Biden lands in South Carolina to view Helene damage, deploys 1,000 troops

Source: Reuters

October 2, 2024 2:54 PM ED Updated 3 min ago


GREER, South Carolina, Oct 2 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris traveled on Wednesday to South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia to assess the devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene in the U.S. Southeast, which has killed more than 160 people.

Biden landed on Wednesday afternoon in Greer, South Carolina, where he was met by South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham and North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, among others. The president had what appeared to be an intense conversation with the group on the tarmac, then boarded a helicopter for an aerial tour.

Before leaving Washington, Biden directed up to 1,000 active-duty troops to immediately deploy to assist with response and recovery efforts. Search-and-rescue teams have conducted nearly 1,500 structural evaluations and hundreds of rescues and evacuations, said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Former President Donald Trump, a Republican running against Harris in this year's presidential election, falsely claimed that Biden, a Democrat, has been unresponsive to the hurricane's destruction, an allegation local officials deny. Harris arrived in Georgia on Wednesday and will head to North Carolina in the coming days.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-harris-tour-helene-damage-north-south-carolina-georgia-2024-10-02/