Washington DC, [US], October 3 : US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has authorized the movement of up to 1,000 active-duty doldiers to support the delivery of food, water, and other critical aid "over the last mile to the point of need" to communities impacted by Hurricane Helene.
US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on October 2 visited South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia to assess the devastation wrought by the hurricane in the US Southeast. The president is due to travel to affected communities in Florida and Georgia on Thursday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Before leaving Washington, Biden directed the Department of Defence to deploy up to 1,000 active-duty troops to immediately deploy to assist with response and recovery efforts including support of the delivery of food to communities impacted by the storm. The troops will join 6,000 National Guard members and more than 4,800 federal workers spread across the multiple states affected by the hurricane.
The storm made landfall in Florida before sweeping through Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina over the weekend.
The storm claimed at least 155 people's lives, displaced several residents, and plunged millions into darkness without electricity. Deaths have been reported in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee, Al Jazeera said.
In Georgia, Vice President Kamala Harris announced that the federal government would cover 100 percent of the costs of debris removal and other emergency protective measures for three months to help the state recover, the New York Times reported.
https://x.com/SecDef/status/1841665372782547338
In response to US President Joe Biden's statement on X on Wednesay, Defence Secretary Austin stated, "As @POTUS stated, we will bring every possible resource to save lives and help those in urgent need, and the Department of Defence will continue to play our part."
"At my direction, @SecDef has just approved the deployment of up to one thousand active-duty soldiers to support ongoing hurricane response and recovery efforts. Hurricane Helene has been a storm of historic proportion. Our response will continue to meet this moment," the US president said on X.
Following this, President Biden elaborated on the deployment in a statement released by the White House on Wednesday, which stated, "Even before Hurricane Helene hit, I directed my team to do everything possible to prepare to support communities in the storm's path. I mobilised the entire federal government to bring every possible resource to the fight to save lives and help those in urgent need."
The deployed soldiers will reinforce the North Carolina National Guard in delivering life-saving supplies, including food, water, and medicine, to isolated communities in North Carolina
"They will join hundreds of North Carolina National Guard members deployed under state authorities in support of the response," the statement added.
Additionally, and significantly, the National Guard has activated more than 6,500 Guardsmen, hundreds of High Water Vehicles, and dozens of helicopters and rescue boats from 12 different states in State-Active-Duty statuses, the Department of Defence said in a statement.
"Hurricane Helene has been a storm of historic proportion. My heart goes out to everyone who has experienced unthinkable loss. We are here for you and we will stay here for as long as it takes," President Biden assured.
https://x.com/POTUS/status/1841578554238067175
Biden also shared another post after an aerial tour over Western North Carolina to survey the damage and affirmed that "What I saw was heartbreaking. But back on the ground, we're witnessing neighbours helping neighbours, volunteers and workers standing side-by-side, people leaning on each other. That's America."
https://x.com/POTUS/status/1841646862442356882
Further, while addressing the rescue teams, Biden applauded their bravery and titled them as 'heroes.'
"To the men and women who answered the call and ran into danger in North Carolina, those who left who they love at home to help a community in need: You're nothing short of heroes. May God bless you all. And may you keep the faith," Biden said on X.
Hurricane Helene, a thunderous Category 4 storm, unleashed some of the worst flooding in generations after it made landfall on September 26, sweeping away homes and cars and claiming victims across the Carolinas and Georgia, in addition to Florida, Tennessee and Virginia.