Remarks by Vice President Harris on Response and Recovery Efforts Following Hurricane Helene | Augusta, GA
Meadowbrook Neighborhood
Augusta, Georgia
4:35 P.M. EDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: So, I’m here in Augusta to, first and foremost, thank the federal, state, and local leaders. Mayor, I want to thank you for your leadership, in particular, on the ground.
I am here to personally take a look at the devastation, which is extraordinary, and it is — and particularly devastating in terms of the loss of life that this community has experienced, the loss of normalcy, and the loss of critical resources.
And so, I’m here today to — to thank all of those who are working to get folks the support and the relief that they so desperately need and so rightly deserve. And — and that includes the fact that still, in this community, up to 60 percent of the residents here do not have power. Many have been without running water for at least a couple of days now. Many are — have water but no hot water.
I was just talking with one of the members of the community and her daughter who lost her husband. And — and there is real pain and trauma that has resulted because of this — this hurricane and what has happened in terms of the aftermath of it.
I do want to acknowledge and thank the first responders, who have been extraordinary. Having met with them, they are the kind of folks that are the heroes in moments of crisis who do extraordinary work that is about lifting up other people.
As it relates in particular to the leaders who are here and doing that work, including the first responders, most of them, as it relates to the local folks, are folks who have personally and their families have personally experienced loss and devastation. And yet they leave their home, leave their family to go to centers like where I was earlier to do the work of helping perfect strangers.
And it really does highlight the nobility of the kind of work that these public servants have dedicated themselves to, which can be, in moments of crisis like this, so selfless in the way that they do that work.
The president and I have been paying close attention from the beginning to what we need to do to make sure the federal resources hit the ground as quickly as possible, and that includes what was necessary to make sure that we provided direct federal assistance. And that work has been happening.
I want to thank the governor for his leadership and his close coordination with the federal government, with our administration. And I want to thank the local leaders for, together, creating a task force-like response, knowing that we are at our best when we work together and coordinate resources, coordinate our communications to the maximum effect for the community that has been impacted.
And the federal relief and assistance that we have been providing has included FEMA providing $750 for folks who need immediate needs being met, such as food, baby formula, and the like. And you can apply now.
For anyone who is watching this, who has been affected, there are FEMA personnel who are going door — door to door to interact personally with folks, especially those who do not have electricity. But also, that — that aid, — if you have electricity, can be applied for online, and I encourage people to do that. FEMA will just basically verify your address, and then the process should take hold.
FEMA is also providing tens of thousands more dollars for folks to help them be able to deal with home repair, to be able to cover a deductible when and if they have insurance, and also hotel costs.
Today, I’m also announcing that the president has approved the governor’s request for 100 percent federal reimbursement of local costs.
And, Mayor, as you have pointed out, the — the burden to local governments, including state — the state government, is — is pretty immense. And so, by announcing today and — and making the dedicated resources to cover 100 percent of local costs will have a huge impact on our ability to get relief to people as quickly as possible.
And that will include, for example, what the federal government will do to reimburse local and state governments around issues like debris removal, which you can see just up and down this street, much less in other areas of the state and in the region, this is a big issue. I was speaking with one of the residents of the community who needs that big tree removed so she can actually get to work and — and make sure that her child is able to get to school when the schools reopen. So, this is a very big part of the recovery process.
That money of the federal reimbursement will also help with emergency services that are now being provided by the state so that they can be reimbursed and then have the resources to keep providing those emergency services.
Also, we will be covering the local government costs for food, wa- — water, and shelter — again, resources that are desperately needed by the members of this community.
And so, my final point to the — to the residents of this community and — and the region is that we are here for the long haul. There is the work that we have done together that was the immediate response — well, preparation for and then the immediate response after. But there’s a lot of work that’s going to need to happen over the coming days, weeks, and months. And the coordination that we have dedicated ourselves to will be long-lasting to get families, to get residents, to get neighborhoods back up and running.
And — and my last point is this. I think that in these moments of hardship, one of the beauties about who we are as a country is — is people really rally together and show the best of who they are in moments of crisis. And we have seen that throughout the region where communities are coming together; where — where people are helping perfect strangers; where they are providing food, wa- — water, shelter for their neighbors, and that neighbor may be somebody they’ve never met before but are doing the work of helping each other out.
And I think it really highlights the fact that the vast majority of us have so much more in common than what separates us and that the best of — the strength of who we are is we come to each other’s aid in a time of need.
So, I thank everyone for doing that kind of work every day.
And with that, there is more work to be done. Thank you all. Thank you. Thank you.
Q Do you have an update on the death toll, Madam Vice President, or on people who are missing?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: I — I did receive updates in terms of what’s happening in the state. And — and so far, the number looks to be 33. The — the mayor was just sharing with me —
PARTICIPANT: Seven in Ri- — Augusta-Richmond County alone. Seven.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Seven alone in August-Richmond County. So, the numbers are coming in. And part of the challenge of being accurate at this moment is that there are still so many areas that are remote, also rural areas, areas that are not easily accessible. So, the assessment of the damage is being done across the board. And, of course, the — the highest priority is to locate and determine individuals, people who are in need and making sure we’re getting to them as quickly as possible.
Thank you.
END 4:44 P.M. EDT
