Telling an Asheville volunteer leader “we’re here for the long haul,” Vice President Kamala Harris visited North Carolina on Saturday to be briefed on the damage the state suffered from Tropical Storm Helene and meet people dealing with the aftermath of its catastrophic flooding.
The record high water tore apart major districts of Asheville and ripped through small towns like Swannanoa, Pensacola, Chimney Rock and Lake Lure. Rapidly rising floodwaters along the French Broad, South Toe and Cane rivers, among others, washed away trees, cars, buildings and homes.
Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, flew to Charlotte Douglas International Airport from Joint Base Andrews outside Washington, D.C. Greeted her on the tarmac were North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, state Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Josh Stein, Federal Emergency Management Administrator Deanne Criswell, North Carolina Democratic U.S. Reps. Alma Adams and Jeff Jackson and Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles.
She also met during her visit with Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer, who later released a series of video statements, saying they discussed how the government can support small businesses impacted by the floods and what supplies Asheville needs to get through the next few months.
“We also talked about the long-term need to rebuild and that effort and what it’s going to look like,” Manheimer said, including “building back a more resilient” Asheville.
Harris commended local officials and North Carolinians who are responding to the crisis.
“I’ve been seeing and hearing the stories from here in North Carolina about strangers who are helping each other out, giving people assistance in every way that they need, including shelter, food and friendship and fellowship,” Harris said.
“I think that these moments of crisis bring out some of the best of who we could be and who we are,” she added.
Harris at one stop on her visit joined staff from NC Counts Coalition member organizations who were assembling care packages for Western North Carolina storm victims. She told NC Counts Regional Director Angelica Wind of Asheville that she plans on continuing to support the WNC region.
Wind said that she and her family had come to Charlotte for a respite from the lack of power, water and communication services at home.
“We’re just surviving,” Wind said. “I’ve got my daughter and her friend who came so we could try to get a couple of days of normalcy.”
Harris assured her that “we’re here for the long haul. And I’ve been meeting with the governor and the administrator from FEMA is here on the ground.”
Disaster response could be pivotal in presidential race
North Carolina is viewed as one of a handful of swing states in the Nov. 5 presidential voting. The speed and effectiveness of the Biden administration’s response efforts could have ramifications on the race between Harris and the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump.
Trump visited Helene victims in another swing state, Georgia, on Sept. 30. Harris also has visited Georgia, speaking to victims in Augusta Oct. 2 as President Joe Biden was taking an aerial tour of the WNC damage with Manheimer.
Securing congressional aid for recovery from the disaster is one of the major sticking points as the 2024 presidential race enters its final weeks.
More: Riverside bar, brewery, café owners determined to rebuild post Tropical Storm Helene
In a Friday night letter to congressional leaders, Biden warned that the Small Business Administration’s disaster loan program is set to run out of funds in a matter of weeks. He also said FEMA’s disaster relief funds could face a shortfall by the end of the year and called on Congress to provide additional resources.
But Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has suggested Congress can wait until after the election to pass Hurricane relief measures.
Meanwhile, the recovery effort is expected to be long and arduous. Cooper has called for tourists to not come to the region, saying, “We don’t want you here unless you are directly helping with the response.”
During Harris’ visit, he cited the current North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services count of deaths attributed to Helene, 68. But local officials say their count is now 115.
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Including other states, at least 214 deaths have been attributed to Helene, with 72 in Buncombe County, the most populous in WNC. Other counties, like Yancey and Madison, also have been devastated by floods, leaving rural residents isolated and small businesses to dig themselves out of the mud.
FEMA aid statistics
More: Western NC school, college closures after Helene flooding: What we know so far
As the region continues to battle water, power and cell phone outages, here’s what the federal government has provided, according to the White House:
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$26 million in housing and other types of assistance to more than 25,000 households in North Carolina.
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More than 5,400,000 meals and 6,300,000 liters of water.
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700 FEMA staff members on the ground.
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More than 1,200 urban search-and-rescue personnel, who had rescued or supported more than 3,200 survivors as of Saturday.
It also says 74% of power outages have been restored.
Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at [email protected]. Consider supporting this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Harris visits NC after Helene floods, speaks with Asheville mayor
