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Harris Halts Campaign for Hurricane Helene Updates

Published

2 months ago

Sep 30, 2024.

Vice President Kamala Harris will participate in briefings on Hurricane Helene’s federal response on Monday, prompting her to cut short a campaign trip in the southeastern United States.

She is returning early from Las Vegas, Nevada, to attend meetings at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters.

This shift in schedule follows criticism from Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who accused Harris of not being sufficiently engaged in the disaster response while he plans his own visit to the affected areas.

The storm has wreaked havoc across several states, resulting in at least 90 fatalities in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and Virginia, while millions are grappling with power outages and damaged roads.

While en route to campaign events in the West, including fundraising in California and voter outreach in Nevada, Harris received updates on the federal response to the storm.

She spoke with North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and reached out to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp to assess their needs, according to a source who wished to remain anonymous.

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Harris had initially scheduled campaign events in Las Vegas but opted to return to Washington earlier to focus on the hurricane crisis.

The Democratic candidate plans to visit the impacted areas “as soon as it is possible without disrupting emergency response operations,” although specific details about the timing and location are still undecided.

Both North Carolina and Georgia are crucial battlegrounds in the 2024 election, where Harris will face off against Trump.

Trump is set to visit Valdosta, Georgia, on Monday for a briefing on the storm’s aftermath and to help distribute relief supplies, according to his campaign.

Harris’s campaign has announced upcoming stops in Pennsylvania and Michigan later in the week, while vice presidential candidates Tim Walz and JD Vance will debate on Tuesday.

Over 3,300 federal personnel are currently deployed to assist with the hurricane response, engaging in search and rescue operations and efforts to restore power, according to Biden administration officials.

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