President Biden issued a statement Saturday, offering his support to states in the southeast hit hard by Hurricane Helene.
Biden said he and Vice President Harris are being briefed regularly on the ongoing response efforts and are in "constant contact" with state and local officials as the remnants of the storm continue to move northward. He added his administration remains "focused on life-saving and life-sustaining response and recovery efforts" to ensure "communities have the support and resources they need."
Biden said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell will be traveling throughout the Southeast to assess the damage with local leaders, adding his administration will make sure that "no resource is spared" to help families, businesses, schools, hospitals, and entire communities rebuild.
"I am deeply saddened by the loss of life and devastation caused by Hurricane Helene across the Southeast," Biden said in his remarks. "The road to recovery will be long, but know that my Administration will be with you every step of the way. We’re not going to walk away. We’re not going to give up."
"Jill and I are praying for those who lost loved ones from Hurricane Helene, and for those whose homes, businesses, and communities were impacted by this terrible storm," Biden concluded.
Massive Hurricane Helene crashed into Florida’s sparsely populated Big Bend region as a category 4 storm, bringing storm surge and high winds across the state’s Gulf Coast communities before ripping into southern Georgia. The storm remained at hurricane strength as it crossed into southern Georgia before weakening into a tropical storm as it approached Atlanta early Friday. It left a wide swath of rising water, known as storm surge, across Florida's Gulf Coast. First responders rescued stranded people from Tampa and St. Petersburg to Cedar Key and Perry, close to where Helene made landfall late Thursday.
The damage extended hundreds of miles to the north, with flooding as far away as North Carolina. Firefighters, infants and older adults were among those killed. According to an Associated Press tally Friday, at least 44 deaths occurred across the southeast in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
Material from the Associated Press contributed to this report.