Harris pledges ongoing federal support as she visits North Carolina to survey Helene's aftermath

ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- Democratic statesmanlike nominee Kamala Harris pledged ongoing national enactment and praised the "heroes among us" arsenic she visited North Carolina connected Saturday successful the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, her 2nd travel successful 4 days to the catastrophe zone.

The Democratic statesmanlike nominee arrived determination 1 time aft a halt successful the authorities by Republican Donald Trump, who is spreading mendacious claims astir the national effect to the disaster.

Harris opened her sojourn by attending a briefing with authorities and section officials, wherever she thanked "those who are successful the country and those who are retired determination close present moving astir the clock."

She promised national assistance would proceed to travel and added praise for the "strangers who are helping each different out, giving radical structure and nutrient and relationship and fellowship."

Despite Trump's claims that the national effect successful the authorities has been "lousy," Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper said the authorities was "deeply grateful for the national resources that we have. FEMA has been connected the crushed with america since the precise beginning," helium said, referring to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

After her briefing, Harris helped battalion toiletries into assistance kits astatine a organisation center, wherever she met Angelica Wind from hard-hit Asheville, who was determination to unpaid with her girl and a person adjacent though Wind said her ain household was inactive without powerfulness and radical were "just surviving."

"There's a batch of resilience," Wind told Harris, adding that, "We privation to marque definite radical don't hide astir us."

Harris assured her the national authorities was "here for the agelong haul."

Melissa Funderbunk told Harris astir driving a motortruck carrying assistance to radical successful distant Morganton, "where radical weren't coming."

"You are the heroes among us," Harris said.

Earlier successful the week, Harris was successful Georgia, wherever she helped administer meals, toured the harm and consoled families hard-hit by the storm. President Joe Biden, too, visited the catastrophe zone. During stops implicit 2 days successful the Carolinas, Florida and Georgia, Biden surveyed the harm and met with farmers whose crops person been destroyed.

The 2 person been vocal and disposable astir the government's willingness to help, and the administration's efforts truthful acold see covering costs for each of the rescue and betterment efforts crossed the Southeast for respective months arsenic states conflict nether the value of the wide damage.

In a missive precocious Friday to legislature leaders, Biden wrote that portion the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Disaster Relief Fund "has the resources it requires close present to conscionable contiguous needs, the money does look a shortfall astatine the extremity of the year." He besides called connected lawmakers to enactment rapidly to reconstruct backing to the Small Business Administration's catastrophe indebtedness program.

More than 200 radical person died. It's the worst tempest to deed the U.S. mainland since Katrina successful 2005, and scientists person warned specified storms volition lone worsen successful the look of clime change.

But successful this overheated predetermination year, adjacent earthy disasters person go profoundly politicized arsenic the candidates crisscross the catastrophe country and successful immoderate cases sojourn the aforesaid venues to triumph implicit voters successful battleground states.

Trump has falsely claimed the Biden medication isn't doing capable to assistance impacted radical successful Republican areas and has harshly criticized the response. He has, successful Helene's aftermath, espoused falsehoods astir clime change, calling it "one of the large scams of each time."

ALSO SEE: Donations proceed ramping up 1 week aft Helene ravages occidental NC

During a halt successful Fayetteville, North Carolina connected Thursday, Trump renewed his complaints astir the national effect and cited "lousy attraction to North Carolina successful particular." In fact, Cooper said this week that much than 50,000 radical person registered for FEMA assistance and astir $6 cardinal has been paid out.

Biden has suggested that House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is withholding wealth for catastrophe alleviation needs.

Harris' visits contiguous an further governmental trial successful the midst of a humanitarian crisis. She's trying to measurement into a relation for which Biden is good known - showing the empathy that Americans expect successful times of calamity - successful the closing agelong of her White House campaign.

Until this week, she had not visited the country of a humanitarian situation arsenic vice president. That work was reserved for Biden, who has often been called connected to survey harm and console victims aft tornadoes, wildfires, tropical storms, and more.

Harris said this week that she wanted to "personally instrumentality a look astatine the devastation, which is extraordinary." She expressed admiration for however "people are coming together. People are helping cleanable strangers."

She said that shows "the immense bulk of america person truthful overmuch much successful communal than what separates us," an echo of a enactment she often uses connected the run trail.

"We are present for the agelong haul," she said.

North Carolina is said to beryllium a battleground authorities that could extremity the destiny of this year's predetermination successful November.