Marine One carrying US President Joe Biden flies, as Biden visits North and South Carolina to evaluate storm injury and meet with officers within the wake of Hurricane Helene. | Photograph credit score: Reuters
US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia on Wednesday (Oct. 2, 2024) to evaluate the devastation attributable to Hurricane Helene within the southeastern United States, which has killed greater than 160 individuals.
Biden landed Wednesday afternoon in Greer, South Carolina, the place he was greeted by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, amongst others. The president had what seemed to be an intense dialog with the group on the tarmac after which boarded a helicopter for an aerial tour.
In photos: the fury of Hurricane Helene
Earlier than leaving Washington, Biden ordered the speedy deployment of as much as 1,000 active-duty troops to help in response and restoration efforts. Search and rescue groups have carried out practically 1,500 structural assessments and a whole bunch of rescues and evacuations, Homeland Safety Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas mentioned.
Former President Donald Trump, a Republican operating in opposition to Harris on this yr’s presidential election, falsely claimed that Biden, a Democrat, has failed to reply to the hurricane’s destruction, an allegation native officers deny.
Harris arrived in Georgia on Wednesday and can head to North Carolina within the coming days.
Biden shall be briefed in Raleigh, North Carolina, in a while Wednesday as rescuers scour the state’s mountains for survivors and can then head to Georgia and Florida on Thursday, White Home spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre mentioned.
Greater than $10 million has been offered on to these affected by the storm, Helene and Jean-Pierre mentioned.
Greater than 4,800 federal personnel have been deployed to help in restoration efforts, together with 8.8 million meals, greater than 7.4 million liters of water and 150 emergency energy mills, Mayorkas mentioned.
Nonetheless, the secretary of Homeland Safety mentioned federal funds won’t be sufficient if one other hurricane hits.
“We face the second, however that doesn’t converse for the longer term,” Mayorkas mentioned. “We’re ready for one more hurricane to hit… FEMA does not have the funds to final the whole season.”
POSSIBLE ELECTORAL EFFECTS
North Carolina and Georgia are amongst seven key battleground states within the Nov. 5 election, that are anticipated to be received by slender margins. Harris now leads Trump by 2.6 proportion factors in nationwide opinion polls, in keeping with aggregator FiveThirtyEight.
North Carolina election officers are preventing to verify the state’s greater than 7 million registered voters can vote in federal, state and native elections.
Earlier this week, Trump visited Georgia. Presidents and presidential candidates typically don’t go to a storm-affected area instantly for concern of distracting from rescue efforts and diverting assets from native legislation enforcement officers and emergency companies.
Hurricane Helene hit Florida on Thursday as a robust Class 4 hurricane earlier than carving a damaging path by means of the southeastern states for a number of days.
Biden rapidly made main catastrophe declarations in a number of states, permitting survivors to use for federal help. The White Home additionally contacted a whole bunch of officers in North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina and Florida.
Biden might ask Congress to return to Washington for a particular session to approve supplemental aid funds, he mentioned earlier this week.
The rebuilding course of after Hurricane Helene shall be extraordinarily costly and can take years, Mayorkas mentioned.
Revealed – October 3, 2024 02:50 am IST
