Kamala Harris Surveys Hurricane Helene’s Devastation in Georgia \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Vice President Kamala Harris visited hurricane-ravaged Georgia, embracing victims and pledging federal help. Alongside President Biden, who surveyed the Carolinas, Harris aimed to show competence and unity in the face of Hurricane Helene’s destruction. Their visits contrast sharply with former President Trump’s critical comments about their response.
Kamala Harris Visits Hurricane Helene Aftermath: Quick Looks
- Harris Provides Support in Georgia: Vice President Kamala Harris visited Augusta, Georgia, to pledge federal assistance and console residents affected by Hurricane Helene’s destruction. She met with families, distributed meals, and toured the storm’s devastation.
- Scenes of Destruction: Harris witnessed downed power lines, broken utility poles, and homes severely damaged by the hurricane. Speaking from a disaster-stricken neighborhood, she offered condolences for those lost and highlighted community resilience.
- “We Are Here for the Long Haul”: Harris emphasized the administration’s commitment to helping impacted communities recover. She praised volunteers and highlighted the unity displayed by residents helping each other through the crisis.
- Biden’s Parallel Visit to Carolinas: President Joe Biden toured the storm-damaged areas of the Carolinas. He flew over heavily impacted neighborhoods in Asheville, North Carolina, witnessing homes partly submerged in floodwaters and streets filled with debris.
- Political Context: Their visits come as former President Donald Trump criticized their administration’s response, which Biden called a lie. Harris, in particular, was looking to demonstrate her leadership and empathy as her presidential campaign enters its final phase.
Deep Look
Vice President Kamala Harris stepped away from the campaign trail on Wednesday to provide on-the-ground support in Georgia after Hurricane Helene left a path of destruction across the state. Harris handed out meals, embraced grieving families, and personally assessed the extensive damage from the storm, underscoring her commitment to the affected communities. The devastation included downed power lines, shattered utility poles, and damaged homes, as lives were thrown into disarray.
Harris visited Augusta, where she addressed a community in front of a house damaged by a fallen tree, acknowledging the lives lost and promoting a message of unity and hope for the future. Power lines snaked across the sidewalks, and broken poles were visible throughout the area, providing a stark illustration of the storm’s power. “I wanted to personally take a look at the devastation, which is extraordinary,” Harris said, expressing admiration for how the community was coming together and emphasizing the human spirit. “People are helping perfect strangers,” she noted.
Before giving her remarks, Harris comforted a family of five who were visibly shaken by the hurricane’s aftermath. “We are here for the long haul,” she assured them. Harris also toured a Red Cross relief center, receiving a briefing from local officials and recognizing those working tirelessly to support residents. “I am now listening,” she said, signaling her desire to understand the needs of those directly impacted.
Brittany Smith, a resident of Augusta who received meals from the relief center, was visibly moved by Harris’s presence. Holding food and fruit cups, she shared her feelings, “It made it better despite the hardship,” adding that the vice president’s personal visit meant a lot more than just seeing her on television. “She’s a person. She’s not just a voice,” Smith said.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden was also surveying the aftermath in the Carolinas, particularly in Asheville, North Carolina. As many roads remained inaccessible, Biden traveled by helicopter to get an aerial view of the destruction. He saw flooded roads, piles of shattered timber, displaced sandbags, emergency response vehicles, and downed power lines. Some homes were partly submerged in water, making it difficult to distinguish between lakes and land. Biden’s visit continued his familiar role of visiting disaster zones, a responsibility he has frequently undertaken as president.
Due to the extent of the damage in Asheville, Biden couldn’t meet directly with residents in the same manner as Harris did in Georgia. Instead, he wore protective gear, and before boarding his helicopter, he hugged Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer, who was visibly emotional as she explained that the area’s only operable road could not be closed down for his motorcade. Biden is expected to return to the region on Thursday to visit Florida and Georgia, while Harris plans her own visit to North Carolina in the coming days as the administration continues to respond to Helene’s impact.
Ahead of his departure from Washington, Biden highlighted an ongoing dockworkers strike, pointing out that it could hinder efforts to get supplies to the hardest-hit areas. “Natural disasters are incredibly consequential,” Biden said. “The last thing we need on top of that is a man-made disaster that’s going on at the ports.” He noted that the administration was already facing pushback from regional officials, who reported challenges in getting necessary supplies due to the strike.
Harris’s visit to Georgia holds particular significance as her bid for the White House reaches its closing stretch, with Hurricane Helene’s destruction spanning key battleground states like Georgia and North Carolina. This was her first visit to a disaster site as vice president, although she had previously toured disaster areas as a senator from California, including a visit to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria in 2017 and a visit to the fire-ravaged town of Paradise, California, in 2018.
Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Harris’s campaign manager, and former state director in her Senate office, highlighted the vice president’s ability to connect with victims. Chavez Rodriguez noted that Harris’s experience as a courtroom prosecutor helped her in showing empathy during such crises. She stated that the visit to Georgia was an opportunity for Harris “to continue to show her leadership and her ability to get things done,” in contrast to figures like Donald Trump and JD Vance, who she accused of wanting to dismantle essential government services.
Former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, also traveled to Georgia, visiting Valdosta with a Christian charity organization that provided trucks of fuel, food, water, and other supplies. Trump accused Biden of “sleeping” and claimed that the president ignored calls from Georgia’s Republican Governor Brian Kemp. However, Kemp had spoken with Biden just a day earlier and confirmed that the state was receiving everything it needed. Biden responded angrily to Trump’s claims, asserting that Trump was “lying” and that the governor had told Trump as much.
Hurricane Helene has claimed at least 178 lives, with many areas still lacking power, running water, and cellular service. Biden flew to Raleigh, North Carolina, for a briefing with officials, where he described Helene as a “storm of historic proportions” and offered reassurances to the region. “The nation has your back,” he said, underscoring the federal government’s commitment to assisting in recovery.
The tone taken by Harris and Biden starkly contrasted with Trump’s accusations. Trump has claimed without evidence that Democratic leaders were withholding aid from Republican-majority areas. Such claims evoke memories of his time in office when Puerto Rico was devastated by Hurricane Maria, which led to the deaths of around 3,000 people. During his presidency, Trump delayed the release of $13 billion in recovery funds until just weeks before the 2020 election, and a federal watchdog later found that his administration had interfered in an investigation into those delays.
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