President Joe Biden said he hopes to visit areas devastated by Hurricane Helene this week and defended spending the weekend at his beach house when the storm hit.
“I told the governor of North Carolina that I will go and I hope to be there on Wednesday or Thursday, when it is clear to me,” he told reporters at the White House.
“I am committed to traveling to the affected areas as soon as possible, but I have been told that it would be harmful if I did so now,” he said.
The president became defensive when asked how he was managing while spending the weekend at his vacation home in Rehoboth Beach as the hurricane devastated parts of the South.
—I was in charge, I was on the phone for at least two hours yesterday and the day before yesterday as well. I ordered, it’s called a telephone,’ he said.
—I was in charge, I was on the phone for at least two hours yesterday and the day before yesterday as well. I ordered, it’s called a telephone,’ said President Joe Biden
He noted that he spoke with the governors of Georgia and North Carolina, two of the states most affected by the storm.
At least 121 deaths in six states have been attributed to the storm, a figure that increased Monday as a clearer picture emerged of the devastation it inflicted on an area stretching from Florida’s Gulf Coast north to the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia.
More than 600 are missing.
“We will not leave until the job is done,” Biden said.
Roads and I-64, a major interstate, have been washed out in some parts of these areas, making it difficult to transport needed supplies. Local and federal officials, along with the National Guard, are rushing to provide help.
More than 460,000 people are without electricity and more than 1,000 have taken refuge in 24 shelters.
Search and rescue teams from 19 states and the U.S. government have converged on North Carolina, Gov. Roy Cooper said, adding that some roads could take months to repair.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump heads to Georgia on Monday to address relief efforts for hurricane victims.
Biden declined to comment when asked if the former president would be disruptive.
“I have no idea,” he told reporters.
Flooding in Asheville, North Carolina, caused by Hurricane Helene
And Kamala Harris is canceling her campaign stops scheduled for Monday to return to Washington, DC, for a briefing on Hurricane Helene.
He will leave Las Vegas in the morning and will be in Washington for a briefing at FEMA on Monday afternoon, according to his campaign. It will also visit devastated areas when this does not disrupt emergency response efforts.
Damage estimates ranged from $15 billion to more than $100 billion, insurers and forecasters said over the weekend, as water systems, communications and critical transportation routes were affected.
Property damage and loss of economic output will become more apparent as officials assess the destruction.
About 2.7 million customers across the South were without power Sunday, a U.S. Department of Energy official said, down 40 percent from Friday after record storm surge, fierce winds and dangerous conditions stretched hundreds of miles inland.
