The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Biden talks climate change while surveying damage
President visits with those hit by floods from Ida in N.Y., N.J.
Pointing accusingly at climate change, President Joe Biden toured deadly Northeast flood damage Tuesday and said he was thinking about the families who suffered “profound” losses from the powerful remnants of Hurricane Ida.
Biden traveled to New Jersey and New York City to survey the aftermath and call for federal spending to fortify infrastructure to better defend people and property from future storms in the region and beyond. He spoke with distressed residents whose homes were badly damaged or destroyed amid the flood.
“Every part of the country, every part of the country is getting hit by extreme weather,” Biden said in a briefing at the Somerset County emergency management training center attended by federal, state and local officials, including New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.
Biden said the threat from wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding and other extreme weather must be dealt with in ways that will lessen the devastating effects of climate change.
“We can’t turn it back very much, but we can prevent it from getting worse,” he said. Biden added that scientists have been warning for decades that this day would come and that urgent action was needed.
“We don’t have any more time,,” he said.
Biden’s plan to spend $1 trillion on infrastructure nationwide is pending in Congress, and the White House asked Congress on Tuesday for an additional $24 billion to cover the costs of Hurricane Ida and other natural disasters.
In New Jersey, he also walked along a street in the Lost Valley neighborhood of Manville, where cleanup continues after the Raritan River overflowed its banks. Many front lawns were covered with water-logged couches, pianos, crumbled plaster and other debris.
One home displayed a hand-painted sign that said, “Manville will be back better.”
Biden, wearing a mask, spoke to adults and children, including Meagan Dommar, a new mother whose home was destroyed by fire as the flood occurred. She told the president that she and her husband, Caesar, had left because of the baby, then returned to find destruction.
“Thank God you’re safe,” Biden replied. As he walked the route, the Democrat was taunted by supporters of Republican former President Donald Trump, who yelled that Biden was a “tyrant” and worse. Biden did not look in their direction.
At the briefing, Biden focused on the personal calamities, saying, “The losses that we witnessed today are profound. My thoughts are with all those families affected by the storm and all those families who lost someone they love.”
Before he arrived, Cristel Alvarez said she expected losses at her home to climb as high as $45,000. She has lived in Manville for a decade and the flood was her family’s second. Alvarez said she planned to apply for federal assistance but also intended to move away.
“Let him see everything that we’re going through and hopefully we can get the help that we need because there’s a lot of loss,” she said.
Lou Defazio, a contractor and three-decade resident of Manville, sat on his porch with a small Trump flag waving beside him and Kaycee, his dog barking through an open window. Defazio said the town needs better planning instead of presidential visits.
“I think their efforts could be better spent in other areas. I don’t know what they’re gonna do for us,” he said.
At least 50 people were killed in six Eastern states as record rainfall last week overwhelmed rivers and sewer systems. Some people were trapped in fast-filling basement apartments and cars, or were swept away as they tried to escape. The storm also spawned several tornadoes.
More than half of the deaths, 27, were recorded in New Jersey. In New York City, 13 people were killed, including 11 in Queens.
Biden’s visit follows a Friday trip to Louisiana, where Hurricane Ida first made landfall, killing at least 13 people in the state and plunging New Orleans into darkness. Power is being slowly restored.
This year, the three of us have looked deeply into the barriers to greater civic engagement, community renewal and civil dialogue, especially among young Americans. At the same time, we have examined how to overcome the obstacles and, in so doing, strengthen our democracy.
As moderators of the George W. Bush Institute’s Democracy Talks series, we have spoken with experts in civic engagement, community renewal and civil dialogue; leaders of civic organizations and elected officials; and authors and writers who have studied the barriers and identified solutions. Here are the keys that we found.
National, state and local leaders should promote pluralism. From the White House to statehouses to city hall, leaders can ensure Americans enjoy a constructive debate over the future of their nation, states and communities by embracing the importance of diverse viewpoints. The case for pluralism needs to come from our leaders because they have platforms to “show” how we can engage with each other despite our differences.
As citizens, we need not think that the conflict between ideas and ideologies is bad. The push and pull between different points of view actually strengthens democracy. Communities become increasingly polarized without the moderating influence of dissenting opinions from within, as the writer David French explained in his interview with us.
Be intentional about engaging others across political, racial and cultural lines. Creating respectful debates requires leaders, as well as Americans in their communities, to be intentional about expanding civil dialogue, community engagement and civic renewal. Our polarized nation has learned the hard way what happens when leaders and citizens don’t nurture those essentials.
As individuals, we can begin to break down the racial, ethnic and political barriers that divide Americans by seeking out others to build trust. This work is not easy, but it is possible when we make trust a priority.
Leaders especially need to be intentional about engaging young Americans. Young, rising leaders particularly are in a good place to engage with their generational peers. We saw that in the work of Manu Meel, CEO of BridgeUSA, and Valerian Sikhuashvili, director of academic programs at the Alexander Hamilton Society. They help students and young Americans learn how to argue their views respectfully, as well as explore how basic freedoms like free speech are part of our “civic muscle.”
Practice “big citizenship” away from the spotlight. We heard frequently that not all solutions involve government or politics, although they certainly matter. John Bridgeland, CEO of Civic and the COVID Collaborative, put it this way: “Big citizenship” matters, too.
Participating in our community’s affairs, including but not limited to voting, is how we as citizens renew and strengthen the places we live. In whatever form we participate, “big citizenship” involves acts of individual responsibility and social compassion.
An outstanding example of “big citizenship” is the commitment of Asiaha Butler to her once-beleaguered Chicago neighborhood. Frederick Riley, executive director of the Aspen Institute’s Weave project, told us of Butler’s work as a “trust broker” among her neighbors. She refused to abandon them and instead created a nonprofit to help rejuvenate their Englewood community.
The organization bought vacant lots where kids often gathered to throw rocks at one another and then turned the deserted spaces into safe parks, playgrounds and even homework stations.
Finally, community leaders must identify city assets and be honest about improving them. A surprising but encouraging example we heard about is the role that libraries play in creating community engagement. Deborah Fallows, who co-wrote “Our Towns” with husband James Fallows, reports that libraries are now social and civic centers as well as educational and technology centers. People gather there to not only read books, but to attend pre-k classes, participate in community forums, gain access to the internet and learn how to get green cards and become citizens.
Immigrants were identified as assets to a community throughout our interviews. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez highlighted their contribution to his diverse community, while James Fallows reported how towns like Erie, Pennsylvania; Dodge City, Kansas; and Sioux Falls, South Dakota, saw their immigrant residents as critical to rejuvenation.
Elementary and secondary schools, community colleges and four-year universities also are must-haves. Quality education institutions learn from one another as they develop the talent that communities need to prosper.
We have been fortunate to hear numerous stories this year about how to strengthen our democracy. That revival, though, will require citizens and leaders alike to intentionally promote civic engagement, community renewal and civil dialogue.