As Taiwan reckons with Typhoon Krathon, more than 1 million people across six states in the southeastern U.S. have been impacted by Hurricane Helene. As of Thursday morning, the death toll has exceeded 180, with hundreds still missing, and at least 1.3 million people from Florida to Virginia remain without power.
U.S. President Joe Biden visited North and South Carolina on Wednesday, while Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris made a stop in Georgia. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump had visited Georgia the preceding day, where he criticized Harris for not visiting the storm zone sooner.
Officials in South Carolina informed Biden that the relief and recovery efforts in the area involve more than 10,000 federal officials, emergency responders, and National Guard troops.
In North Carolina, up to 1,000 active-duty soldiers were deployed, alongside thousands of other rescue workers who have joined the disaster relief operation. The city of Asheville and many remote mountain communities were hit especially hard with historic flooding.
Harris surveyed an operations center in Augusta, Georgia, and commended the rescue personnel response. Georgia and North Carolina are among the seven key swing states that may determine the outcome of the U.S. presidential election. Harris will also visit North Carolina in the coming days, while Biden heads to Florida.