Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the Biden-Harris administration is using “every available resource” to help communities respond and recover from the storm, adding, “and certainly that means ensuring that Americans’ voices are heard this November.”
With 31 days to go until election day, the White House was pressed on Friday on how communities in areas ravaged by Hurricane Helene will be able to vote come Election Day. Many communities in the storm’s path across the southeast have faced devastation, including infrastructure, houses, and businesses washing away in floods. North Carolina, particularly devestated, is a key battleground state this election.
A reporter asked during Friday’s White House press briefing, "does the administration have any concerns about how the aftermath of the storm could impact the vote, whether it’s talking to the Postal Service about mail-in ballots that may not be getting to people, or impacting the infrastructure in these critical states?"
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View on XPress secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the Biden-Harris administration is using "every available resource" to help communities respond and recover from the storm, adding, "and certainly that means ensuring that Americans’ voices are heard this November."
"And so that is our commitment, we’re going to make sure that people’s voices are heard. And so any specifics on where the infrastructure is and what that looks like, certainly I would have to refer you to the state election officials on those — and cybersecurity and infrastructure and all of those pieces, on what that looks like for them."
The reporter asked if any states have voiced concerns, to which Jean-Pierre replied that she has "not heard of that," and added that "our commitment, again, is to make sure that the resources available so that community can respond to recovery and also get back on their feet and deal with this disaster."
According to The Hill, estimates of damages and economic losses from AccuWeather could total as much as $160 billion, with much of it coming from the severe flooding in southern Appalachia. While larger cities such as Asheville, North Carolina and Tampa Bay, Florida sustained severe damages, smaller towns like Chimney Rock in North Carolina were nearly wiped off the map. Over 200 people have been reported dead and hundreds more are still unaccounted for.
The storm dumped over 40 trillion gallons of rain over the southeast, which is equivalent to the capacity of Lake Tahoe, the Associated Press reported.
The press conference comes as Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has admitted that funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will not last through the hurricane season this year, which ends in November. The Biden-Harris administration has offered just $750 to victims of the storm.
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