On Saturday, October 5th, Vice President of the United States and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris visited North Carolina, promising continued federal support in the wake of Hurricane Helen. This marked her second visit to the disaster area within four days.
According to reports from the Associated Press, Harris attended a briefing with state and local officials upon her arrival. During the briefing, she expressed gratitude to “everyone present and those working tirelessly outside”.
She pledged that federal assistance would continue and praised the “strangers helping each other, providing people with shelter, food, friendship, and companionship”.
Governor Roy Cooper stated that the state of North Carolina “greatly appreciates the resources provided by the federal government. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been standing shoulder to shoulder with us since the beginning”.
After being briefed on the situation, Harris assisted in packing toiletries into relief bags at a distribution center. There, she met Angelica Wind, a resident from the severely affected Asheville area, along with her daughter and a friend who were volunteering.
Wind told Harris that her home still had no electricity, and people were “barely managing to make ends meet”. She added, “We hope people do not forget about us”.
Harris assured her that the federal government “will provide long-term aid”.
Another resident, Melissa Funderbunk, informed Harris that she was driving a truck to deliver aid supplies to residents in the remote Morganville area.
Harris commended, “You are our heroes”.
Earlier this week, Harris distributed food in Georgia, inspected the disaster situation, and comforted families severely affected by the disaster. President Biden also visited the disaster area. Biden stayed for two days in the states of North Carolina, Florida, and Georgia, inspecting the disaster situation and meeting with farmers whose crops were destroyed.
Biden and Harris have been calling on the government to provide assistance, and so far, government efforts have included funding all rescue and recovery efforts in the Southeast to help states severely affected by the disaster.
On Friday evening, Biden wrote in a letter to congressional leaders that although FEMA’s disaster relief fund “currently has resources to meet emergency needs, the fund will face funding shortages by the end of the year”. He urged legislators to act swiftly to restore funding for the Small Business Administration’s disaster loan program.
Governor Cooper stated earlier this week that over 50,000 people have registered for FEMA assistance, with approximately $6 million already paid out.
Hurricane Helen has claimed the lives of over 200 people to date. It is the most severe storm to hit the US mainland since the Category 5 Hurricane Katrina in 2005.