Hurricane “Helene” caused severe damage in the southeast of the USA, killing more than 90 people. Now US President Biden wants to get an idea of the situation on the ground – as does the Democratic presidential candidate Harris.
It was the strongest storm ever to make landfall in northwest Florida. As CNN reported on Sunday evening (local time), citing local authorities, more than 90 people were killed in a total of five states. North Carolina was particularly hard hit.
Strong winds brought down trees, power lines and cell towers across the region. Relief supplies had to be brought to isolated towns by air. According to the newspaper “USA Today”, more than two million people were still cut off from power on Sunday evening. The number of deaths could rise even further, it was said.
Biden and Harris pledge support
US President Joe Biden wants to visit the hurricane-hit areas this week. In a brief exchange with reporters, he called the storm’s impact “breathtaking.” The government will provide the affected states with everything “we have” to help them cope. Today the President wants to speak in the White House about his government’s measures after “Helene”.
The White House said Vice President Kamala Harris would also visit the storm-hit regions “as soon as possible without disrupting emergency response efforts.” At a rally in Las Vegas on Sunday evening, she said: “I know that everyone here is thinking and praying for the people” who suffered so much from the hurricane. “We will stand with these communities for as long as it takes and ensure they are able to rebuild.”
The number of deaths could continue to rise
Harris had actually planned further campaign stops in Las Vegas for today. However, her office said she was returning to Washington early to attend a briefing on the storm’s aftermath.
Officials warned that repairing the damage and rebuilding would take a long time. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper expected the death toll to continue to rise as the hurricane reached relief workers in isolated areas where roads and infrastructure were destroyed and widespread flooding occurred.
Hurricane season is still ongoing
“Helene” made landfall on the Gulf Coast in the northwest of the state of Florida on Thursday evening as a hurricane in the second highest category with wind speeds of up to 225 kilometers per hour. The media spoke of the strongest hurricane ever to hit the Big Bend region.
Helene later weakened into a tropical storm and continued north over the Appalachian Mountains before dissipating completely. The Atlantic hurricane season lasts until November 30th.
