By The Opinion
06 Oct 2024, 18:37 PM EDT
President Biden approved the mobilization of another 500 active duty soldiers to North Carolina to assist in recovery efforts after the deadly and devastating Hurricane Helene.
“With a total of 1,500 troops now complementing a robust effort on the ground, including more than 6,100 National Guard members and more than 7,000 federal officials, “The Biden-Harris Administration is mobilizing all relevant resources to support families as they begin their path to rebuilding,” the White House said in a statement.
Today, I ordered another 500 active-duty troops with advanced technological assets to move into Western North Carolina and assist with the response and recovery efforts. 1,500 troops will now support thousands of National Guardsmen and federal personnel on the ground.
My… pic.twitter.com/LBshva6C4o
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 6, 2024
Biden explained that he is being informed about Milton, the tropical storm that has already become a Category 1 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to impact Florida this week.
“I urge all Florida residents to listen to local officials and make the necessary preparations,” said the president, who highlighted his administration’s work “to preposition life-saving resources before the storm.”
In a statement, The White House reported that federal assistance for survivors of Hurricane Helene now exceeds $137 million. in “one of the largest mobilizations of federal personnel, partners and resources in recent history.”
Helene entered northwest Florida on September 26 as a category 4 hurricane and left a trail of more than 800 kilometers of devastation across states in the southeastern United States, with special intensity in North Carolina.
It also left at least 230 dead and dozens missing, becoming the deadliest hurricane in the US since Katrina in 2005.
To date, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has sent more than $14.9 million of meals, more than 13.9 million liters of water, 157 generators and more than 505,000 tarps to the region, he noted.
Earlier on Sunday, North Carolina Sen. Thom Tills called for more resources to bolster relief efforts and compared the damage to what Hurricane Katrina left in Louisiana in 2005.
“The scope of this storm is more like Katrina,” he told Margaret Brennan on CBS News. “It may look like a flood to the outside observer, but again, this is a landmass about the size of the state of Massachusetts, with damage spread throughout. “We have to put maximum resources on the ground immediately to finish the rescue operations.”
Those affected by the disaster in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia can begin their recovery process by applying for federal assistance through FEMA, the White House said.
Keep reading:
• Hurricane Helene leaves more than 115 dead and hundreds missing in the US.
• Storm Helene conditions could make it a major hurricane this Thursday
• They search for missing Hispanics in Tennessee after the passage of Hurricane Helene