Federal Government Mobilizes to Help Thousands of Helene Survivors
The federal response is well underway after Hurricane Helene devastated parts of the southeast.
There are over 4,500 federal personnel on the ground in hard hit North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee.
More than 1,000 of them are from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
President Biden also deployed 1,000 active-duty U.S. troops to North Carolina to assist in the recovery efforts in the hard-hit western part of the state.
"These soldiers will speed up the delivery of life-saving supplies of food, water, and medicine to isolated communities in North Carolina – they have the manpower and logistical capabilities to get this vital job done, and fast," President Biden said in a statement.
That includes using use helicopters and high wheeled vehicles to move supplies and personnel to areas not accessible by road or with normal vehicles. U.S. military personnel are also assisting in search and rescue efforts for the hundreds still missing.
Presidential Visit
On Wednesday, President Biden toured the damage from Hurricane Helene in North and South Carolina, while Vice President Kamala Harris toured damage in Georgia.
The president took an aerial tour of the flooded Asheville, North Carolina region. Many residents remain without running water, food, and electricity and roads are impassable in many areas.
The president directed FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell to do all FEMA can to speed up support. He also ordered Administrator Criswell to stay on the ground in the Asheville region “for the foreseeable future.”
FEMA personnel have been doing a wide range of tasks including helping reopen roads, removing debris, supporting search-and-rescue efforts, handing out meals, and helping to restore power and cell phone networks.
“We're hearing significant infrastructure damage to water systems, communication, roads, critical transportation routes, as well as several homes that have been just destroyed by this," said Administrator Criswell to CBS News. "So this is going to be a really complicated recovery in each of these five states that have had these impacts.”
Other federal personnel in the disaster zone include workers from the Department of Defense (DOD), the National Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Small Business Administration (SBA), and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Plus, the U.S. Coast Guard has been assisting with recovery efforts on the Florida coast.
"I want you to know the administration is going to be there ... until we finish the job. It’s going to take a hell of a long time and a serious amount of assets," said President Biden.
But Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned on a visit to the region, that FEMA may run out of funds should another storm hit.
“We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have,” said Secretary Mayorkas. “We are expecting another hurricane hitting — we do not have the funds, FEMA does not have the funds, to make it through the season.”
Major Disaster Declarations
The president approved a major disaster declaration for Florida and North Carolina. He later approved major disaster declarations for Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
A major disaster declaration allows survivors to immediately access FEMA assistance, with applications available via phone, on the website, or on the FEMA app.
Meanwhile the Department of Health Human Services (HHS) declared a public health emergency for Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
The storm has killed at least 183 people.