Biden and Harris to visit Hurricane Helene-ravaged Southeast

(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will both head to the Southeast on Wednesday to survey damage wrought by Hurricane Helene, which so far is confirmed to have killed 166 people.

The president said Tuesday that the cost of the massive storm could stretch into the billions of dollars. “We have to jump start this recovery process,” Biden said. “People are scared to death. This is urgent.”

Biden’s scheduled visit to North Carolina — which is expected to be a pivotal battleground state in next month’s presidential election — and South Carolina will include an aerial tour of Asheville in western North Carolina, which was one of the region’s worst hit areas.

“I’ve ensured my travel will not disrupt the ongoing response,” Biden said in a post to X. “I plan to travel to Georgia and Florida as soon as possible.”

Before departing the White House, Biden announced he had directed up to 1,000 active-duty troops to support the North Carolina National Guard in its Hurricane Helene response.

“These soldiers will speed up the delivery of life-saving supplies of food, water, and medicine to isolated communities in North Carolina — they have the manpower and logistical capabilities to get this vital job done, and fast. They will join hundreds of North Carolina National Guard members deployed under State authorities in support of the response,” Biden said in a statement.

Harris will travel to Georgia, another battleground state.

“The Vice President will also provide updates on Federal actions that are being taken to support emergency response and recovery efforts in Georgia and several other states throughout the southeast,” her office said in a statement.

Hundreds of people remain unaccounted for following Helene’s passage. More than 150,000 households have registered for assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Frank Matranga — an agency representative — said.

That number is expected to increase in the coming days, Matranga said. He noted that almost 2 million ready-to-eat meals and more than a million liters of water have been sent to the hardest-hit areas.

Wednesday’s visits by Biden and Harris come shortly after former President Donald Trump traveled to devastated Valdosta, Georgia, to see Helene’s destruction firsthand.

Trump also used the Monday visit to attack his Democratic opponents over their emergency response efforts.

“As you know, our country is in the final weeks of a hard-fought national election,” Trump said while in Valdosta.

“But in a time like this, when a crisis hits, when our fellow citizens cry out in need, none of that matters. We’re not talking about politics now. We have to all get together and get this solved. We need a lot of help. They have to have a lot of help down here.”

Trump accused Biden and Harris of “being very nonresponsive,” he said, claiming both had failed to speak to Georgia’s Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, though Kemp said they had.

The president hit back at the criticism. “Let me get this straight — he’s lying,” Biden said during an Oval Office briefing with reporters, framing Trump’s remarks as “irresponsible.”

“I don’t know why he does this, and the reason I get so angry about it — I don’t care about what he says about me, I care what he communicates to the people that are in need. He implies that we’re not doing everything possible. We are. We are.”

ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett and Michelle Stoddart contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.