If you haven’t had your head in the sand, you are aware that North Carolina suffered massive flooding after more than two feet of rain fell in several western counties near Asheville and the Tennessee border.
“There’s mud everywhere…. Buildings are gone. Streets are gone. Homes are completely gone or damaged. Maybe 40% of Chimney Rock is still there. The stuff that’s still there is filled with mud and smashed up.” Charlotte City Councilman Tariq Bokhari went to the Lake Lure area to help with cleanup on Sunday. He described it as “post-apocalyptic.” “It’s so overwhelming you don’t even know how to fathom what recovery looks like, let alone where to start.”
You have probably also heard many complaints about the slowness or absence of federal aid that would normally come from agencies like FEMA. FEMA officially denies having spent all their money on unrelated shenanigans like getting illegal aliens to NYC and paying for their rent and food, but many citizens are reporting that when asked about the lack of aid to NC that FEMA officials said they’re out of money because they spent it all on migrants. Maybe it’s just a rumor…. but it’s widespread and there must be some reason for the lack of government and military response.
Yet when people take helping their fellow Americans into their own hands they have been threatened, sabotaged, and arrested. Online comments I have seen include: “There are people saying that FEMA is shutting down and threatening arrest or arresting volunteers, heavy equipment operators and confiscating supplies being brought in stating that they were handling it. These videos are being shut down as they are posted.” “Get them to stop giving all these illegals money and places to live and start helping NC, FEMA is broke and some are turning food and water delivery away, please help.” “Why is FEMA shutting down airport hangars that are helping?? Telling them they are not authorized to collect and distribute!!!” “Just remember that voting is about 30 days out. How will some stranded get to vote? Looks like only the BLUE counties are being helped.” “So where is FEMA and the military? I’m hearing they’ve been told to stand down?! Also a I’m hearing threats of arrests if private citizens help?! What in the world is going on?!”
SC pilot flying volunteer supply and rescue missions ordered out of Lake Lure under arrest threat
Is this destruction of a private disaster relief effort intentional helicopter backwash or just stupidity?
watch at least the video on the left https://x.com/EndWokeness/status/1843336953762328802
Overall, the lack of competent recovery effort is obviously beyond incompetence, this is deliberate action. Two possible reasons keep popping up. Mining lithium and quartz, and the upcoming election.
See the map of NC below broken down into areas that lean Red/Republican or Blue/Democrat, as per CNN’s 2020 projection of Congressional seats. Who benefits if the three regions in western North Carolina most affected by Helene haven’t recovered enough to vote? Democrats benefit by the current lack of recovery being delayed.
An article at Zerohedge.com noted “In March, a Wharton professor who studies artificial intelligence and start-ups claimed on X, “The modern economy rests on a single road in Spruce Pine, North Carolina. The road runs to the two mines that are the sole supplier of the quartz required to make the crucibles needed to refine silicon wafers.” Ethan Mollick noted at the time, “There are no alternative sources known” if supply disruptions were seen in Spruce Pines. “It would be an understatement to say that this mine is currently key to the semiconductor and solar PV industries.”
Who is heavily invested in the mining in this part of NC, where if entire towns are destroyed the mining companies will be able to expand with far less cost or restrictions?
Piedmont plans to open a lithium mine soon, Albemarle already does, while Sibelco and The Quartz Corp mine high-purity quartz. There may be other companies I have missed. The rumor I keep hearing is that some of the largest investors in these mining operations include, Blackrock, Vanguard, and Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff. As one article discusses:
“the shift toward electric transportation, which has created a demand for key materials like lithium, used in EV batteries. Among the largest beneficiaries of this lithium rush is Albemarle Corporation, a company closely connected to the growing lithium mining activities in North Carolina.
Albemarle’s Collaboration With Ford Motor Company
In May 2023, Albemarle Corporation (ALB), the world’s largest producer of lithium, signed an agreement with Ford Motor Company to supply over 100,000 metric tons of battery-grade lithium hydroxide. This contract would support the production of approximately 3 million EV batteries for Ford over five years, from 2026 to 2030. This collaboration underscores the importance of lithium to the EV industry and places Albemarle at the forefront of domestic lithium production.
However, there’s more beneath the surface of this lucrative deal, especially concerning Doug Emhoff’s indirect involvement. BlackRock, a global investment management corporation with major investments in Albemarle, is a significant player here. BlackRock’s success has played a major role in Emhoff and Harris amassing their fortune, much like the financial trajectory of former President Barack Obama.
The Kings Mountain Mine: A Key to Domestic EV Production
The Kings Mountain lithium mine in North Carolina, which Albemarle plans to reopen, is one of the richest spodumene ore deposits in the world. This mine could produce enough lithium to power 1.2 million electric vehicles annually, making it critical for the U.S. domestic EV battery supply chain.
In May 2024, Albemarle delayed its plans to reopen the mine, but the company has continued to benefit from the $90 million grant awarded by the Biden-Harris Defense Department. This grant is designed to boost domestic mining operations and ensure a steady supply of lithium, vital for America’s electric vehicle future.”
So it sounds like the Biden-Harris administration gives grant money to a lithium mining company Kamala’s husband owns a decent stake in, and fails to deliver adequate aid to the hurricane-devastated but mineral-rich mining regions of western North Carolina, which may lead to regional depopulation and reduced land prices (assuming the government doesn’t just condemn and seize land by eminent domain) which will further help the region’s mining companies. Lack of effort in the region also simultaneously will cause countless (predominantly Republican) voters in the region to suffer, starve, die, or evacuate but voting may not be their top priority as they try to put their property and lives back together, even if their towns’ infrastructure is intact enough to allow voting. In a battleground state where voting could be close, would this be enough to shift North Carolina’s 16 electoral votes to Harris and win her the election? It has to be at least a thought in the minds of several soulless politicians.
The news has already shifted focus to support FEMA and blame domestic terrorism: “As the nearly 65,000 residents of hard-hit Rutherford County, North Carolina, struggle to clear endless mud and debris left behind by Hurricane Helene, help hit a roadblock. Federal Emergency Management Agency crews were forced to relocate due to a reported armed threat against workers, first reported by The Washington Post…. An email sent by the U.S. Forest Service to federal responders in Rutherford County alerted them of an apparent standdown after National Guard troops reportedly encountered armed militia saying they were “hunting FEMA.”
So the government reported some fake news about an armed militia “hunting FEMA” and it’s already been admitted that there was no militia but one man has been arrested and FEMA looks like the good guys trying to help but thwarted by extremists. Time to move on to to the next hurricane, and forget all the shadiness of what happens in NC.
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All part of the winnowing (gentle to start).
The resilient, prepared/resourceful survive.