President Biden on Thursday toured pockets of devastation caused by Hurricane Helene in Florida and Georgia, pledging that the government would not abandon the survivors of one of the deadliest storms in American history.
Authorities said over 198 people were killed after Helene slammed into Florida’s west coast as a Category 4 storm and then caused historic inland flooding as it roared across a half-dozen Southeastern states.
Mr. Biden flew in a helicopter over the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida coast and then surveyed damage in Perry and Keaton Beach, Fla. It was the second full day the president devoted to demonstrating his administration’s concern about the loss of life and physical destruction caused by the storm.
In Keaton Beach, Mr. Biden walked through part of the town damaged by the storm, stopping briefly to talk with a husband and wife who lost their home. Later, he received briefings from federal and state emergency management officials who are among those confronting the effects of widespread power outages, water shortages and communications failures.
Hours later, Mr. Biden flew to Ray City, Ga., for a similar walk through damaged areas. Before leaving, he delivered remarks meant not only for the locals but for everyone affected by the storm.
Standing in front of a large, toppled tree at the Shiloh Pecan Farm, Mr. Biden spoke over roosters crowing as he offered reassurance that the federal government would support efforts to recover in the short term and rebuild over the long term.
“You’ve been through hell, three in a row,” Mr. Biden said, addressing those who suffered through three hurricanes in recent years. “And I want you to know I see you, I hear you. I grieve with you, and I promise you we have your back. We’re going to stay until you’re restored.”
Mr. Biden made a point to stress the nonpartisan nature of his visits, despite the fact that Election Day is just over a month away.
“Moments like this, it’s time to put politics aside again,” Mr. Biden said. “It’s not one state versus others. It’s the United States, you know, no Democrats or Republicans out here. It’s what we do to make sure we restore the economy. Only Americans here.”
In the last 48 hours, Mr. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have visited victims of the storm despite having just 34 days left to campaign against former President Donald J. Trump. Ms. Harris was in Augusta, Ga., on Wednesday after receiving a briefing from the Federal Emergency Management Agency earlier in the week.
The reason is clear: Helping the nation heal from major disasters is part of the presidency, and candidates who are seen as brushing off recovery are often rebuked by angry voters who expect politicians to do everything in their power to help affected communities.
When President George W. Bush was captured looking out a window on Air Force One as it flew over New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, many Americans saw the image as evidence of his lack of compassion for those suffering far below him.
Since then, presidents of both parties, and candidates running for the office, have sought to ensure that they are not perceived as uncaring. That usually involves traveling to the affected area, something Mr. Trump did when he visited Georgia on Monday.
The White House often tries to limit the disruption that a presidential visit — complete with a long motorcade — has on the rescue and recovery effort.
With that in mind, Mr. Biden’s aerial tour of the damaged areas on Wednesday and Thursday was done flying low in Marine One. He made sure to walk through the destruction on the ground, speaking to people who were most affected by the flooding.
In remarks after flying over Asheville, N.C., where floodwaters destroyed many buildings, Mr. Biden said he was struck by how much of the city was still underwater and “just imagining what it must have been like” during the height of the storm.
The president, who also ordered the Pentagon to deploy up to 1,000 active-duty troops to assist with aid efforts on Wednesday, called on Congress to ensure that the federal government had all the resources it needed to help people in the affected states. He used the visit to North Carolina to criticize Republicans who deny the impact of climate change on the world’s weather patterns.
“Nobody can deny the impact of the climate crisis anymore — at least I hope they don’t. They must be brain-dead if they do,” he said, adding, “Storms like Helene are getting stronger and stronger.”
In Georgia on Thursday, Mr. Biden said the owners of the pecan farm had described the results of the storm: Acres of crops “wiped out, trees uprooted, debris everywhere. Decades of progress gone in a single instance.”
But the president urged those affected to have hope. He quoted former President Jimmy Carter, a onetime Georgia farmer who turned 100 this week.
“‘Tremendous progress can be made when we persevere through difficult challenges,’” Mr. Biden recalled Mr. Carter saying. “This is a difficult challenge we’re facing.”
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