President Joe Biden will visit the Carolinas Wednesday to survey Hurricane Helene damage.
The White House said Tuesday that Biden will visit North Carolina and South Carolina to meet state and local officials and first responders. Biden is scheduled to take an aerial tour over western North Carolina, part of the state that bore the brunt of Hurricane Helene.
The White House said Biden will depart Joint Base Andrews and land at the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport Wednesday afternoon, then take an aerial tour. He'll later leave Greenville and head to the Raleigh-Durham International Airport. The White House said Biden will "engage" with first responders and state and local officials before heading to North Carolina.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster told reporters Tuesday that he plans on spending time in the Upstate Wednesday. The governor's Wednesday schedule shows McMaster will brief Biden on the state's recovery efforts, then later hold a media briefing with the state's congressional delegation.
I'm on my way to South Carolina and North Carolina.
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 2, 2024
Once there, I'll take an aerial tour of areas impacted by the storm, receive briefings, and meet with first responders and local officials.
The Biden-Harris Administration is here. And we're not leaving until the job's done.
Biden's visit comes amid criticism from former Republican President Donald Trump, who has falsely asserted that Biden has not been in contact with Republican governors.
"It's been superb," McMaster said of the assistance from the federal government. "I finally was able to speak to the president yesterday (Monday) afternoon after he missed me and I missed him. He left a voicemail, I left a voicemail. So we finally connected yesterday afternoon. He said that whatever we need to let him know. We're doing that."
McMaster said he's also been in contact with governors, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Deanne Criswell, the Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator.
"We're getting assistance, and we're asking for everything we need," McMaster said.
Biden on Monday approved a major disaster declaration for South Carolina, helping to link South Carolinians affected by the storm with federal assistance.
Solely public assistance, McMaster said the state received approval for Aiken, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Cherokee, Greenville, Greenwood, Newberry, Oconee, Pickens, Saluda and Spartanburg counties.
McMaster said they're now working to receive information from other counties, and anticipate approval for Allendale, Abbeville, Edgefield, Laurens, McCormick, Richland and Union counties.
Brett Howard, federal coordinating officer with FEMA, said Tuesday that FEMA stands "ready to bring in whatever else it takes."
"We're not going anywhere. This isn't a two-day, ... weeklong event," Howard said. "This is a marathon. We're going to be here for a while, make sure the state recovers."
Helene made landfall last Thursday in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane.
The storm swept through many of the Southeast states, particularly western North Carolina. At least 134 people have died as a result of the storm.
In South Carolina, the death toll climbed to 40 on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.
That's higher than Hurricane Hugo's S.C. death toll at 35, McMaster said.
"This has really hit our region hard," he said.
Thousands still remain without power in parts of South Carolina, mostly concentrated in the Upstate and in the CSRA on the border with Georgia.
Andrew Bateman, with the Office of Regulatory Staff, said Tuesday outages are dropping.
As of Tuesday afternoon, 629,979 utility customers were still without power. Bateman said most of those outages were concentrated in Greenville, Spartanburg and Aiken counties.
In a press release, the Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina said it had restored power to more than 280,000 customers. As of Tuesday afternoon, 144,000 co-op customers remained without power. The Electric Cooperatives said most of those outages are based in the Upstate and on the west side of the state.
Meanwhile, S.C. Emergency Management Division Director Kim Stenson said EMD crews were spread throughout 11 counties. Power restoration, food and water distribution and road clearing are top priorities for EMD, Stenson said.
As far as home damage, Stenson said 18 counties have reported more than 1,500 damaged homes, of which 66 are destroyed and 517 have major damage.
Total estimated damage costs have so far climbed to roughly $16 million.
That total is likely to grow, Stenson said.
Fifteen shelters — nine general population shelters and six medical-need shelters — remain open in South Carolina, according to Mike Leach, director of the S.C. Department of Social Services.
Ed Simmer, director of the state's public health department, said power has since been restored at all hospitals and they are fully functional.
And Justin Powell, the state's transportation secretary, said 456 routes remain closed in the state, down from 480 routes as of Monday.
"Power line entanglements remain the single biggest obstacle to reopening roadways," Powell said.
Residents and business owners who sustained Hurricane Helene damage in the counties approved under the major disaster declaration can start applying for federal assistance. To register online, go to www.DisasterAssistance.gov, call 1-800-621- 3362 or use the FEMA App.
