Today local, state, and federal officials are coming to the aid of resident of Joplin, Misssouri after a devastating tornado struck the town. The E4 tornado killed at least 116 people and destroyed 2,000 buildings in the middle of the town. While many send aid or simply their thoughts and prayers to the town, Glenn Beck used Joplin as an example of how people need to be more prepared. According to Beck, if people just prepared better for natural disasters like tornadoes then they would not be forced to accept help from people like the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
In the video clip to the left, Beck says that he "would love to see" a devastated town tell FEMA trucks "Excuse me, turn your cars around, we don't need you. Thank you." In the background Beck has a slideshow playing of scenes of destruction from tornado ravaged towns.
It is not entirely clear how Beck proposes residents would prepare for a tornado. Beck frequently advocates for a "Food Insurance" program and an emergency preparedness kit. Those two items might be of help assuming residents could actually access their homes to be able to get to their "Food Insurance" or kit. Many of the displaced people of Joplin now have no shelter, and FEMA is helping to assist them by setting up a disaster recover center. FEMA will also help provide financial aid to the community and individuals to help them rebuild in the long term.
Of course, Beck may argue that it would theoretically be better if the individual or local government provided shelter and aid. However, advocates for FEMA argue that some natural disasters are so massive in size that they overwhelm the local and even state government. It is for these disasters that FEMA can provide immediate aid for people who have nowhere else to go.
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