Biden, Harris assess Hurricane Helene's devastation in US Southeast

3/10/2024 5:58

        President Joe
        Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris traveled on Wednesday to
        South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia to assess the
        devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene in the U.S. Southeast,
        which has killed at least 160.
        
        Biden landed on Wednesday afternoon in Greer, South
        Carolina, where he was met by South Carolina Governor Henry
        McMaster, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham and North Carolina
        Governor Roy Cooper, among others, before boarding Marine One
        for an aerial tour of the region.
        
        From the helicopter, which traveled north-by-northeast,
        Biden could see the grim devastation brought to North Carolina
        locations, including Asheville and Chimney Rock. Over the
        Asheville metropolitan area, homes were smashed to bits, with
        damage greatest near rivers, reporters in a trailing helicopter
        observed.
        
        Many of the people living in the area remained cut off from
        contact with the outside world, even as the American president
        passed over their heads.
        
        In Asheville's River Arts District, set alongside the French
        Broad River, the receding floodwaters had left behind only
        chaos. Trees had been ripped into dark twigs and buildings
        scattered aside.
        
        Harris, meanwhile, was briefed in Augusta, Georgia, and will
        travel to North Carolina in the coming days.
        
        "These are very difficult times," she said on Wednesday.
        "I'm here to thank you and to listen."
        
        
        
        FEMA, NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYED
        
        Former President Donald Trump, a Republican running against
        Harris in this year's presidential election, falsely claimed
        that Biden, a Democrat, has been unresponsive to the hurricane's
        destruction, an allegation local officials deny.
        
        Before leaving Washington, Biden directed up to 1,000
        active-duty troops to help with response and recovery efforts.
        Almost 6,000 members of the National Guard are deployed across
        the six states affected by the storm, Homeland Security
        Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said.
        
        Search-and-rescue teams have conducted nearly 1,500
        structural evaluations and hundreds of rescues and evacuations,
        Mayorkas said.
        
        Biden will be briefed in Raleigh, North Carolina, later on
        Wednesday as rescuers continue to scour the state's mountains
        for survivors, then head to Georgia and Florida on Thursday,
        White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said.
        
        More than $10 million has been provided directly to those
        affected by the storm, Jean-Pierre said.
        
        Over 4,800 personnel from across the federal workforce have
        been deployed to help in recovery efforts, along with 8.8
        million meals, more than 7.4 million liters of water and 150
        emergency power generators, said Mayorkas.
        
        Still, the Homeland Security secretary said federal funding
        may not be enough should another hurricane hit.
        
        "We are meeting the moment, but that doesn't speak about the
        future," Mayorkas said. "We are expecting another hurricane
        hitting. ... FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the
        season."
        
        
        
        POTENTIAL ELECTION EFFECTS
        
        North Carolina and Georgia are among seven key battleground
        states in the Nov. 5 election, which is expected to be won by
        thin margins. Harris now leads Trump by 2.6 percentage points in
        national opinion polls, according to aggregator FiveThirtyEight.
        
        North Carolina election officials are scrambling to make
        sure the state's over 7 million registered voters can cast a
        ballot in federal, state and local elections.
        
        Earlier this week, Trump visited Georgia. Presidents and
        presidential candidates usually do not visit a storm-hit region
        immediately because of fears they will distract from rescue
        efforts and divert resources from local law enforcement
        officials and emergency responders.
        
        Hurricane Helene slammed into Florida on Thursday as a
        powerful Category 4 hurricane before tearing a destructive path
        through Southeastern states for several days.
        
        Biden quickly made major disaster declarations in several
        states, allowing survivors to apply for federal assistance. The
        White House also contacted hundreds of officials across North
        Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina and Florida.
        
        Biden may ask Congress to return to Washington for a special
        session to pass supplemental aid funding, he said earlier this
        week.
        
        The process of rebuilding after Hurricane Helene will be
        extremely costly and take years, Mayorkas said.