about 4 hours, on his way from New York to a Dimondale, MI political rally (a hamlet of 1,200 souls). Truth be told, Dimondale is near the middling sized city of Lansing, MI (115 thousand residents). Baton Rouge proper is home to twice that number.
What You Can Do To Help Here in Louisiana and From a Distance
Volunteer to work in person, donate money, send goods and supplies, involve your friends and families, and offer prayers. Victims of flooding and those affected need clean used clothing, personal toiletries, bottled water, cleaning supplies, dry goods, canned goods, white goods (sheets and towels), and school supplies. Please help in any way you can afford, and more than once.
The following are recognized, experienced charities who will collect and distribute aid in a responsible and accountable manner, with minimal overhead expenses and for the public good.
American Red Cross Louisiana Flood Relief
http://www.redcross.org/local/louisiana/flood-information
- National Red Cross
- American Red Cross National Headquarters
- 2025 E Street, NW
- Washington, DC 20006
- 1-800-RED CROSS
- (1-800-733-2767)
- Red Cross Regional Office
- 2640 Canal St.
- New Orleans, LA 70119
- Phone: (800) 229-8191 or (504) 620-3105
- Hours: 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
- Red Cross Louisiana Capital Area
- 4655 Sherwood Common Blvd.
- Baton Rouge, LA 70816
- Phone: (225) 291-4533
Baton Rouge Area Foundation Flood Relief
http://www.braf.org/louisiana-flood-relief
- Baton Rouge Area Foundation
- 100 North Street Suite 900,
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802
- 225-387-6126
United Way of Southeast Louisiana Flood Relief
http://www.unitedwaysela.org/flood
- United Way of Southeast Louisiana
- 2515 Canal Street
- New Orleans, LA 70119
- (504) 822-5540
Here are Some Practical Things Trump Coulda, Shoulda Done To Help
#1.) Write a large personal check to a recognized charity for flood relief (American Red Cross, Baton Rouge Area Foundation, United Way of Southeast Louisiana).
#2.) Call on his wealthy donors and small dollar campaign contributors to send financial help to Louisiana charities.
#3.) Hold a press conference and say:
“A natural disaster is no time for partisan bickering. Floods don’t know Republicans from Democrats or Independents. We support all our brothers and sisters in Louisiana who are in need after this historic flooding. Please do all you can to offer prayers, volunteer if you can, collect relief supplies, or send money to help the recovery to help make Louisiana Great Again.”
#4.) Convince his four healthy, adult children to volunteer to help rebuild damaged houses with local agencies as an example for others (say for a week each).
#5.) Hold a gala charity fundraiser at one or more of his hotels and golf clubs to benefit Louisiana Flood Victims.
#6.) Donate several thousand bottles of the superfine, pristine Trump bottled water served at his hotels and resort facilities.
#7.) Assemble several pallets of cleaning supplies (bleach, spray cleaners, Windex, liquid soap, brushes, mops, buckets, gloves, brooms, dustpans, refuse bags) to be sent to Louisiana relief organizations.
#8.) Direct his multiple restaurant kitchens to gather a few hundred pounds each of canned goods, pasta, rice, beans, and other food staples for shipment to those in need in Louisiana.
#9.) Instruct his hotels and golf course clubs to donate several thousand (clean but used) sets of sheets and towels for those who have lost all their belongings in the floods.
#10.) Have his hotel supply rooms assemble cartons of personal toiletry items (soap, razors, toothbrushes, toothpaste, combs, deodorant) for donation to shelters and aid agencies.
#11.) Arrange for several Trump Organization construction crews with qualified tradesmen (framer, sheet-rocker, plumber, electrician, concrete mason) to fly into the flood zone for one week stays to help repair damaged houses, coordinated through local authorities or charities.
#12.) Use his personal jet to ferry disaster relief supplies from New York or elsewhere to Louisiana (His personal jet can carry 10 tons of luggage cargo per flight).
#13.) Arrange for his clothing company (Trump Collection) to provide several hundred shirts (seconds) for use by those who have lost their clothes to flood waters.
#14.) Start a Twitter flood storm of “How I helped our friends in Louisiana Make it Great Again” tweets and examples among his millions of followers.
This may sound like a long list even for a very wealthy person, but Trump is after all worth $10 billion, and very generous. There is also no doubt Trump’s accounting wizards and lawyers would make the costs tax deductible as well.
For what it is worth, the usual rate of annual charitable giving in America (even for the super rich) is just about 2% of net worth. For Trump that would be $200 million per year (or $80 million, if his net worth is only $4 Billion, as Forbes calculates). If you just want to count annual income instead of net worth, for Trump in 2015 ($500 million income), that would be still be $10 million per year for charity. Trump is way overdue for some hefty charitable donations to somebody.
So, What Did Trump Actually Do About the Louisiana Floods?
Trump could have issued a press release, a campaign bulletin by a spokesperson, a campaign letter statement, given a TV or radio interview, held a press conference, written a newspaper op-ed, arranged a town hall, talked off the cuff at a political rally, read from a Teleprompter in a prepared speech, or unleashed a Twit storm on his universe of followers anytime beginning Friday evening, August 12.
Based on the public record, what Trump did instead was:
Friday (8/12)- nothing;
Saturday (8/13)- none of the above;
Sunday (8/14)- zilch;
Monday (8/15)- nada;
Tuesday (8/16)- nope;
Wednesday (8/17)- zero;
Six days of silence and inaction, until Thursday evening 8/18 during a campaign rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, he finally said:
“I’d like to take a moment to talk about the heartbreak and devastation in Louisiana, a state that is very, very special to me,” Trump told the crowd at the opening of his rally.
“We are one nation. When one state hurts, we all hurt,” Trump continued. “And we must all work together to lift each other up.”
“I hope everyone in Louisiana knows that our country is praying for them and standing with them to help them in these difficult hours,” Trump said. “They are very, very difficult.”
On Friday morning, August 19 Trump flew into Baton Rouge for a four hour lightening visit (with Mike Pence) on his way to Michigan for a rally that afternoon.
Trump did not notify the state governor’s office in advance that he intended to visit, nor to ask for permission or clearance to tour the affected area, nor to consult about the logistics of a private unscheduled motorcade visit to an active federal emergency disaster zone. First responders, state and federal FEMA and Homeland Security workers, U.S. Coast Guard and Louisiana National Guard personnel, and state and local police and fireman were still conducting search and recovery operations house to house throughout the area to locate and identify missing persons and deceased persons in flooded homes, abandoned vehicles, and still-flooded neighborhoods and water ways.
Louisiana Governor Edwards said Trump was welcome but not for a photo opportunity drop in.
Trump was met at the airport by the Lieutenant Governor (Billy Nungesser) and the State Attorney General (Jeff Landry), the two highest ranking statewide Republican officials, as well as U.S. Congressmen Steve Scalise and Garrett Graves. Neither of Louisiana’s two Republican Senators (David Vitter, Bill Cassidy), nor the three other Louisiana Republican congressmen (Charles Boustany, John Fleming, and Ralph Abraham) showed up.
Louisiana has seven statewide elected officials, six congressman , and two U.S. senators. Of these 15 senior governing officials, 13 are Republicans (87%). Trump managed to gather in support of his visit 4 of the 13 Republican statewide office holders, or 31%. That is a little less than par performance compared with his 41% performance in the Republican primary here in March (in our state which is a very red shade of purple statewide, and nearly blood red in Presidential races for the last 20 plus years).
Trump & Republicans Landry and Nungesser
A Reconstructed Trump Flood Tour Timeline
Trump’s rapid-fire unplanned flood tour of the Baton Rouge area generated significant national media attention and intense local coverage. Based on review of a large number of reports, we have attempted to reconstruct a complete travel route and timeline of his Friday morning visit to Louisiana on August 19 in order to provide a basis for some analysis and comment. As is so often the case with matters Trump, a number of the news reports are sketchy, incomplete, inaccurate, or biased. See selected references at the end of this post.
Trump and his running mate Mike Pence arrived at Baton Rouge Airport separately, Pence at about 8:45 AM and Trump near 9:30 AM. After a brief meet and greet with Republican officials on the airport runway, the travel group departed in a convoy of at least seven SUVs on a driving tour of areas affected by the flooding.
Trump’s Louisiana Flood Tour Motorcade
As best I can tell after compiling details from about 40 media reports, there were four primary stops during the drive-by tour through flood damaged areas on city and surface streets.
- Trump’s Plane Arrives (about 9:30 AM)
- Leave from Airport (about 9:45 AM)
- #1.) Greenwell Springs Baptist Church
- #2.) Olive & Jimmy Morgan’s House
- #3.) Denham Springs High School
- #4.) St. Amant (Ascension Parish) Emergency Operations Center
- Return to Airport (about 1:00 PM)
- Trump’s Plane Leaves (about 1:15 PM)
Trump & Tony Perkins at Greenwell Springs Baptist Church
At Stop #1 (Greenwell Springs Baptist Church) Trump also visited the Samaritan’s Purse Traveling Kitchen set up there, and met with a modest number of supporters (estimated at several dozen) in the parking lot, where he shook hands and autographed hats.
Trump Signing Hats in Flood Zone
There are essentially complete video clips of his visit to Olive & Jimmy Morgan’s flood damaged home and his conversation with them (Stop #2) which lasted about 5 ½ minutes, and his visit to the Denham Springs High School to speak with the principal and briefly look at some damaged school areas and the gymnasium (Stop #3) which lasted about 5 minutes.
Trump & Olive Morgan
At Stop #4 in St. Amant (an unincorporated community with a population of 10,700) he visited the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office Command Center trailer (Emergency Operations Center) and received a briefing. He also greeted a room of National Guardsmen responders in the Grand Venue rental hall next to the temporary command center, and briefly helped volunteers unload some supplies from the back a semi- truck in bucket brigade fashion. According to the New York Times Trump also autographed the Emergency Operations Command Center vehicle during the briefing. There is a start to finish video clip of his unloading efforts (50 seconds), and his visit with the Louisiana Guardsmen (about 4 minutes). I could find no complete video of his briefing with Ascension Parish emergency officials, but various news reports stated it lasted about 20 minutes.
Trump’s Volunteer Working Minute
After his St. Amant stop, his motorcade returned to Baton Rouge Airport via Interstate I-10 with police escort and flashing lights. He posed for several pictures in front of his plane before departing at 1;15 PM Baton Rouge time
Trump’s Presumed Flood Tour Route (Google Maps)
A search of Google Maps generated a likely route of travel for Trump’s motorcade, the distances covered, and the estimated normal travel times at expected speed (given by Google). See likely printed route above and mileage time table below.
What Can We Say About the Basics of Trump’s Louisiana Flood Visit?
Trump spent about 4 hours on the ground in Louisiana, portal to portal. He drove past about 75 miles of roads. The portion of his return trip from St Amant on Interstate I-10 (22 miles) was not heavily affected by the flooding, so he got an up- close and personal view from behind a car window of about 50 miles of Louisiana roads and homes in affected areas. If he was traveling at expected speeds for his trip, he spent about 80 minutes on local streets.
The Google estimated times work out to an average speed of about 39 miles per hour. This is a bit fast to see any real damage detail or even wave to any roadside spectators or homeowners working on cleanup. Assuming the motorcade traveled at a more sedate 25 miles per hour (except for the interstate run), Trump’s road time would have been about 50 minutes longer (130 minutes) or nearly 2 ¼ hours. Adding about 18-22 minutes for the Interstate portion (at 60 mph to 75 mph), his total in-car time would have been just about 2 ½ hours.
If we allow between 5-10 minutes at each stop for the seven SUVs worth of passengers to all get in and out, that would make the total group car travel time nearly 3 hours.
We have some reasonable estimates of Trump’s timely interactions with the elderly couple whose house is badly damages, speaking with the high school principal, thanking the National Guard, unloading supplies from the truck, and receiving a briefing from Ascension parish officials (about 35 minutes in total). That leaves about 25 minutes for the sum of his Greenwell Springs activities: visiting with church volunteers, hearing about the Samaritan’s Purse food distribution operation, and shaking hands and signing hats for supporters in the church parking lot.
Trump did not spend any time in a boat in a flooded area, nor take a helicopter flight to see the overall extent of damage from above the treetop level.
To sum up, Trump spent approximately one hour with actual flood victims and volunteers, one minute helping with the volunteer work of unloading a truck, and 2 ½ hours driving at moderate speeds past damaged and ruined homes and property. He also presumably used some part of that travel time in less populated areas speaking with others in his vehicle. It is not known who was in the car with Trump, or whether the passengers changed at each stop to offer a variety of perspectives for him to consider.
What Did The President Do for Louisiana In That First Week?
Made a Federal Disaster Declaration for affected parishes on Sunday, 12 hours after the request from the Governor.
The President’s action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in the parishes of East Baton Rouge, Livingston, St. Helena, and Tangipahoa.
Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.
Federal funding also is available to the state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work as a result of the flooding in the parishes of East Baton Rouge, Livingston, St. Helena, and Tangipahoa.
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.
Expanded the Declaration to cover 20 of Louisiana’s 64 parishes within 2 days.
Sent FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) Administrator to Louisiana on Tuesday to oversee Federal relief efforts.
Provided 950 FEMA staff workers on-site in state, with 750 more on the way.
Ordered 3.750 Coast Guard personnel to perform search and rescue missions.
Sent Homeland Security Secretary (Jeb Johnson) to Louisiana Thursday to co-ordinate Federal aid responses.
Authorized $122 million in immediate FEMA relief money to be distributed.
Registered 102,00 applications for FEMA disaster assistance from disaster victims.
The gentle reader is invited to compare and contrast.
What Has Trump Said or Done Since His Friday Louisiana Visit?
He said little for public attribution on the ground in Louisiana.
“It’s a great place,” Trump said. “I’ve had a great history with Louisiana. They need a lot of help. What’s happened here is incredible. Nobody understands how bad it is. I’m just here to help.”
Later on Friday Trump spoke at a rally in Dimondale MI:
“I just got back from a tour of the suffering and devastation in Louisiana,” Mr. Trump said at a rally near Lansing, Mich., on Friday evening. “The spirit of the people is incredible and, honestly, Obama ought to get off the golf course and get down there.”
And:
He added at an event in Michigan this evening: “To the people of Louisiana, we are with you and will always be with you.” He said he “saw strength” and “spirit” and that “they will overcome.”
A preliminary story was broadcast Friday afternoon that Trump had, in fact, personally provided and paid for a mysterious semi-truck with 70,000 pounds of supplies sent to St. Amant. This initial story was not confirmed by Trump or his campaign, and has been called into question by a Washington Post reporter who contacted local officials.
On Sunday conservative activist Tony Perkins, serving as Interim Pastor (since May 2016) of the Greenwell Springs Baptist Church, which sponsored or arranged three of the four stops on Trump’s tour, announced in a Facebook post to his congregation that:
I also want to let you know that as a result of his visit to our church and seeing the work that we are doing to help the community, Donald Trump is sending a financial contribution to the church to aid our efforts.
The story about the 70,000 pounds of supplies personally from Trump is unconfirmed and seems apocryphal. A more likely story is the report from political activist pastor Tony Perkins that after visiting the Greenwell Springs Baptist Church on Friday, Trump has since promised to send a $100,000 donation for relief efforts shortly.
Sadly we have seen this behavior before (recently). The Trump check is in the mail. Recall the promised $1 million personal contribution to Veteran’s charities that Trump made in January in Iowa in front of the TV cameras, that languished entirely unfulfilled until May, when he was hounded by the same Washington Post reporter (David Fahrenthold) and Trump finally paid up.
For the sake of those in need, we can only hope this Trump’s promised I.O.U. will be redeemed in full and on time, not months from now after public shaming. And that he doesn’t forget where he left his checkbook.
Final Comment
Trump did come to Louisiana in the middle of flood recovery efforts uninvited by state officials. He spent one hour talking with victims, and one minute actually volunteering. He did promise a generous donation on Sunday after his trip to one church which is doing good works, but is not a registered charity organization for the public good.
If, as now appears to be the case, someone else or some other organization donated the relief supplies distributed in St. Amant last Friday, well God bless them and may they prosper for helping their neighbors.
Trump did raise the media profile of the flooding disaster in Louisiana, after ignoring it completely for a week. Whether his newfound interest was for political purposes or the greater public good is for the reader to judge. Our Governor thanked him for calling attention to the plight of our neighbors.
The Governor first asked him to write a check or volunteer, but not to come for a photo opportunity to exploit the situation. Trump did not perform any meaningful volunteer work while he was here, but has since promised a check to a private cause, still to be redeemed. Clearly, he also came to our state for a significant photo-op and positive press coverage about his ‘leadership’ and ‘generosity’.
The visit certainly burnished Trump’s reputation personally and politically with his allies.
However, the relevant question here is how much the residents of Louisiana benefited from Trump’s visit. After all, Trump said he was only here to help- presumably the folks in trouble, not himself.
There is an economic aspect to this trip that Trump the business man surely would identify and agree with. What is the marginal cost-benefit of Trump actually visiting Louisiana in person compared to the alternatives of holding a gala fundraiser for his rich friends, or giving a TV interview on national TV, or sending a Twitter challenge to his supporters?
It is not at all clear that the net benefit ratio for the actual flood victims was improved by Trump spending four hours here in person. His national media presence alone would have helped plenty to garner national attention. Obviously, no one in Louisiana needed any consciousness raising on this score.
But there would also have been much less sizzle in skipping the trip, displaying suffering people in forlorn and desperate personal circumstances, for others in comfort and safety elsewhere to gawk over.
This is the modern equivalent of electronic rubber necking at the scene of an accident or crime. It is a modern day form of disaster porn intended to increase audience sizes, jolt ratings, excite public attention, titillate those who are safe at home, facilitate polite voyeurism, and possibly distract attention from other disagreeable matters (like, say, a fired campaign manager saddled with allegations of bribery and foreign influence called PM).
Oh, and one more economic tidbit. It is estimated that the cost of operating Trump’s 757 jet is about $8,500 per hour. The flight time is roughly 3 hours from Newark to Baton Rouge, so a round trip flight cost Trump (or his supporters) just about $51,000. That may be a good media expense for Trump and his political campaign, but the folks in Louisiana would be better off with a cash donation to the Red Cross or the Baton Rouge Foundation Flood Relief Fund, in lieu thereof.
What do you think, Mr. Trump?
Less talking, less picture posing, more cash, and more elbow grease expended on behalf of those who need help. That’s what real friends and neighbors do for each other.
As for those handful of autographed hats Trump signed, they don’t make very good bailing devices to lower residual flood waters, and the autographed Sheriff’s vehicle won’t get better mileage or run any faster either.
62% of Baton Rouge Flooded Last Week
For those of us who live here, this is very personal. We don’t need any publicity hounds horning in for private advantage and ego stroking on the backs of our distressed citizens.
My Baton Rouge Neighborhood Flood Map
I was very, very lucky. My house escaped flooding, barely. Others on my block and nearby didn’t.
What we really need is some Louisiana music.
Watch Beausoleil play “Cajun Groove“.
Life is Strong. We don’t quit. We’ll come back
Watch Beausoleil again with “Le Chanky Chank Francais“.
Our Immigrant Roots Make Us Stronger Today
What You Can Still Do To Help, Even if Donald Doesn’t
Please volunteer or donate generously, and encourage all your family and friends to join in to help our neighbors in Louisiana recover and rebuild.
American Red Cross Louisiana Flood Relief
http://www.redcross.org/local/louisiana/flood-information
- National Red Cross
- American Red Cross National Headquarters
- 2025 E Street, NW
- Washington, DC 20006
- 1-800-RED CROSS
- (1-800-733-2767)
- Red Cross Regional Office
- 2640 Canal St.
- New Orleans, LA 70119
- Phone: (800) 229-8191 or (504) 620-3105
- Hours: 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
- Red Cross Louisiana Capital Area
- 4655 Sherwood Common Blvd.
- Baton Rouge, LA 70816
- Phone: (225) 291-4533
Baton Rouge Area Foundation Flood Relief
http://www.braf.org/louisiana-flood-relief
- Baton Rouge Area Foundation
- 100 North Street Suite 900,
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802
- 225-387-6126
United Way of Southeast Louisiana Flood Relief
http://www.unitedwaysela.org/flood
- United Way of Southeast Louisiana
- 2515 Canal Street
- New Orleans, LA 70119
- (504) 822-5540
Selected References for Trump’s Louisiana Flooding Visit
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/trump-regret-caustic-campaign-statements-41507103
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/latest-evacuation-urged-louisiana-community-41478191
http://circa.com/circa-now/happening/president-obama-will-visit-louisiana-next-week
http://radaronline.com/exclusives/2016/08/donald-trump-louisiana-flood-obama-vacation/
http://truthuncensored.net/donald-trump-hands-out-supplies-to-louisiana-flood-victims-video/
http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/18/politics/trump-pence-headed-to-baton-rouge/
http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/21/politics/louisiana-governor-donald-trump-visit-helpful/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3748488/Trump-says-I-regret-caustic-campaign-statements.html
http://www.kfvs12.com/story/32777861/assistancerelief-for-flood-victims
http://www.ktbs.com/story/32798029/donald-trump-arrives-in-baton-rouge
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/08/louisiana_flood_whos_going_to.html
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/08/trump_lands_baton_rouge_flood.html
http://www.nola.com/weather/index.ssf/2016/08/louisiana_flood_friday_updates.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/20/us/politics/donald-trump-louisiana-flood.html?_r=1
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/obama-louisiana-flooding-visit-227209
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-weather-idUSKCN10U1B3
http://www.snopes.com/donald-trump-play-doh-lousiana/
http://www.theadvocate.com/louisiana_flood_2016/article_c30c8178-661a-11e6-81c9-3f4b02af0c03.html
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/08/donald-trump-louisiana/496664/
http://www.thecreole.com/?p=62667
http://www.wbrz.com/news/city-parish-launches-flood-inundation-map/
http://www.wbrz.com/news/donald-trump-arrives-in-baton-rouge
http://www.wnd.com/2016/08/apocalyptic-flood-ravages-louisiana-but-wheres-obama/
http://www.wwltv.com/weather/flooding/trump-pence-visit-baton-rouge-st-amant/302856062
https://www.rt.com/usa/356521-louisiana-flooding-red-cross-trump/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/aug/19/donald-trump-louisiana-floods-supplies
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-visits-flood-ravaged-louisiana-165501301.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9_HQoETWh8
God Bless all those who volunteer and donate to help their Louisiana neighbors and friends in their time of need from the August 2016 floods.