Devastation in the USA
After “Helene”: Trump promises “the best treatment”.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during his visit to an emergency agency in Georgia – the state was hit hard by Storm Helene. photo
© Evan Vucci/AP/dpa
In the midst of the storm disaster, Trump is using a visit to Georgia – one of the swing states that will decide the election – for his own purposes. In doing so, he puts his own crisis management in the foreground.
Trump emphasized how he organized rapid relief after disasters during his time in office and promised similar crisis management if he were elected. However, the former president himself came under criticism after Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. His response to wildfires in California also caused controversy.
Conspiracy theories are making the rounds
“Helene” contains political explosives: The US disaster management agency FEMA complained that the spread of false information was making its relief efforts more difficult. At a campaign event in Michigan, for example, Trump repeated the conspiracy theory that the agency’s funds would flow to immigrants without legal status in order to illegally persuade these people to vote for Democrats in the coming election. A White House spokesman accused Republicans and right-wing media of spreading lies to divide the American people.
Trump had already traveled to Georgia at the beginning of the week. Shortly before the presidential election, the Republican is using the storm to question the US government’s handling of the crisis under President Joe Biden and his deputy Kamala Harris. Two crucial swing states, Georgia and North Carolina, are severely affected, which increases the political explosiveness. Trump and Harris are running against each other in the election on November 5th.
After visiting Georgia this week, Harris will also travel to North Carolina today to assess the situation. Biden has already been to North and South Carolina, Florida and Georgia to personally assess the situation in the disaster areas. The two promised continued help to those affected. Biden called for party political disputes to be put aside in the face of the disaster. The US government helps everyone who needs support – regardless of whether they are states with a Republican or Democratic governor.
Hundreds dead and missing
“Helene” made landfall in northwest Florida about a week ago as a second-highest category hurricane, then weakened slightly and moved further north. The storm left immense devastation in the southeastern United States.
According to US media counts, more than 200 people died in six states – Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Hundreds remain missing. This high number is also due to the fact that 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. Numerous communities remain isolated, hundreds of thousands without power, and communication remains difficult.
The impact also extends to the economy: Automaker General Motors has temporarily halted vehicle production at two U.S. plants due to supply chain issues. Meanwhile, residents of affected areas face significant health risks during cleanup efforts. In addition to the lack of clean water, there is also the risk of contamination.