Bipartisan disaster relief is great; prevention is even better

As Florida and much of the East Coast recover and rebuild from Hurricane Ian, it’s refreshing to see Democrats and Republicans coming together.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, a supposed champion of freedom who opposed federal disaster relief for other states devastated by Hurricane Sandy, has had a sudden change of mind. He now supports strong government action to mandate evacuation and impose curfews, and welcomes aid from President Biden and the federal government.

Perhaps DeSantis’ reversal on federal relief shouldn’t be surprising. Though he regularly attacks Biden’s investments in rebuilding the economy, he’s happy to spend billions in federal funds provided by Biden’s stimulus package to give bonuses for state employees, cut gas taxes, and crack down on immigrants (perhaps even his stunt to fly Venezuelans from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard).

Our grandparents, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Agriculture Secretary (and third-term Vice President) Henry A. Wallace, and Labor Secretary Frances Perkins were pioneers in making sure there was a vigorous federal response to natural and man-made disasters. Be it the torrential rain and flooding that inundated the Ohio River Valley in 1937, the Great New England Hurricane of 1938, or the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, FDR, Wallace, Hopkins, and Perkins mobilized the federal government to provide unprecedented help to Americans in times of extreme disaster.

Our grandparents saw a country in dire straits, and immediately acted to provide assistance — both immediate and long-term — so that residents and businesses could get back on their feet and back to their lives.

When Americans in the Great Plains suffered devastation from the Dust Bowl, FDR and Wallace ensured that the federal government responded immediately. They provided emergency relief to millions of farmers, stabilized crop prices and promoted soil conservation to prevent a recurrence. The men and women of the Works Progress Administration not only fixed disasters but provided millions of jobs building durable basic infrastructure.

In March 1911, Frances Perkins gazed in horror as 146 people — mostly women and young girls — died in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City. The disaster compelled Perkins and other reformers to dedicate their lives to a government that legislated worker safety standards.

Vigilant government remains a vital need, and we should always strive to learn from disasters, natural or man-made. As Secretary Perkins said, “We must devise plans that will not merely alleviate the ills of today, but will prevent, as far as it is humanly possible to do so, their recurrence in the future.”

Unfortunately, climate change will increase both the frequency and the intensity of hurricanes, storms, drought and fires. Scientists warn that Florida is in the “bulls-eye” of climate-driven extreme weather, including not just flooding and hurricanes, but extreme heat and resultant soaring energy prices.

So how have Florida’s Republican leaders responded to the climate change that directly threatens Florida, imperiling both Floridians’ lives and property?

Ron DeSantis seems intent on worsening it. Though he touts a renewed focus on building things that are more resilient to severe climate events, he shows no interest at all in preventing the disasters in the first place, by reducing our reliance on the oil, gas and coal that are inexorably warming the planet. He mocks “woke” banks that channel their investments away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy.

Senator Marco Rubio has spent years denying that humans burning fossil fuels cause climate change, only recently toning down his denialism as Florida climate disasters have intensified. To this day, he opposes all major legislative solutions, including last year’s bipartisan infrastructure law and this year’s Inflation Reduction Act, investing unprecedented hundreds of billions of dollars in fighting climate change and building renewable energy. Senator Rick Scott is no better.

Ian is what used to be called a 1,000-year disaster. But refusing to embrace policies to prevent climate change ensures that future such disasters will be separated not by millennia, but by months or single years. A “hands-off” government is what enabled the Great Depression and led our New Deal ancestors to create proactive government solutions to improve the lives of ordinary people. Making up culture wars and demonizing science-based government solutions will make Floridians’ lives worse, not better. With mid-term elections just around the corner, we have a huge opportunity to make a change, to elect leaders who will not deny reality, but embrace serious solutions for the long-term good of all.

Henry Scott Wallace of Naples, grandson of Henry A. Wallace, is an attorney and foundation executive. James Roosevelt, Jr., grandson of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, is an attorney and an official of the Democratic National Committee. Tomlin Perkins Coggeshall is the grandson of Frances Perkins, FDR’s Labor Secretary, and founder of the Frances Perkins Center.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Bipartisan disaster relief is great; prevention is even better