Almost a week after Tropical Storm Helene devastated states in the southeastern United States, President Biden is traveling to the region today. Many people are still without electricity and dependent on help. The number of deaths is rising.
Hurricane “Helene” made landfall in the southeastern United States last week with incredible force. According to the latest counts by US broadcaster CNN, at least 180 people died as a result of the storm. The US government fears that the number of deaths could rise significantly, with up to 600 people missing.
More than a million people without electricity
The storm, which made landfall in northwest Florida last Thursday as a second-highest category hurricane and then moved somewhat weaker to the north, left immense devastation in six states. Last night, around 1.3 million people were still without power, including almost half a million in South Carolina alone, according to data from the US website PowerOutage.
The governor of the neighboring state of Georgia, Brian Kemp, temporarily suspended the gasoline tax with an executive order on Tuesday. This is intended to relieve the burden on communities that are currently completely dependent on fuel to power their homes and necessary equipment, Kemp wrote in the short message service X.
Election campaign in Disaster area
US President Joe Biden wants to travel to North Carolina and South Carolina today to get a picture of particularly affected areas. His vice president and Democratic presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, is planning a visit to Georgia. Your Republican opponent Donald Trump was in Georgia yesterday.
