US President Joe Biden on Wednesday said that anyone denying the role of climate change in the disaster “must be brain dead” and urged Americans to “put politics aside” to focus on the recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene.
During a briefing in Raleigh, North Carolina, Biden highlighted the need for unity, saying, “In a moment like this, we put politics aside, at least we should put it all aside, and we have here.There are no Democrats or Republicans, there are only Americans, and our job is to help as many people as we can, as quickly as we can, and as thoroughly as we can.”
The President also targeted those who deny the role of climate change in the disaster, saying, “Nobody can deny the impact of the climate crisis anymore, at least I hope they don’t. They must be brain dead if they do.” Biden added, “Scientists report that with warming oceans powering more intense rains, storms like Helene are getting stronger and stronger, they’re not going to get less, they’re going to get stronger. Today in North Carolina, I saw the impacts of that fury.”
His comments about “brain dead” climate skeptics quickly drew criticism, with former President Donald Trump‘s campaign tweeting, “Biden, the uniter-in-chief, says Americans ‘must be brain dead’ if they ‘deny’ the hurricane damage is because of climate change.”
During the briefing, Biden announced that Congress would need to approve additional funding to address the storm’s impacts, reversing his earlier statement that no further resources were needed.
He said, “It’s going to cost billions of dollars to deal with this storm… and Congress has an obligation to ensure states have the resources they need.” The President also assured that federal support would continue, with the government approving governor Cooper’s request to cover costs for debris removal and emergency protective measures for six months, and deploying 1,000 troops to aid in recovery efforts.
Vice President Kamala Harris visited Augusta, Georgia, to survey the damage caused by the storm. The visit came after she faced criticism, particularly from Republicans, for a tweet showing her wearing unplugged headphones during a crisis briefing and for reportedly skipping annual hurricane preparedness meetings.
Harris said, “I think that in these moments of hardships, one of the beauties about who we are as a country is people really rally together and show the best of who they are, in moments of crisis.”
Biden’s response to the storm has also been criticised, with some claiming that the initial federal relief response was slow in the hardest-hit areas. When questioned about whether he should have managed the federal response from the White House, Biden responded on Monday, “It’s called a telephone!”
The storm has claimed at least 189 lives across six states, with 70 of them in North Carolina, and more than 100 residents still unaccounted for. Biden is scheduled to visit Georgia and Florida on Thursday, while Harris is expected to travel to North Carolina in the coming days.