Recent News on Hurricane Helene Response
President Biden continues to lead the federal response to Hurricane Helene, emphasizing life-saving and life-sustaining efforts in impacted communities. Key updates include:
1. **Deployment of Active-Duty Troops**: President Biden has directed the Department of Defense to deploy up to 1,000 active-duty troops to support response and recovery efforts, including the delivery of food, water, and other critical commodities.
2. **FEMA Assistance**: FEMA has shipped over 9.3 million meals, more than 11.2 million liters of water, 150 generators, and over 260,000 tarps to the affected regions. The agency has also provided more than $20 million in flexible, upfront funding to help thousands of survivors jumpstart their recoveries.
3. **Travel Plans**: President Biden will travel to Georgia and Florida to survey damage, meet with local officials, and community leaders. Vice President Harris will also visit Georgia today to receive operational briefings and meet with residents impacted by the storm.
4. **Major Disaster Declarations**: President Biden has approved a Major Disaster declaration for eight counties in Tennessee, providing individual assistance for serious needs such as food, gas, and medication. Similar declarations have been made for multiple states, including Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, and Alabama.
5. **Ongoing Response Efforts**: FEMA continues to support response efforts with over 6,000 National Guard personnel from 12 states providing critical life-saving and life-sustaining support. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is conducting debris assessments and water/wastewater assessments across several counties. The Salvation Army has 26 active mobile feeding units providing meals and support to 10 counties.
