Hurricane “Helene” swept through the coast of Florida in the United States less than two weeks ago, and now another major hurricane named “Milton” is approaching the state. This poses a serious challenge for the Biden administration, especially for Vice President Harris, the Democratic vice-presidential candidate. Many swing voters are watching closely to see how she handles the disaster, while many strategists are evaluating the potential impact of the approaching “October Surprise” hurricanes just before the election day.
President Biden and Vice President Harris (Kamala Harris) have visited some areas affected by Hurricane “Helene”, striving to maintain a leadership role in federal disaster recovery efforts. However, as Hurricane “Milton” rapidly approaches Florida with winds of 175 mph (280 km/h) from the Gulf of Mexico, their leadership capabilities will face new tests.
To prepare for the second major storm within half a month, Biden signed an emergency declaration for Florida on October 7 (Monday) and listed nearly 40 counties that could be affected by the hurricane.
The White House also announced on the 8th that Biden’s planned visits to Germany and Angola, scheduled for the 10th, have been postponed.
Harris is under increased scrutiny because during her three and a half years as vice president, she has not fully established her leadership credentials in handling the economy and national security, which some voters consider to be crucial issues.
Despite leading former President Trump in terms of empathy when voters were asked to evaluate the presidential candidates, and Harris’s national polling support slightly higher than Trump’s, in some swing states, Harris does lag behind in the trait of “leadership”, according to Republican strategist Ron Bonjean.
Bonjean told The Hill, “This depends on the impact of Hurricane ‘Milton.’ If there are any flaws in the National Guard or FEMA’s plans to assist states in the path of ‘Milton,’ Trump will be seen as the one who says ‘I told you so.'”
He added, “If they didn’t have a plan from start to finish, Trump can definitely capitalize on that. This will indeed be a test for Harris. … We are talking about trying to convince a small amount of independent voters to do one thing or another.”
According to the National Hurricane Center’s real-time hurricane tracker, “Milton” is expected to make landfall in the Tampa Bay area on the west coast of Florida late on Wednesday (the 9th), becoming a Category 3 storm with winds decreasing to 111-129 mph (180-210 km/h). The region has not experienced a major direct hit from a hurricane in over a century.
The Tampa metropolitan area, with a population of over 3.3 million, is on the same coastline as the areas hit by Hurricane “Helene”.
“Hurricane ‘Helene’ caused at least 230 deaths as it moved from Florida to North and South Carolina.”
On October 8th, residents of Tampa were evacuating urgently before the arrival of “Milton,” with traffic heavily congested heading north on Interstate 75, and workers still busy cleaning up the debris left by “Helene.”
Campaign strategists of both parties have recalled the impact of Hurricane “Sandy,” which struck the mid-Atlantic states of the East Coast shortly before the 2012 election and its political influence.
They told The Hill that President Obama’s adept handling of the disaster helped him overcome the challenge of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. Especially when Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie enthusiastically praised Obama at the Atlantic City International Airport in late October, that moment essentially sealed Obama’s victory.
Twelve years later, Republican governors Ron DeSantis of Florida and Brian Kemp of Georgia are both aware of the “exposure effect” and political risks brought by the current hurricanes, carefully avoiding any photos with Harris that could make her look like a future president.
Harris visited areas affected by Hurricane “Helene” in Georgia last week. At a press conference in Augusta, she announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will provide $750 to those in immediate need of assistance due to damage from “Helene.”
Governor Kemp kept his distance from Harris, but he appeared with Trump on October 4 at an event inspecting the disaster in Columbia County.
Democratic strategist Jim Manley stated that despite the fierce presidential campaign activities across the country, Biden and Harris still need to focus on disaster relief efforts.
He said, “They will have to quickly turn the situation around and try to provide everything needed under tremendous pressure. They are still dealing with the impact of the previous hurricane.”
“They are now in overdrive mode. … They must stay focused and do what is necessary to help tens of thousands of Americans,” Manley added.
Brookings Institution senior governance researcher Darrell West stated, “Trump is touching any issues that can sway the last 5% of undecided voters. He knows that disasters bring pain to affected areas and hopes to use their difficulties to push people in his direction.”
Trump accused Harris of using all her FEMA funding for housing illegal immigrants entering the United States. He also criticized Harris for only providing $750 per hurricane victim as federal policy, without considering allocating additional billions of federal aid for the hardest-hit areas.
In hurricane-ravaged North Carolina, Republican federal Senator Thom Tillis stated on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that the supply of relief goods to western North Carolina was slower than expected, noting that many roads in the area are still closed.
He called on the military and FEMA to take a “coordinated response” to clear and repair roads. He emphasized not wanting any “interference” to affect rescue operations, saying, “I think we need to continue to focus on rescue, recovery, and cleanup operations. We don’t need any of these interferences. This is at the expense of the hard-working emergency responders.”
Florida Governor DeSantis stated on October 7 that after reports claimed he did not answer Harris’s phone call, Harris accused him of playing political games and being selfish, to which he responded with the term “delusional” towards Harris.
Earlier on the 7th, Harris was asked about reports claiming that DeSantis did not answer her call regarding the hurricane and resource allocation.
Harris told reporters, “People need support urgently now. Playing political games in this crisis situation – the most severe phase of an emergency – is completely unacceptable, selfish, and playing politics instead of doing the job you sworn to do, which is prioritizing the people.”
In a Fox News interview on the evening of the 7th, DeSantis responded to Harris’s accusation, criticizing her for politicizing the storm and noting his experience in dealing with many storms as governor. DeSantis also highly praised his working relationship with both President Biden and former President Trump.
He said, “Let me say this: I’ve gone through several storms under President Trump and President Biden’s leadership, and I’ve worked well with both. She (Harris) is the first one trying to politicize this storm, and she’s doing it just for her campaign. She’s trying to gain some advantage. She knows she’s doing poorly, and then she plays these political games.”
“I don’t have time for those political games. I have people whose lives are in danger, whose homes and properties are in danger, and we are a hundred percent focused on this mission. I’m not concerned about her playing her political games. So, when we are doing well, she is trying to make this mistake, which is selfish behavior.”
DeSantis stated that he is “utilizing all available resources, including those from the federal government,” and has been in contact with President Biden and FEMA officials to prepare for Hurricane “Milton” expected to land on the 9th.
He said, “So, for Harris to try to say that my only concern is in some way selfish to the people of Florida, that’s delusional.”
“She is absolutely irrelevant to this. In fact, she has been vice president for three and a half years. Under this administration’s leadership, I have been through many storms. She has never made any contributions to these efforts, so I think her attempt to make such mistakes is a selfish act,” DeSantis continued to criticize.
DeSantis also mentioned that he has suspended toll roads to facilitate evacuations.
Florida federal Senator Marco Rubio posted a storm map on X social platform on the afternoon of the 7th, warning that communities along the west coast of the state may experience storm surges of 8-12 feet (2.4-3.7 meters) from Hurricane “Milton.”
In a subsequent X post, he warned residents living in storm path areas to “leave as soon as possible. Don’t wait until the last moment.”
Another federal senator from Florida, Rick Scott, issued a strong warning on the X platform, telling people to “evacuate immediately” in a post, saying, “Hurricane #Milton and its deadly storm surge are coming. Don’t try to wait it out. This is a life-and-death matter!”