Biden Surveys Damage In Ravaged South GA: 'People Need Help Now'

GEORGIA — An emotional South Georgia farmer who lost his pecan crop when Hurricane Helene plundered through the area last week had a special visitor Thursday: President Joe Biden.

Nearly a week after Helene claimed the lives of 202 people across the Southeast, with at least 33 of those deaths occurring in Georgia, Biden stressed help is an immediate need.

While surveying damage in the region, the president held a press conference in the backyard of Ray City farmer Buck, whose last name was not released. U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and other leaders joined Biden.

"We can't wait," Biden said. "People need help now."

The president said federal emergency management officials have literally been knocking on people's doors to get them registered for assistance.

Biden echoed Gov. Brian Kemp's sentiment that political party lines should not be drawn during storm response in the U.S.

"Moments like this, it’s time to put politics aside," Biden said. "... No Democrats or Republicans out here … only Americans are here."

He surmised damage from Helene, which blew through the East Coast from Florida to the Carolinas, is going to cost the U.S. billions of dollars. Biden said Congress must get resources to the impacted states.

"There's not a d— thing we can’t get done ... when we work together and put politics aside," he said.

Meanwhile, Buck, one of many farmers whose crops were damaged by Helene, said recovery has been an expensive struggle.

"We’re not just gonna snap back from this," he said. "This is generational work."

Simply put, Buck said the tragedy he faces is disheartening.

"I know where I gotta get my help," he said. "I know where it comes from. I know where the United States gets help."

He then began to pray to God among national and local leaders.

Kemp deemed Helene unprecedented weather for the Peach State.

“No one was spared in this storm," Kemp said. "... The storms that we've heard, and the things that we now know, just really hits home for these communities and their families."

The tragic storm that rattled Georgia, from the south to the north, could generate a price tag of at least $417 million in damages and recovery, said Director Chris Stallings of the Emergency Management Agency and Homeland Security.

Stallings said the data was based on information incoming from about 50 counties as of Thursday morning.

Cotton producers and pecan growers were among those part of Georgia's agricultural scene that reported damage, Kemp added. He said two landowners reported a combined $30 million in loss.

Kemp, who said Helene caused "100 percent destruction" for the areas in its path when it hit Friday, said the agricultural economy was "not good before the storm, and it's worse now."

"It's not near what it's gonna be," he said of the cost estimate. "... It's gonna grow substantially."

AccuWeather predicted the national price to pay from Helene's catastrophic damage is between $225 billion and $250 billion.

The weather forecast service said Helene is the second-deadliest hurricane in the U.S. since 2000. Hurricane Katrina holds the No. 1 spot, which AccuWeather said killed at least 1,200 people.

A state of emergency has been extended in Georgia, and Kemp has suspended the statewide gas tax.

Leaders Head to Battleground Georgia

Kemp, once again, underscored his expression that the storm response in Georgia should be bipartisan — keeping politics out of the state's recovery. The Republican governor said he has been in communication with Biden, a Democrat, in getting federal aid to Georgians.

Vice President Kamala Harris traveled on Wednesday to Georgia to visit areas affected by Helene's wrath.

Other nationwide leaders who have visited Georgia were Warnock, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff and former President Donald Trump.

After Biden declared Georgia a "major disaster" Monday, Kemp said assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency has expanded to 41 counties.

The counties that can now apply for individual or public assistance are Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brooks, Bulloch, Burke, Candler, Chatham, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Columbia, Cook, Echols, Emanuel, Evans, Glascock, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Lanier, Laurens, Liberty, Lincoln, Lowndes, McDuffie, Montgomery, Pierce, Richmond, Screven, Tattnall, Telfair, Toombs, Treutlen, Ware, Washington and Wheeler Counties.

"The Major Disaster Declaration will begin to provide critical resources to the limited counties designated for Hurricane Helene. We are hopeful once more of the impacted areas receive proper damage assessments, the declaration will add the necessary counties for individual assistance, public assistance categories A through G, including increased federal cost shares for both emergency and permanent work,” Stallings said in a news release.

"Our priority remains the safety and well-being of our residents, and we will continue to work alongside our local, state and federal partners to provide the support needed during this challenging time."

Georgia After Helene

As of Thursday, 270,000 Georgia Power meters remained down, leaving about 200,000 residents in the dark. Kemp said crews have already restored power to 1.4 million customers, about 85 percent of those affected by the hurricane.

With Helene being named the worst storm Georgia Power has faced, Kemp said about 8,000 power poles remained on the ground. Georgia Power on Thursday posted a reel of a depiction of a crew utilizing a helicopter to remove a power line from a swamp.

About 20,000 workers were tending to power restoration, Georgia Power said.

"When we say we’re doing everything we can to get the lights back on, we mean it. By water, by land and by air. Thank you and stay safe," Georgia Power said in a Facebook post on Thursday.

About 21,000 spans of Georgia Power wire (equating to about 1,000 miles of wire) lie on the ground, and at least 3,200 trees rested on power lines, Kemp said.

As residents who are suffering power outages work generators, Kemp urged them to keep the generators at a safe distance. He noted three people in Chatham County died of carbon monoxide poisoning due to generators.

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Nearly 2,000 members of the Georgia National Guard were boots on the ground, offering their assistance with storm recovery, said Major General Dwayne Wilson, who is the 44th adjutant general of the Georgia Department of Defense.

More than 1,800 meals ready to eat were being delivered Thursday to Georgia and will be distributed, Stallings said. He noted that 130,000 tarps will also be delivered.

Drivers are encouraged to be defensive as power lines are still blocking roads, and thousands of traffic signals are either missing or damaged, said Russell McMurry, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Transportation.

GDOT on Thursday deployed 2,000 workers in all 159 Georgia counties, streamlining their response from Augusta to Valdosta. Down from 300 blocked state routes, McMurry said only a handful of routes had downed power lines.

He added 600,000 miles of roads remained impacted Thursday, adding roads that may appear to be open may not be open to drivers.

McMurry said 146 traffic signals are functional but are without power, and 106 signals need to be repaired or completely rebuilt.

In a brief update on a tropical system in the Gulf of Mexico, Stallings said the storm is expected to primarily impact Florida, possibly sparing Georgia.

The National Weather Service forecast sunny weather on Thursday, cloudy and sunny skies during the weekend and more sun into next week.

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