If you are wondering why citizens are being turned away that are coming to help NC and TN - you'll want to hear my experience as someone who has been doing this as a private citizen for almost a decade. I was able to get into, and out of Asheville. We brought food, water, fuel and other supplies as well as helped people affected by the floods, but there are reasons why they are not allowing outside help. I cannot confirm the reasons why in NC, but i can tell you the reasons in other storms i have worked - i'll explain below. Let me share with you the first disaster area that i finally realized that this was all about money. In the FL Keys with Hurricane Irma, after Texas got hit with Harvey, we finished our efforts in Texas and were the first citizen team to make it to Key Largo. The federal agencies had US1 shut down just South of Key Largo and wouldn't let anyone in or out, even though the road was okay to pass. We explained to them that we had boats, Jet skis, food, water, chainsaws and fuel to bring these people. They didn't care and wouldn't let us in. It was night by that point and you rarely saw the lights of vehicles in the distance on the individual keys, meaning the emergency response teams from FEMA weren't even working, it was all quiet. We decided that we would go in anyways. We filled up the boats and jet skis with all that we could reasonably carry and went by water, around all their BS blockades and around their law enforcement presence on the water. It was 87 miles by water to get to our first stop, Cudjoe Key and Sugarloaf Key. When we arrived there we were greeted by a homeowner (for privacy, I won't name him, though we have video) who was elated to see us and all the supplies we brought, his house was in shambles. We started offloading supplies on the shoreline and helping to get them into what was left of his house. During that process, he explained to us that FEMA had set up a command center at a local high school on the island, but that they weren't doing anything to help the residents, not even bringing them WATER! Instead, he explained that they were driving around using a loudspeaker, telling people to stay in their homes. They weren't even helping the home owners with supplies. I was skeptical at first while he was telling me all of this, but then he said something that broke my heart.... He told us that the people of the keys were all in despair, because they had just seen, weeks before, the overwhelming support for Texas with Hurricane Harvey, by the citizens of this country. He, and his neighbors on all of the keys, felt like Americans had forgotten about them completely, because at this point, FIVE DAYS after landfall, all they had seen was FEMA, and they were of NO HELP. The residents were cut off from the outside world, no cellular, no internet, no way to contact anyone or hear of any efforts to try to help them. The ONLY communication they had was from a local radio station on Sugarloaf Key, that was broadcasting on AM to the surrounding keys. The man, after hearing that there were citizens trying to bring them help, but being refused entry by federal law enforcement was visibly upset. He, and his neighbors, really thought the country had abandoned them. He insisted that we get into his waterlogged truck and that he would take us to that radio station so that we could go live on air, to tell the citizens trapped in the Keys that we, the American people, were there to help and that the government was trying to stop our efforts. And that is exactly what we did. After that, we were determined to help as many people as we could, but we were met with red tape throughout the whole process and time we were in the keys. We finally we able to talk some authorities to let us down to the Faro Blanco Resort in Marathon towards the end of Boot Key. This was the same hotel where state and local authorities were staging their personnel and they were happy to see us. I was able to coordinate several trucks full of supplies to be brought down to the EOC in Marathon. I was privy to the EOC meeting, BUT was informed in that meeting, that all of the semi trucks full of food, water and hygiene supplies were to be turned around and not allowed to be offloaded for distribution by the EOC. THE REASON they gave us, was that these donations were not from companies on their "preferred vendors list" and that they would not accept them or give them to the residents of the keys impacted by the storm. It was at that point that I realized, this is ALL ABOUT MONEY. These 'preferred vendors" are getting part of the money being released by the state and federal govt for each disaster. In turn, some of the "vendors" make it on the list because a friend gets them on the list, and in return for getting ridiculously outlandish amounts of compensation for the services they render, they give kickbacks. So accepting outside donations, even though they are on location and can help people NOW, they would rather let people suffer so they can get their kickbacks. This meeting solidified my resolve to help these people, regardless of what the greedy officials wanted, we were going to feed the lower keys that were being neglected. I diverted ALL SEMI TRUCKS to the Faro Blanco Resort in Marathon and filled the entire first floor with pallets upon pallets of food, water and essential supplies and created a food pantry for residents to come and get anything, and however much they needed. From local state troopers to the homeless, all were given wheel barrels and free reign to get anything they needed. We also delivered supplies down to Big Pine Key. We helped establish the tent city on Big Pine Key. Big companies like Titos Vodka and Whelen just kept bringing trucks full of everything that was needed. When FEMA FINALLY started handing out boxes of canned goods (limited to one per household), we were filing cars full of food and supplies for people and pets. There is so much more to the story in the Keys and further from there in other storms we worked- the common theme though, is that the federal government always tries to keep citizens from helping and the local authorities, the ones that live and work in the area are always happy to have outside help. I call out to Elon Musk and anyone else who can monetarily help people like myself and those that work with me, who have the knowledge and the will to help those devastated by these disasters. Help us side step the red tape and get the people the relief they need. We are willing, and we are many, and we are ready.
