GREENVILLE, North Carolina, USA —
President Joe Biden saw firsthand on Sunday some of the devastation caused by Hurricane Milton on the Florida coast, including piles of waterlogged debris outside nearly every home in a coastal community and the shattered roof of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team.
For her part, Vice President Kamala Harris spent a second day in North Carolina, with areas that were heavily impacted by Hurricane Helen, to celebrate a service with black parishioners and participate in a campaign event.
After an aerial tour and briefing, Biden said he was grateful that Milton’s damage was not as severe as authorities had anticipated. But he added that it was still a “cataclysmic” event for people in the path of the storm and that many lost irreplaceable personal items when their homes were flooded. The president praised the rescuers who came even from Canada.
“It is in times like this that we come together to take care of each other, not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans,” Biden said after being briefed by federal, state and local officials and meeting with residents and some of the rescuers. “We are one United States,” he added.
Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, began her second day in North Carolina with a speech at the Koinonia Christian Center in Greenville. His participation was part of his “Souls to the Polls” campaign effort, which aims to convince black parishioners before the November 5 elections. He also had a campaign event scheduled hours later to talk about his economic plans and emphasize that early voting begins in the state on Thursday, his campaign reported.
Harris spoke at church about the hurricanes and alluded to misinformation spread by some about the federal government’s response that she and others in her administration have hurt the people who need help the most.
“Now is not the time to incite fear,” Harris said. “It’s not okay to make people feel alone.”
It was Biden’s second trip to Florida in two weeks. The president traveled to the bend of the Florida peninsula on October 3 to assess the damage after Hurricane Helene passed through the area.
Biden arrived in Tampa on Sunday and viewed Tropicana Field from his helicopter as he flew to St. Pete Beach. Piles of debris, smashed billboards, downed fences, downed trees and closed gas stations were then seen as their convoy traveled along the highway. He passed through a neighborhood where almost every house had water damage and piles of belongings were lining the curb.
The visit gave Biden another opportunity to pressure House Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican, to get Congress to approve more relief funding before the Nov. 5 election. Johnson said Sunday that lawmakers will take up the issue after the election because of the amount of time it takes to make an estimate. He said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that his “rough estimate” is that $100 billion is needed.
“We will provide the additional resources,” Johnson said.
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Boak reported from Greenville, North Carolina.
