President Biden approved mobilizing an additional 500 active duty troops to North Carolina to assist in recovery efforts following the deadly and devastating events. Hurricane Helene.
“With a total of 1,500 troops now complementing a robust effort on the ground – including more than 6,100 National Guardsmen and more than 7,000 federal personnel – the Biden-Harris administration is mobilizing all necessary resources to support families as they begin their path to rebuilding,” the White House said in a statement on Sunday.
Mr. Biden previously announcement that the federal government would cover “100 percent” of the costs of debris removal and emergency protection measures in North Carolina for six months. The Biden administration also released more than $137 million in federal funds, including $100 million in transportation funds for North Carolina to begin rebuilding damaged roads and bridges.
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More than 800 people unable to return home are staying in FEMA-provided shelters, and 22 shelters are still housing nearly 1,000 people as mobile feeding operations continue to help survivors.
“My administration is sparing no resources to support families as they begin their journey to rebuilding,” Biden said. “We will continue to work hand-in-hand with local and state leaders, regardless of political party and no matter how long it takes.”
Earlier Sunday, North Carolina Sen. Thom Tills called for more resources to bolster relief efforts and compared the damage caused to Louisiana’s Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
“The magnitude of this storm is more like Katrina,” he said. CBS News’ Margaret Brennan on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan”. “This may look like a flood to an outside observer, but again, this is a landmass the size of the state of Massachusetts, with damage spread far and wide. We need to immediately mobilize as many resources as possible on the ground to complete the rescue operations.”
Mr Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have all visited some of the affected areas.
Hurricane Helene caused catastrophic damage from Florida to Appalachia and killed more than 225 people in several states. This number includes 114 dead in North Carolina alone.
The White House said Mr Biden had also been briefed Hurricane Miltonexpected to make landfall in the Tampa Bay area of Florida as a major storm on Wednesday.
US disaster relief chief calls out false claims about Helene’s response
Deanne Criswell, who heads the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said Sunday that recent false claims and conspiracy theories about the federal response to the storm are “demoralizing” aid workers.
“It’s frankly ridiculous and just plain wrong. This kind of rhetoric doesn’t help people,” she said. “It’s really unfortunate that we prioritize politics over helping people, and that’s why we’re here. We had the full support of the state,” she said , referring to North Carolina.
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Republicans, led by Trump, have helped fuel a misinformation frenzy over the past week among the communities most devastated by Helen, promoting a number of false claims, including that Washington is intentionally withholding aid to residents of the Republican areas.
Trump has accused FEMA of spending all of its money helping immigrants who are in the United States illegally, while other critics say the government spends too much on Israel, Ukraine and other foreign countries.
Tillis, a Republican, rejected that assertion Sunday, telling “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that resources used for immigration “are not yet affecting…the flow of resources to Western Carolina North”.
Tillis said the flow of misinformation about relief efforts in North Carolina is a “distraction.”
“I believe we need to stay focused on rescue operations, recovery operations, cleanup operations, and we don’t need any of those distractions on the ground,” Tillis said. “This comes at the expense of hard-working first responders and people who are simply trying to get their lives back.”
Mr. Biden said in a statement Sunday that his administration “will continue to work hand-in-hand with local and state leaders – regardless of political party and no matter how long it takes.”
