Biden and Harris visit Hurricane Helene-ravaged Southeast

(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris both headed to the Southeast on Wednesday to survey damage wrought by Hurricane Helene, which so far is confirmed to have killed 182 people.

The president said Tuesday that the cost of the massive storm could stretch into the billions of dollars. 

“We have to jump start this recovery process,” Biden said. “People are scared to death. This is urgent.”

Biden’s visit to North Carolina — which is expected to be a pivotal battleground state in next month’s presidential election — and South Carolina included an aerial tour of Asheville in western North Carolina, which was one of the region’s worst hit areas.

Speaking at the Raleigh Emergency Operations Center after the tour, Biden called the storm one of “historic proportions.”

“I’m here to say the United States, the nation, has your back,” Biden said. “They’re not leaving until you’re back on your feet completely.

Before departing the White House for the visit, Biden had directed up to 1,000 active-duty troops to support the North Carolina National Guard in its Hurricane Helene response.

“These soldiers will speed up the delivery of life-saving supplies of food, water, and medicine to isolated communities in North Carolina — they have the manpower and logistical capabilities to get this vital job done, and fast. They will join hundreds of North Carolina National Guard members deployed under State authorities in support of the response,” Biden said in a statement.

Biden will also visit impacted communities in Georgia and Florida on Thursday, the White House announced.

Harris traveled to Georgia, another battleground state. The vice president received an on-the-ground briefing from local officials in Augusta.

“I’ve been reading and hearing about the work you’ve been doing over the last few days,” Harris said, “and I think it really does represent some of the best of what we each know can be done, especially when we coordinate around local, state and federal resources to meet the needs of people who must be seen, must be heard.”

“I’m here to thank you and to listen,” she added.

Later, touring damage outside, Harris called the storm’s effect “devastating.” She discussed hearing from residents who’ve lost loved ones and are living without critical resources, saying there is “real pain and trauma” as a result of the storm.

Harris also spoke about the federal resources being provided, including FEMA personnel going door-to-door to ensure immediate needs are met, and announced 100% federal reimbursement of local costs. She said the government was going to be there “for the long haul.”

Hundreds of people remain unaccounted for following Helene’s passage. More than 150,000 households have registered for assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said agency representative Frank Matranga.

That number is expected to increase in the coming days, Matranga said. He noted that almost two million ready-to-eat meals and more than a million liters of water have been sent to the hardest-hit areas.

Wednesday’s visits by Biden and Harris come shortly after former President Donald Trump traveled to devastated Valdosta, Georgia, to see Helene’s destruction firsthand.

Trump also used the Monday visit to attack his Democratic opponents over their emergency response efforts.

“As you know, our country is in the final weeks of a hard-fought national election,” Trump said while in Valdosta.

“But in a time like this, when a crisis hits, when our fellow citizens cry out in need, none of that matters. We’re not talking about politics now. We have to all get together and get this solved. We need a lot of help. They have to have a lot of help down here,” he said.

Trump accused Biden and Harris of “being very nonresponsive,” he said, claiming both had failed to speak to Georgia’s Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, though Kemp said they had.

The president hit back at the criticism. 

“Let me get this straight — he’s lying,” Biden said during an Oval Office briefing with reporters, framing Trump’s remarks as “irresponsible.”

“I don’t know why he does this, and the reason I get so angry about it — I don’t care about what he says about me, I care what he communicates to the people that are in need. He implies that we’re not doing everything possible. We are. We are,” Biden said.

During his visit in North Carolina on Wednesday, Biden argued this wasn’t a time for politics.

“There are no Democrats, Republicans, only Americans and our job is help as many people as we can, as quickly as we can, and as thoroughly as we can,” Biden said.