Destruction in the USA
Biden after storm “Helene”: We have to leave politics out of it
Biden gets an idea of the situation in Florida. photo
© Susan Walsh/AP/dpa
“Helene” claimed at least 200 lives in the southeastern United States. But even though not all of the missing people have been found yet, politics is already being made with the storm.
Biden: “I mourn with you”
Addressing the storm victims in Georgia, Biden said: “I want you to know that I see you and hear you. I grieve with you, and I promise you that we have your back.” Biden got an idea of the situation in Florida and Georgia on Thursday and traveled to South Carolina and North Carolina on Wednesday. According to US media, more than 200 people have now died in six states – Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Hundreds of people remain missing. This number is also so high because the mobile phone network in the disaster area has largely collapsed and many people are trapped in their homes with no contact to the outside world. “Helene” made landfall in northwest Florida a week ago as a second-highest category hurricane, then weakened slightly and moved further north. The storm left immense devastation in the southeast of the country.
“Helene” is a campaign topic
Help for those affected quickly became a political issue in the midst of the heated US election campaign. Republican candidate Trump traveled to Georgia on Monday and fought against Biden and his Democratic opponent Kamala Harris. The US vice president finally got an idea of the situation in Georgia on Wednesday and thanked the rescue workers. She is running against Trump in the presidential election on November 5th.
Now Trump wants to travel to Georgia again this Friday – and appear there together with Republican Governor Brian Kemp. Kemp hasn’t always gotten along well with Trump. A joint appearance in the important state is useful for Trump in the election campaign.
Among the states hit particularly hard by the storm are so-called swing states, Georgia and North Carolina, which are particularly hotly contested in the November vote. Certainly in view of Trump’s accusations of inaction against Biden, the US President now emphasized that he had already mobilized significant resources to protect people before the storm arrived.