Donald Trump will visit the hurricane-hit city of Valdosta in Georgia today.
The Trump campaign announced the visit in a press release on Sunday, during which the former president will receive a briefing and help distribute supplies to the city’s residents.
“President Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States of America, will visit Valdosta, Georgia to receive a briefing on the devastation of Hurricane Helene, facilitate the distribution of relief supplies, and deliver remarks to the press on Monday,” the press release states.
At time of writing, three deaths have been confirmed in the city, in addition to massive devastation to buildings, including historic buildings in the city centre.
On Sunday, Georgia Governor Roy Cooper’s request for a Federal Major Disaster Declaration was granted by the President, allowing FEMA to provide aid to the state.
The scale of the damage across the southeastern US is enormous. As of Sunday afternoon, 2.4 million people were without power. Nearly 100 people have been reported dead and thousands have been displaced or rescued from the floodwaters, across five states—Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
The Category 4 hurricane made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida on Thursday night, with winds reaching over 140 mph. Florida governor Ron DeSantis spoke of “complete obliteration” in the parts of his state the hurricane passed through. It’s reported that 90% of communities like Keaton Beach, which was still struggling to recover from last year’s Hurricane Idalia, have been washed away by flooding.
The Carolinas have borne the brunt of the hurricane’s fury. In North Carolina, Yancey County saw 29.5 inches of rainfall. In Buncombe Count, more than 1,000 people still remain unaccounted for. 24 people have already been confirmed dead in South Carolina, the highest total of any state so far.
Accuweather is estimating the damage caused by the hurricane to be upwards of $110 billion, making it one of the most expensive in US history. For comparison, Hurricanes Katrina (2005) and Harvey (2017) each caused around $125 billion of damages.
Source: infowars
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