Hurricane “Helene” has destroyed entire towns in the southeast of the USA – the consequences for residents are immense. Meanwhile, Donald Trump is using the event to mock the president.
After Storm Helene, the death toll in the southeastern United States has risen to at least 130. According to authorities, hundreds more people are missing. The storm is now becoming more and more of an election campaign issue: US President Joe Biden accused Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Monday of spreading “lies” after he allegedly accused the government of a lack of help for the storm victims.
“Let me be clear: He is lying,” Biden told reporters at the White House on Monday. He spoke on the phone with North Carolina Governor Ray Cooper and Cooper also “told Trump that he was lying.” Trump’s criticism is “wrong and irresponsible.”
Former President Trump accused Biden, Cooper and Vice President Kamala Harris of ignoring the disaster. “I don’t know why he’s doing that,” Biden said. What makes him angry is Trump’s insinuation that “we’re not doing the best we can.” “But we are doing that,” emphasized the president.
At least 130 dead after Hurricane Helene
Cooper, who like Biden and Harris belongs to the Democratic Party, also rejected Trump’s allegations on CNN of abandoning Republican storm victims. “It doesn’t matter who they are. If they need help, we will help them,” Cooper clarified. Trump traveled to the particularly hard-hit state of Georgia on Monday. Like North Carolina, this is a so-called swing state in which the presidential race is particularly close. In the city of Valdosta, the Republican promised to bring “a lot of supplies, including fuel, equipment, water and other things.”
Trump accused the government in Washington of not reacting quickly enough to the storm. He accused Biden of “sleeping” instead of taking care of the storm damage. Trump said of Vice President Harris, his Democratic rival in the presidential election, that she was “out somewhere, campaigning and looking for money.”
Biden replied that he spent the weekend at his home in Delaware, but worked “the whole time” and spent hours on the phone. Harris canceled campaign events to attend an emergency meeting in Washington on Monday. She also assured that the US government had done “the best possible”.
State of emergency declared in several states
“Helene” hit the US mainland in Florida on Thursday as an “extremely dangerous” level four hurricane. The storm then weakened, but continued to cause massive devastation. In total, at least 130 deaths from “Helene” had been registered by Monday, according to a count by the AFP news agency based on official information and media reports. Hundreds of people were still missing: Presidential advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall said that there was “no news” of around 600 people in the storm area so far.
Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee declared states of emergency. Homes, commercial buildings, roads and bridges were damaged or completely destroyed. North Carolina Governor Cooper said entire towns in his state have been “wiped off the map.” According to the website Poweroutage.us, 1.6 million households and businesses remained without power on Monday.
Biden will travel to the state of North Carolina on Wednesday to see the destruction and the needs of the people in need. He has already announced comprehensive federal aid. When major natural disasters occur in the United States, the government in Washington responds to requests from the states. The president’s role is typically to monitor and coordinate aid.
