Biden and Harris lead the relief effort as the death toll from Hurricane Helene rises to 162

Biden and Harris lead the relief effort as the death toll from Hurricane Helene rises to 162

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday witnessed the catastrophic destruction caused by Hurricane Helene and Vice President Kamala Harris distributed aid to families in need, while thousands of federal responders joined forces to rescue residents and care for millions of people in the disaster.

Biden flew to the Carolinas and his deputy traveled to Georgia after Harris’ election rival Donald Trump sought to turn the handling of the disaster that killed at least 162 people in six states into campaign fodder.

Biden arrived in South Carolina and was briefed on the extensive rescue and recovery effort – an operation that involved more than 10,000 federal officials, emergency responders and the National Guard across the southeastern United States.

He then flew by helicopter over the flood-stricken city of Asheville, North Carolina, where shocking destruction was visible from the air, including collapsed bridges, debris-filled lakes, destroyed buildings and washed-away roads.

“What I saw was heartbreaking,” Biden said on X.

“But on the ground we see neighbors helping their neighbors, volunteers and workers standing side by side and leaning on each other. This is America.”

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who traveled with the president, described Helene as a storm of “historic magnitude” that caused catastrophic flooding in cities and remote mountain communities.

“We have cities that have literally disappeared,” he said. “This is a multi-year, multi-billion dollar recovery.”

Isolated towns and villages

Biden, who has approved major disaster declarations in several states, announced the deployment of up to 1,000 active-duty troops to North Carolina to “accelerate the delivery of life-saving supplies” such as food, water and medicine to remote communities.

At the state briefing, he spoke of Washington’s obligation to provide aid.

“At a moment like this, we put politics aside,” he said. “The nation is behind you.”

But he also warned that climate change is increasing the severity and frequency of extreme weather events.

“No one can deny the impacts of the climate crisis anymore, at least I hope they don’t,” Biden said. “If they do that, they must be brain dead.”

Harris, who replaced Biden as the Democratic presidential candidate for the November 5 election, flew separately to the southern state of Georgia, which was also hard hit.

She visited an emergency center in Augusta before examining a neighborhood that had suffered “extraordinary” devastation.

Debris was strewn across the street and trees lay fallen on homes near where the vice president comforted grieving residents.

Harris assured Georgians that the federal government is coordinating with local authorities to “get people the support and relief they so desperately need and rightly deserve.”

“We’re here for the long haul,” she said.

Harris also helped distribute Styrofoam containers of food to affected families at an animal shelter and received loud cheers as she left.

North Carolina and Georgia are two of the seven crucial swing states that are expected to decide the outcome of the US elections. Early voting has already begun in several states.

The White House announced that Biden will travel on Thursday to Florida, where Helene came ashore as a Category 4 hurricane last week, and to Georgia.

The storm’s heavy rains caused extensive damage in the Appalachian Mountains, cutting off towns and villages.

In East Tennessee, massive searches took place near the Nolichucky River, where water flows reached record levels and led to severe flooding.

“People are still missing,” Gov. Bill Lee said at a briefing. “We are in the midst of a remarkably difficult and tragic development in East Tennessee.”

“He’s lying”

The visits by Biden and Harris come a day after vice presidential candidates JD Vance and Tim Walz met in a televised debate in which they acknowledged consensus on the need for a robust storm response.

But before that, Republican former President Trump tried to make political capital out of the disaster by accusing Biden’s government, without evidence, of ignoring the crisis and refusing help to Trump supporters.

Biden told reporters on Monday that Trump “lied” and called his attacks “irresponsible.”

The political storm surrounding Helene comes at a time when Biden and Harris are going through a series of crises and are barely a month away from the decisive election.

As they coordinate the hurricane response, Biden and Harris are also grappling with escalating tensions between Iran and Israel and a dock workers’ strike that threatens the country’s economy.

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