Vice President Kamala Harris addressed the nation at FEMA headquarters on Monday regarding Hurricane Helene’s devastation across the East Coast.
“I am here mostly to thank you all for all that you do,” she told a full room of workers.
CNN reported that at least 128 people have died across 6 states, with that number expected to rise as authorities combat the harsh conditions in search for additional fatalities. “So far, more than 3,300 federal personnel are on the ground to assist in recovery efforts,” the vice president said. “They are deploying food, water, and generators.”
“Already nearly 100 people have been confirmed dead and hundreds more are missing,” Harris said. “The destruction we have seen in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia is heartbreaking.”
Harris also outlined the toll that Hurricane Helene has inflicted on the region thus far.
“The devastation from Hurricane Helene is immense. Millions of Americans are without power. Thousands of families have lost their homes. Entire neighborhoods have been destroyed. Major roads have been blocked or damaged, leaving entire towns inaccessible at this very moment.”
The Democratic nominee conveyed a direct message to victims of the natural disaster: “Our nation is with you. We will continue to do everything we can to help you recover and to help you rebuild no matter how long it takes.”
The vice president echoed President Joe Biden’s comments earlier in the day in saying she wished to visit the area later this week, given that, at that time, “it will not disrupt emergency response operations.”
“In coordination with state and local officials, President Biden and I will continue to make sure that communities have the support and the resources they need not only to respond to this storm and its immediate aftermath but also the resources they will need to recover,” she said.
The Category 4 hurricane first made landfall in Florida before inching its way up the east coast as even North Carolina has suffered dozens of inland deaths.
Communities are bracing for the worst. “We’ve heard accounts of people seeing houses floating down the river with people in them,” said the Ashville, N.C., mayor. The sheer scale of the storm’s devastation is yet to be assessed.
“I do believe the true character of a nation is revealed in moments of hardship,” the vice president said. “Over the past few days, our nation has endured some of the worst destruction and devastation that we have seen in quite some time. And we have responded with our best, with the best folks who are on the ground.”