WASHINGTON (AP) – Add Mother Nature to the mess pile on President Joe Biden’s plate.
A month after starting work, and focusing on the coronavirus, Biden sees his disaster management skills tested after winter storms put Texas, Oklahoma and neighboring states into an unusual freeze that has left millions in homes losing heat and electricity , and shivered in many houses, water.
At least 69 deaths in the United States have been attributed to the unusual weather explosion.
The White House announced on Saturday that the President a major catastrophe in Texas, and he has asked federal agencies to identify additional resources to address the ailment.
Biden took office on January 20, pledging to tackle a number of brewing crises, starting with the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the economy. He addressed systemic racism and climate change as a top priority. And now he’s battling storms that have not only endangered Americans but delayed the shipping and administration of millions of doses of coronavirus vaccines.
Biden said Friday that he hopes to travel to Texas next week but doesn’t want his presence and accompanying entourage to distract the president from recovery.
“They work like the devil to take care of their people,” Biden said of Texas officials. He said he would make a decision about travel early next week.
Bodies are still being found of people who were likely frozen to death and struggling to stay warm after the power cut in Texas
Biden, who offered himself during the campaign as the seasoned and empathetic candidate the nation needed at the time, is working on several fronts to address the situation – and to avoid repeating the mistakes of predecessors caused by inadequate or insensitive reactions have stumbled upon in times of disaster.
Part of the job of being president is responding to the destruction caused by earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and other natural disasters or events like deadly mass shootings or even acts of terrorism.
Some coped with such situations better than others.
George W. Bush was commended for his leadership in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, but stumbled upon his administration’s response to the humanitarian disaster that struck New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast four years later.
Barack Obama said he should have anticipated the setback he received for visiting the golf course after condemning the beheading of a kidnapped American journalist by Islamic militants in 2014. Obama was vacationing on Martha’s Vineyard at the time.
Donald Trump has been criticized for throwing paper towel rolls into a crowd in Puerto Rico that hit the island in 2017 by Hurricane Maria. He defended the throwing of towels and said people were having “fun”.
Bill Clinton, who famously claimed “I feel your pain” during the 1992 presidential campaign, was a natural contact with disaster victims.
Just this week, Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz showed how quickly a bad move during a crisis can turn into a public relations disaster for a politician.
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Cruz was attacked for traveling to Mexico while his constituents suffered without electricity, heat and running water. His explanation – that his daughters were pushing to flee because they didn’t go to school – was particularly controversial. Cruz later said the trip was a mistake.
Biden has tweeted about Texas and the other affected states while the White House has made numerous statements to demonstrate that the federal government is in control of the situation. The president is regularly informed by his staff and has already declared a state of emergency in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. In addition, the disaster designation announced on Saturday for Texas.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has shipped dozens of generators and supplies, including fuel, water, blankets, and ready-made meals, to the affected areas.
Biden spoke to the governors of the seven states hardest hit by the winter weather. He tweeted a Photo of yourself on the phone with Republican Governor Greg Abbott of Texas.
Oklahoma Republican Governor Kevin Stitt, a staunch supporter of Trump, was quick to praise Biden for his quick response to a disaster statement.
After speaking to Biden by phone earlier this week, Stitt thanked the president specifically for taking the time to come back this afternoon and offer federal government assistance to Oklahomans. We had a very productive call and I look forward to finding solutions together as we recover from this historic storm. “
Barbara Perry, director of presidential studies at the University of Virginia Miller Center, said Biden was “well suited” to dealing with the disaster because of his decades of tenure in the US Senate and past vice president and “his genuineness”. “
“He has to show empathy right away,” Perry said in an interview. “It is important for a president to go to a place that has been mistreated, but be careful with the footprint. He doesn’t want to make it worse. “
Should Biden travel to Texas next week, he could also use the trip to point out that climate change is real and must not be left untouched, and that the state could winterize its power plants to be better prepared for future storms, Perry said.
But he should be careful not to do this in an abusive way.
“We know he cares about climate change and this is a way to convince people,” Perry said.
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