Kamala Harris travels to North Carolina to examine Helen's aftermath

Photo: Haiyun Jiang New York Times via Associated Press Kamala Harris said this week that she wanted to “see firsthand the devastation, which is extraordinary.”

Colleen Long – Associated Press in Charlotte, North Carolina

Published at 6:15 p.m.

• United States

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris visited North Carolina on Saturday as the state recovers from Hurricane Helene, arriving a day after a stopover in the home state of Republican Donald Trump, who has been spreading false claims about the federal response to the disaster.

The vice president was greeted at the airport by Governor Roy Cooper and others and was quickly briefed by emergency officials on recovery efforts.

Earlier this week, Harris was in Georgia, where she helped distribute meals, toured the damage, and comforted families hit hard by the storm. President Joe Biden also toured the disaster area. During two days of stops in the Carolinas, Florida, and Georgia, President Biden surveyed the damage and met with farmers whose crops were destroyed.

Both have been vocal about the government’s willingness to help, and the administration’s efforts so far include covering the costs of all rescue and recovery efforts in the Southeast for months as states struggle under the weight of massive damage.

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In a letter to congressional leaders Friday night, Biden wrote that while the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) disaster relief fund “currently has the resources to meet immediate needs, the fund faces a shortfall at year-end.” He also called on lawmakers to act quickly to restore funding for the Small Business Administration’s disaster loan program.

A Massive Human Toll

More than 200 people have died. It was the worst storm to hit the continental United States since Katrina in 2005, and scientists have warned that such storms will only get worse in the face of climate change.

But in this superheated election year, even natural disasters have become deeply politicized as candidates crisscross the disaster zone and, in some cases, visit the same locations to woo voters in key states.

Mr. Trump has falsely claimed that the Biden administration is not doing enough to help those affected in Republican areas and has harshly criticized the response. He has, following Helene, espoused lies about climate change, calling it “one of the biggest scams of all time.”

During a stop in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on Thursday, Mr. Trump renewed his complaints about the federal response, citing “the deplorable treatment of North Carolina in particular.” Indeed, Mr. Cooper reported this week that more than 50,000 people have signed up for FEMA assistance and that about $6 million has been paid out.

Mr. Biden suggested that House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, withhold the money for disaster relief needs.

Harris’s visits represent another political test amid a humanitarian crisis. She is trying to take on a role that Joe Biden is well known for — showing the empathy Americans crave in times of tragedy — in the final stretch of his White House campaign.

Until this week, she had not visited the scene of a humanitarian crisis as vice president. That task had been reserved for Biden, who has often been called upon to assess damage and comfort victims after tornadoes, wildfires, tropical storms and more.

Kamala Harris said this week that she wanted to “see firsthand the devastation, which is extraordinary.” She expressed admiration for the way “people are coming together. People are helping complete strangers.” »

She said it shows that “the vast majority of us have far more in common than we have differences,” an echo of a phrase she frequently uses on the campaign trail.

“We're in this for the long haul,” she said.