Biden and Harris Assess Damage from Hurricane Helene as Death Toll Reaches 180

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have visited southeastern U.S. states impacted by Hurricane Helene, where the death toll has now reached 180.

Biden conducted an aerial survey of North and South Carolina to gauge the extensive destruction caused by the storm. Search-and-rescue teams continue to face challenges, with hundreds of people still unaccounted for in remote areas.

To bolster recovery efforts, Biden has deployed 1,000 active-duty soldiers alongside 6,000 National Guard members and 4,800 federal aid workers already engaged in six states affected by the hurricane. Aid is being delivered through airdrops and on horseback, with officials warning that recovery could take years.

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about the response to Hurricane Helene during remarks at the White House in Washington.

Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, traveled to Georgia on Wednesday, another state heavily impacted by the storm. Both North Carolina and Georgia are crucial swing states in the upcoming presidential election.

Earlier this week, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump also visited Georgia to assess storm damage.

In North Carolina, where tens of thousands remain without running water, Biden expressed concern for those missing, stating, "God willing, they're alive," in reference to reports of up to 600 individuals unaccounted for due to lack of cell service.

Biden is scheduled to visit affected areas in Florida and Georgia on Thursday, according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

Hurricane Helene struck last Thursday as a Category 4 storm—the most powerful to hit Florida's Big Bend—before weakening as it moved northward. Almost half of the reported fatalities have occurred in North Carolina, where residents have experienced six months' worth of rain in a matter of days.

The storm has also caused deaths in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and Virginia, making it one of the deadliest hurricanes in recent U.S. history, surpassing Hurricane Ian's toll of at least 156 lives in 2022.

North Carolina's mountainous regions suffered particularly severe rainfall, leading to extensive damage to homes and infrastructure. An emergency official in Buncombe County described the destruction as "biblical."

Volunteer relief workers shared heartbreaking stories of individuals who had previously lost everything in Hurricane Katrina, only to face devastation again nearly two decades later.

In Tennessee, authorities are investigating a plastics factory where 11 workers were swept away by floodwaters on Friday, resulting in two confirmed deaths and four still missing. The factory operator, Impact Plastics, stated that employees were dismissed when conditions worsened, but workers reported being instructed to stay until it was too late.

More than a million residents across the affected states were without power as of Wednesday evening. Initial analyses suggest that human-induced climate change significantly contributed to the storm's unprecedented rainfall, with some areas in western North Carolina breaking records set during the "Great Flood" of 1916.

The Atlantic hurricane season continues until the end of November, leaving the potential for further severe weather ahead.