OLD FORT, NORTH CAROLINA – SEPTEMBER 30: Men on a four wheeler pass a storm damaged house along Mill Creek in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 30, 2024 in Old Fort, North Carolina. According to reports, at least 90 people have been killed across the southeastern U.S., and millions are without power due to the storm, which made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on Thursday. The White House has approved disaster declarations in North Carolina, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia and Alabama, freeing up federal emergency management money and resources for those states. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden pledged Monday that the federal government would help people throughout the Southeast recover from the devastation of Hurricane Helene and its aftermath, and said he expects to ask Congress for emergency funding in the weeks ahead.
“I’m here to tell every single survivor in these impacted areas that we will be there with you as long as it takes,” Biden said in brief remarks from the Roosevelt Room in the White House.
Biden said he plans to travel to North Carolina later this week, once his motorcade and other presidential travel requirements wouldn’t get in the way of recovery efforts.
Biden said he spoke for a few hours over the weekend with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and other leaders in the southeast region.
“I’m committed to traveling to impacted areas as soon as possible, but I’ve been told that it would be disruptive if I did it right now,” Biden said. “We will not do that at the risk of diverting or delaying any of the response assets needed to deal with this crisis.”
A trip would likely occur on Wednesday or Thursday at the earliest.
Federal assistance could include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help recovery from the disaster, according to the White House.
Biden said he didn’t know how much money his administration would request Congress provide for recovery efforts, but didn’t rule out asking lawmakers to return to Washington, D.C., before their six-week election recess ends on Nov. 12. Emergency declarations have been issued by Biden for the affected states, enabling disaster assistance.
In North Carolina, the President approved disaster declarations (which makes federal funding available to affected individuals) in Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Deanne Criswell is on the ground in Asheville with Cooper and other North Carolina leaders to assess storm damage and ongoing response efforts.
Criswell will remain in Asheville for the foreseeable future, Biden said.
“I’ve directed my team to provide every available resource as fast as possible to your communities to rescue, to recover, and to begin rebuilding,” Biden said.
In addition to FEMA, this includes the Federal Communications Commission, the National Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Department of Defense.
Biden said about 3,600 personnel have been deployed to the affected areas so far, a number that’s increasing each day.
A record-breaking disaster
Helene, which is on track to become one of the deadliest hurricanes in the country’s history, made landfall in Florida last week before leaving a trail of devastation and destruction in its wake. The Associated Press reported Monday the death toll has risen to at least 107, including 30 reported deaths in the North Carolina county that includes Asheville.
Residents throughout the Southeast, including those in Georgia, South Carolina, western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee were hit by some of the worst flooding and wind damage.
Many communities are completely destroyed and lack access to clean drinking water, functioning grocery stores, electricity and cell phone service.
Roads and bridges that should have allowed residents to drive to pick up supplies, or stay with friends or family, have been completely washed out by the hurricane, leaving many people stranded without necessities.
The high water also destroyed many people’s homes and vehicles, making disaster recovery even more complicated throughout the region, but especially in rural areas where people often live far away from town.
Senators appeal for help
North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis posted on social media Sunday afternoon that the state is in desperate need of assistance.
“Entire communities in Western North Carolina have no power, no cell service, and remain in severe danger from flooding,” Tillis wrote. “First responders (are) doing the best they can with what they have, but the devastation is incomprehensible. WNC needs all the help it can get and it needs it now.”
North Carolina Republican Sen. Ted Budd released a written statement Saturday after a call with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, North Carolina Emergency Management, the National Weather Service and the American Red Cross.
“It is clear that the damage in Western North Carolina is catastrophic,” Budd wrote. “There is no doubt that the road to recovery will be long and difficult, but we will marshal all available resources to assist the region, including public, private, and charitable. We are all in this together.”
Georgia Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff released a statement Sunday that he’d surveyed storm damage and spoken with FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell.
The statement said Ossoff “discussed the importance of communicating to Georgians the full range of recovery resources and programs that will be available upon the State’s completion of damage assessments.”
Florida Republican Rep. Kat Cammack said on C-SPAN on Monday that the hurricane not only destroyed people’s homes and businesses but devastated farms throughout the region.
“The agricultural damage there is tremendous,” Cammack said. “They saw winds of nearly 100 miles an hour. And so, we’re looking at catastrophic losses inland as well as on the coast. It’s really devastating.”
Trump seeks to weigh in; makes false claim about relief efforts
In a social media post on Monday, former President Donald Trump said he would be traveling to Valdosta, Georgia to “pay my respects and bring lots of relief material” and that he might try to visit North Carolina as well but wasn’t sure if he’d be able to enter the state.
He also made a claim that he had received “reports” that “the Democrat Governor of the State, [Gov. Cooper], going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas.” While Trump did not say from where he received these “reports,” they are not borne out by the facts on the ground, which evidence a massive effort by North Carolina officials to rush aid to people throughout western North Carolina — much of which is represented by Republican legislators and members of Congress.
Christine Zhu and Rob Schofield contributed to this report.