Joe Biden pledged U.S. aid to assist in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which has devastated parts of the southeast, including areas in and around Asheville, NC.
In remarks from the Roosevelt Room carried across cable networks, Biden cited reports of more than 100 people dead and 600 people unaccounted for, although many have been difficult to reach because of the lack of power and cell service.
“This is an historic storm. It’s devastating. They’ve never seen anything like this before,” Biden said.
The president said that he planned to visit the region later this week, but cautioned that he did not want to cause a disruption if his security needs divert resources from recovery efforts.
His focus on the hurricane’s impact this week likely will focus media attention on the tragic scenes. Networks dispatched reporters to Florida to cover the hurricane as it made landfall last week, but the further impact of the storm appears to have caught many by surprise. Local media, like the Asheville Citizen Times, has had continuous coverage, while through the weekend, national network attention was to a series of stories, including the Israeli attacks on Hezbollah and the presidential race. Some outlets have relied on images from social media of flooded streets and entire portions of communities wiped away.
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Biden said that he may have to request that Congress come back into session for an emergency supplemental request for relief and rebuilding efforts.
“I’m here to tell every single survivor in these impacted areas that will be with you as long as it takes,” Biden said.
Kamala Harris was brief on recovery efforts last night, and plans to attend a briefing later this afternoon.
Her presidential rival, Donald Trump, is visiting Valdosta, GA today, and said that he had planned to visit North Carolina but was advised that communication is now restricted.
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