Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris traveled to Augusta, Georgia, which was one of the places most affected by Hurricane Helene, and was able to witness the difficult situation that residents face. The vice president was accompanied by Mayor Garnett Johnson during her tour, where she approached the victims to comfort them, in addition to congratulating the rescue teams.
Harris held a briefing where she provided updates on federal efforts to support the state. “You are all doing God’s work right now. And I know that many of the people are members of this community.”
The Democratic presidential candidate distributed food and took photographs. He thanked the first responders and volunteers at the city’s emergency operations center for the great work they are doing to help the people who suffered from Helene’s fury.
“They help people from Augusta due to Hurricane Helene”
“All of you leave your homes, leave your family members who need help and support, to go help people who are perfect strangers to you, and you do this work in these moments of crisis 24 hours a day, with an intention and with a level of care and love for the community that is unmatched,” Harris said.
The vice president decided to travel to Augusta to “personally observe the devastation, which is extraordinary.” He said it is devastating because of the “loss of life,” as well as the “loss of normality and critical resources.”
During his visit he was able to observe fallen trees and light poles that caused 60% of the residents to not have electricity and many do not have water service either.
“There has been real pain and trauma as a result of this hurricane and its consequences,” he said. “I was talking to one of the residents in the community who needs to remove that big tree so she can go to work and make sure her son can go to school when the roads open.”
Federal reimbursement for victims of Hurricane Helene
Harris also highlighted that President Joe Biden approved Georgia Governor Brian Kemp’s request for 100% federal reimbursement of local costs.
“So, this is a very important part of the recovery process: That federal reimbursement money will also help with the emergency services that the state now provides, so that they can receive the reimbursement and then have the resources to continue providing those services emergency,” he said.
The White House said up to 1,000 active-duty troops, part of an Infantry Battalion task force based in Fort Liberty, North Carolina, will begin work to help deliver food, fuel and supplies to the region.
The death toll from Hurricane Helene rose to 178 people, authorities revealed.
On the other hand, it is worth noting that the last time Vice President Harris visited scenes of natural disasters was as a senator from California, when she traveled to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria in 2017.
Trump visited Georgia days before
On Monday, September 30, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump visited Valdosta in Georgia, where he noted that Governor Brian Kemp had not been able to contact Biden.
And during an interview he claimed that the Biden-Harris administration was “doing everything possible to hurt” rural Trump voters by avoiding offering assistance to Republican areas of the state.
In response to the former president’s comments, which have been called false, Biden stressed: “He is lying. Let me clarify this; “He is lying and the governor told him he was lying,” he added, annoyed.
Keep reading:
- Almost 140 dead from Hurricane Helene in the US; becomes one of the deadliest of this century
- In North Carolina, Hurricane Helene left 35 people dead and thousands injured
- Biden gets angry with journalist after repeating Trump’s lies about Helene