Biden says ‘heartbreaking’ devastation in North Carolina is ‘bigger than politics’

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Thursday, October 03, 2024

Days after western North Carolina got hit by historic flooding from Hurricane Helene one government official has described as “biblical,” President Joe Biden said the response to the recovery efforts and search for survivors is “bigger than politics” as he announced additional aid for the state.

Biden, who toured the damage with the state’s Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper on Wednesday, described the “heartbreaking” damage and loss that he witnessed while highlighting the need for unity as Army personnel and emergency workers continued searching for hundreds of missing people in one of multiple states grappling with the impact of Hurricane Helene.

“I want to thank the Republican Governor of South Carolina and the Democratic Governor of North Carolina and all the elected officials who have focused on the task at hand. In a moment like this we put politics aside,” Biden said during an operational briefing on the response to the hurricane after his tour of the damage. “There are no Democrats and Republicans. We are only Americans. Our job is to help as many people as we can as quickly as we can and as thoroughly as we can.”

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Cooper described “towns wiped off the map” and bridges damaged or completely destroyed in the wake of Helene. Critical infrastructure such as water systems, electrical grids and communications systems in the state have all suffered serious damaged, he said.

“Countless homes and businesses are lost. An entire region of our state [is] still in a dangerous situation,” Cooper revealed.

Thanks to the work of more than 1,000 National Guard soldiers, more than 1,400 people have been rescued and a group of 92 search and rescue teams are still looking for more survivors.

He acknowledged a massive surge of help for North Carolina has come from 18 states as well as the federal government.

“This going to be a long and difficult recovery. But talking with person after person in western North Carolina, I know that we can come back,” Cooper said.

Biden told residents of North Carolina that the “United States has your back” before he outlined the measure of aid the federal government said it would provide to the state, including covering the 100% of the cost of debris removal for the next six months.

“Even before the storm hit, I directed the federal government to use every possible resource to help communities across the region get ready. We deployed over 1,000 first responders throughout the southeast, we approved emergency declarations as soon as I received a request from governors. Today, I approved a request from Governor Cooper to cover 100 percent of all the cost for debris removal and emergency protective measures for six months,” Biden said.

He also noted that he directed the Department of Defense to move up 1,000 soldiers to reinforce North Carolina’s National Guard in case they need assistance like delivering food and supplies to isolated communities.

Biden said the Federal Emergency Management Agency is offering free temporary housing, including hotel rooms to residents displaced by the floods. He also said that 67 Starlink satellites have been deployed to help isolated residents call for help.

And for all the people who have been helping the state recover in the aftermath of the hurricane, Biden shared a message on X Wednesday night calling them “heroes.”

“To the men and women who answered the call and ran into danger in North Carolina, those who left who they love at home to help a community in need: You're nothing short of heroes. May God bless you all. And may you keep the faith,” he said.

“What we're seeing across North Carolina right now is bigger than politics,” he added. “There are no red or blue states. We are one United States of America.”