President Joe Biden embarked on a second consecutive day touring the hurricane-ravaged Southeast, with visits to Florida and Georgia scheduled to assess the extensive damage inflicted by Hurricane Helene. His initial inspection took him through the Carolinas, where he observed the flood devastation from Greenville, South Carolina, to Asheville, North Carolina, receiving updates on emergency response efforts along the way. Biden pledged full federal coverage for debris removal and emergency protective measures in North Carolina for six months, extending the same support to Florida and Georgia for the next 90 days.
Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris was in Augusta, Georgia, remaining informed about the aftermath of the storm that has tragically claimed at least 200 lives across multiple states in the region. As of Thursday morning, hundreds were still unaccounted for, with many communities enduring power outages, water shortages, and impassable roads. Biden initiated his Thursday site visits in Tallahassee, Florida, conducting an aerial survey of the damage before proceeding to Perry, Florida, an area where Hurricane Helene made landfall as a powerful Category 4 storm.
Following his assessment in Florida, the President is set to proceed to Georgia for an on-the-ground evaluation of the destruction in Ray City, where he plans to address the impacts witnessed and outline the federal government’s response strategies. Noteworthy actions include Biden’s directive to deploy up to 1,000 active-duty soldiers from the Pentagon to facilitate the delivery of essential supplies to isolated communities across Georgia, Florida, and the Carolinas.
Acknowledging the enormity of the crisis, both President Biden and congressional leaders have acknowledged the likely necessity of passing additional funding to address the extensive damages and unfolding humanitarian needs in the hurricane-affected regions.
