Stakes high for Trump in responding to disaster
Hurricane Harvey — on par to be the most powerful storm to hit the U.S. in more than a decade — will present President Trump with his first high-stakes test overseeing the federal government’s response to a natural disaster, even while key agencies are without experienced leaders.
“Storm turned Hurricane is getting much bigger and more powerful than projected,” Trump tweeted last night in an attempt to appear ready at the helm. “Federal Government is on site and ready to respond. Be safe!”
An effective response to Harvey — expected to deliver 130 mph winds and catastrophic flooding — could silence criticism from both parties that Trump is unfit to lead in a crisis.
But the White House also sought to reassure Americans the federal government is up to the task, even without a permanent replacement for Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly, who is now Trump’s chief of staff.
Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Brock Long just started in June and two deputy directors have been nominated, but not yet confirmed, The Washington Post reported.
The National Hurricane Center has had an acting director since the permanent one left in May, according to the Post.
Trump urged Texans to be safe, tweeted hurricane warnings and was expected to receive briefings at Camp David over the weekend.
He plans to visit Texas next week to tour the aftermath.
“Presidents need to show they care, and make sure federal assistance reaches victims quickly, but not make too-early, showy trips that will interfere with first-responders and local relief efforts,” said Larry Sabato, a political science professor at the University of Virginia.
Disasters have also battered political careers over the years.
President George W. Bush was haunted for the rest of his White House tenure by the federal government’s poor response to Hurricane Katrina. Bush praised FEMA director Michael Brown for doing a “heckuva job” as Americans watched families stranded on roofs and piled into the Superdome on TV.
Brown, the Herald later discovered in a story that immediately went national, had been fired from his last job overseeing horse shows and had no experience in disaster management.
Gov. Deval Patrick— perpetually clad in MEMA vests during extreme weather — infuriated stranded commuters by urging them to leave work early on roads that hadn’t yet been plowed as nearly a foot of snow fell in 2007.
Former Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino was forced to publicly apologize for the city’s woefully plowed streets after the April Fools’ Day blizzard in 1997.
Politicians can also over-calculate disaster management.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie greeted President Obama at the airport after Hurricane Sandy in 2012, only to endure criticism for years from fellow Republicans who exaggerated that he had “hugged” Obama and claimed he had made Obama look presidential just days before the 2012 election against Gov. Mitt Romney.