Harris, Trump 2024 campaigns interrupted by Hurricane Helene

Harris, Trump 2024 campaigns interrupted by Hurricane Helene

By Trevor Hunnicutt and Tim Reid

The aftermath of Hurricane Helene interrupted the campaigns of presidential rivals Kamala Harris and Donald Trump on Monday after Harris cut short a campaign trip to fly back to Washington and Trump visited a storm-hit city in the battleground state of Georgia.

Democratic Vice President Harris plans to visit the southeast region "soon," according to an official who declined to be identified. The hurricane was responsible for the deaths of over 100 people in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Virginia, while millions more faced power outages and destroyed roads.

There were no immediate details on when Harris would visit or where she would go.

Republican candidate Trump visited Valdosta, a city in the swing state of Georgia, where he thanked local leaders and first responders for their response to the hurricane and pledged "complete solidarity" with those who lost loved ones, homes and businesses.

Democratic President Joe Biden said he told North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper he would visit the state later this week, and expects to be there by Wednesday or Thursday.

Harris on Sunday flew back to Washington earlier than planned from Las Vegas, Nevada, where she was on a campaign trip, to take part in briefings at the headquarters for emergency management agency FEMA.

In remarks after the briefings, Harris called the devastation "heartbreaking."

“We will continue to do everything we can to help you recover and to help you rebuild no matter how long it takes," Harris said.

She spoke with Cooper, a Democrat, and reached out to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, both Republicans, to discuss their needs, according to the official.

North Carolina and Georgia are among a handful of swing states that will likely decide the White House race between Harris and Trump.

Harris' campaign has announced campaign stops in two other battlegrounds, Pennsylvania and Michigan, on Wednesday and Friday, respectively. Vice presidential candidates Tim Walz, a Democrat, and JD Vance, a Republican, will debate on Tuesday.

More than 3,300 federal personnel have been deployed as part of the hurricane response, including on search and rescue efforts and restoring power, Biden administration officials have said.