President Joe Biden traveled to North Carolina Wednesday afternoon to survey areas ravaged by the impacts of Hurricane Helene.
"Earlier, I took an aerial tour over Western North Carolina to survey the damage. What I saw was heartbreaking," President Biden said in a statement. "But back on the ground, we're witnessing neighbors helping neighbors, volunteers and workers standing side-by-side, people leaning on each other. That's America."
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Ahead of his visit to the state, President Biden announced he approved the deployment of up to 1,000 active-duty soldiers to assist the North Carolina National Guard in the recovery efforts.
"These soldiers will speed up the delivery of life-saving supplies of food, water, and medicine to isolated communities in North Carolina – they have the manpower and logistical capabilities to get this vital job done, and fast," President Biden said.
The president also approved disaster declarations in states hit by Helene, which has freed up federal funds. The Biden Administration says more than $10 million in individual assistance has been provided to survivors of the storm.
In Asheville, the clean-up process is expected to take weeks if not months. Much of the city's infrastructure was destroyed or severely damaged in the storm. Complicating matters, power is scarce in the area.
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Some people who live in the area barely got their first look at the damage on Wednesday — nearly a week after the storm hit.
Jamie Byrd, who owns an art gallery in Asheville, told Scripps News that there was about 5 feet of water in her space, causing at least $50,000 worth of damage.
"It's pretty devastating down here. The River Arts District has been hit very, very hard, and I think it's going to be difficult for a lot of us to recover from this," she said.
"The River Arts District is a strong group of people and we are going to come together to help each other out," Byrd added.
While Biden was touring the damage in North Carolina, Vice President Kamala Harris was in Augusta, Georgia. She met with community members, thanked first responders and provided an update on the federal government's commitment to cover costs for things like debris removal and emergency protective services.
"The president has approved the governor's request for 100% federal reimbursement of local costs," Harris said.
