President Joe Biden chastised skeptics of climate change science on Wednesday during a visit to assess damage from flooding caused by Hurricane Helene.
The president toured South Carolina and North Carolina, traveling aboard his Marine One helicopter to see historic flooding and devastation, six days after the storm first made landfall in Florida.
More than 160 people have been confirmed dead in six states as the hurricane’s historic rains flooded entire towns, leveled homes, damaged many roads and devastated the region.
‘No one can deny the impact of the climate crisis anymore. At least I hope they don’t,” he said. “If they do, they must be brain dead.”
Biden blamed climate change for fueling the strength of hurricanes like Helene.
“Scientists report that as warming oceans cause heavier rainfall, storms like Helene are getting stronger,” he said. “Today in North Carolina I saw the impacts of that fury.”
The president described the storm as a “literally storm of historic proportions” and promised continued federal aid to help storm victims.
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) greets US President Joe Biden (R) upon his arrival at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport in Greer, South Carolina.
Marine One, carrying US President Joe Biden, flies over a storm-affected area near Asheville, North Carolina, on October 2, 2024.
US President Joe Biden (center) and North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper (left) receive an operational briefing at the Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh.
Biden also called on everyone to “put politics aside” during times of crisis.
“There are no Democrats or Republicans, only Americans,” he said.
The president arrived at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport in Greer, South Carolina, before touring storm damage by helicopter and concluding his visit with a briefing from emergency personnel and local officials at the Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh. .
“My heart goes out to everyone who has experienced an unthinkable loss, but we are here for you,” he said during his remarks, adding, “Kamala and I will be here until the end.”
Buncombe County Deputy Emergency Services Director Ryan Cole described the flooding as “biblical.”
“We’ve had biblical devastation throughout the county, we’ve had biblical flooding here and it’s been extremely significant,” he told the Citizen Times.
