In North Carolina, emergency services continue to address the storm’s aftermath, with urban search-and-rescue teams still at work in some areas.
On Sunday, the White House said the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had “approved more than US$300 million in assistance across the state, including US$118 million in individual assistance to more than 87,600 households”.
The immediate aftermath of the storm left many without access to power, drinking water or shelter, leading Trump to sharply criticise US President Joe Biden and his vice president, Harris.
Biden and Harris have rejected the allegations, accusing Trump of spreading misinformation about the response for political gain.
“There’s been a reckless, irresponsible and relentless promotion of disinformation and outright lies,” Biden said after Helene and before a second major storm, Milton, slammed into Florida.
As of Sunday, power had been restored to most of North Carolina, barring about 5,000 customers in remote western counties, according to poweroutage.us.
Schools are due to reopen in some of the hardest hit areas this week, and municipal services say water supply has been restored in many areas – although some continue to face “boil water” advisories.
Shelley Hughes, 64, lives near the city of Asheville, and said as of Friday the water at her residence was “still brownish (in) color”.
“It still kind of looks like, I guess, for lack of a better word, like a war zone,” she said of her town of Swannanoa.
Harris and Trump are virtually tied in the battleground states, according to a New York Times polling average, and North Carolina is no different – Harris stood at 49 per cent in the state, to Trump’s 48 per cent, on Sunday.Early voting is already underway in several states, including North Carolina, where more than a million people had cast their ballots as of Sunday, according to official data.
Source: CNA
