President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will travel on Wednesday to North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia to assess the devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene, which has killed at least 140 people in the southeastern US.
While Biden visits North and South Carolina, Harris will travel Wednesday to Georgia and to North Carolina in the coming days.
The trips come as former President Donald Trump, who is running against Harris in this year’s presidential election, falsely claimed that Biden, a Democrat, has been unresponsive to the hurricane’s destruction.
9 President Biden and Vice President Harris will travel to North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia to assess the devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene. AP
9 Harris will travel Wednesday to Georgia and to North Carolina in the coming days, according to reports. Getty Images
9 Destroyed houses and buildings along the Broad River in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on October 1, 2024, in Bat Cave, North Carolina. Getty Images
Biden will participate in an aerial tour of Greenville, South Carolina, before receiving an operational briefing in Raleigh, North Carolina, as rescuers scour the state’s mountains for survivors.
He will travel to Georgia and Florida soon, he previously said.
North Carolina and Georgia are among seven key battleground states in this year’s election, which is expected to be won by thin margins.
Harris currently leads Trump by 2.6 percentage points in national 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 the upcoming presidential election.
Trump visited Georgia earlier this week.
9 Biden will participate in an aerial tour of Greenville, South Carolina, before receiving an operational briefing in Raleigh, North Carolina. via REUTERS
9 Trump visited Georgia earlier this week. Getty Images
9 Streets are flooded near Peachtree Creek after Hurricane Helene brought in heavy rains overnight on September 27, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia. Getty Images
Presidents and presidential candidates usually do not visit a storm-hit region immediately because of fears they will distract from rescue efforts and drain 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, which allows survivors to apply for federal assistance.
9 Hurricane Helene slammed into Florida on Thursday as a powerful Category 4 hurricane. GREG LOVETT/THE PALM BEACH POST / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
9 People move debris from a damaged home in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in Horseshoe Beach, Fla., on Sept. 28. AP
9 Biden may ask Congress to return to Washington for a special session to pass supplemental aid funding, he said earlier this week. Getty Images
The White House also has called 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, while more than 3,500 federal workers are involved with response efforts in affected states, according to the White House.
The process of rebuilding after Hurricane Helene will be extremely costly and take years, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on Tuesday.
Biden, Harris finally head south to see deadly Helene damage
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