People wait in line to buy gas in the aftermath of Hurricane Helen in Fletcher, North Carolina, on September 29, 2024.
At least 100 people have been killed in devastating floods across the southeastern United States, officials said Monday, and emergency response efforts are quickly becoming a political football in a region that could decide the presidential election.
Rescue efforts are underway to find survivors and deliver supplies across Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee where torrential rains from Hurricane Helen wreaked havoc. I was disappointed.
In the mountainous region, residents face power outages, supply shortages, road closures and cut communication lines.
Republican candidate Donald Trump will visit Valdosta, Georgia, on Monday, the epicenter of the flood disaster and a key state with a close election just five weeks away.
President Trump’s Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, canceled her campaign to return to Washington to explain the federal government’s response, but President Joe Biden is scheduled to speak from the White House on Monday morning. Ta.
Biden, who has approved federal aid to several states in the wake of the disaster, plans to visit hard-hit areas this week “unless there is disruption to emergency response efforts,” the White House announced Sunday. and would do the same thing, Harris added.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said Monday that hundreds of roads have been destroyed and many communities “wiped off the map.”
“This is an unprecedented storm,” he told reporters. “We are working to expedite supplies. The mental and physical strain here is indescribable.
“The river is still rising and the danger is not over.”
He said long-term recovery plans would have to face the reality of more extreme weather, “but right now we are focused on saving lives and getting supplies to those who desperately need them.” ” he said.
Scientists say climate change is likely contributing to the rapid intensification of hurricanes, as warmer oceans provide more energy for hurricanes to feed on.
There were 39 deaths in North Carolina, 25 in South Carolina, 17 in Georgia, 14 in Florida, four in Tennessee and one in Virginia, according to a local official tally compiled by AFP news agency. At least 100 people died. This total was expected to increase further.
Nearly 2 million homes and businesses remained without power Monday, according to the tracker poweroutage.us.
Helen slammed into Florida’s northern Gulf Coast late Thursday night as a major Category 4 hurricane with winds of 140 mph (225 kph).
Although weakened, it tore a path of destruction for more than 500 miles inland.
© 2024 AFP
Source: 100 dead in flooding across southeastern U.S. from Storm Helen (September 30, 2024) from https://phys.org/news/2024-09-dead-storm-helene-southeast.html Retrieved September 30, 2024
This document is subject to copyright. No part may be reproduced without written permission, except in fair dealing for personal study or research purposes. Content is provided for informational purposes only.
