Hurricane Helene Devastates US Southeast: Biden and Trump Clash Over Aid Response

A crisis has unfolded in Asheville, North Carolina, as officials rush to deliver supplies to flood-stricken areas after Hurricane Helene caused widespread devastation. The death toll has surpassed 100. President Biden is scheduled to survey the damage personally, while former President Trump criticized the current administration's response.

A crisis unfolded in Asheville, North Carolina, as officials pledged to get more water, food, and other supplies to flood-stricken areas without power and cellular service Monday, days after Hurricane Helene ripped across the US Southeast. The death toll from the storm surpassed 100.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said during a news conference Monday that the death toll in that state had risen from 17 to 25. A North Carolina county that includes the mountain city of Asheville reported 30 people killed there.

President Joe Biden said Monday he will travel to North Carolina on Wednesday to get a first-hand look at the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. Biden said he will travel to Raleigh to get a briefing from state and local officials and take an aerial tour of Asheville.

He announced plans for the trip following an operational briefing on the hurricane response and recovery efforts from federal government officials and North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, who took an aerial tour of the Asheville area on Monday.

Biden said he plans to visit hurricane-impacted communities in Georgia and Florida ''as soon as possible''.

Former President Donald Trump criticized the Biden administration's response to the widespread devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, even as his supporters call for cuts to federal agencies that warn of weather disasters and deliver relief to hard-hit communities.

As president, Trump delayed disaster aid for hurricane-devastated Puerto Rico and diverted money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency in order to finance an effort to return undocumented migrants to Mexico. And Project 2025, backed by Trump supporters, would restructure FEMA to limit aid to states and says the National Weather Service, which provides crucial data on hurricanes and other storms, ''should be broken up and downsized''.

Trump claimed without evidence Monday that the Biden administration and North Carolina's Democratic governor were ''going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas''.

Biden has approved major disaster declarations for Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina, allowing survivors to access funds and resources to jumpstart their recovery immediately. FEMA and other federal agencies, along with private businesses and nonprofit and faith-based organizations, are responding to the disaster in at least seven states: Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, and Virginia.

(With inputs from agencies.)