FAIRVIEW, N.C. (AP) – Vice President-elect JD Vance on Friday assured residents of western North Carolina still cleaning up from Hurricane Helene that they have not forgotten as he surveyed the storm’s devastation and spoke to first responders in one of his rallies. to be seen from the election.
Vance said he is visiting because the holidays are coming up and he wants to comfort those affected by the hurricane as they try to rebuild their homes and livelihoods.
“My simple message to the people of Appalachia is that we haven’t forgotten you — we love you,” said Vance, who made a name for himself writing about the region in his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy.”
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He added, “Certainly when this administration changes hands in the next 40 days, we will do everything we can to help people rebuild, get them back on their feet, bring trade back to this area, but, more importantly, allow people to stay in their homes.”
The storm hit in late September and caused $530 billion in damage in North Carolina, according to state government statistics. More than 100 North Carolina residents died in the storm, which the state estimates damaged more than 120,000 homes, nearly 6 miles (9,700 kilometers) of roads and more than 160 sewer lines.
The incoming vice president and his wife, Usha, visited the Fairview Volunteer Fire Department, where they learned that the building was flooded with four to six inches of water and that about a dozen people suffered from travel pneumonia when they responded to the storm’s destruction. The power outage meant that some first responders and their families were unable to see each other for several days. One firefighter lost his life trying to save people in the storm.
Vance also looked at a house that is being rebuilt after the storm. This construction is being done by Samaritan’s Purse, an Evangelical Christian charity led by Franklin Graham, the son of the late Billy Graham, who was known for his close relationship with American leaders.
“We want you to have the best Christmas possible, regardless of the circumstances,” Vance said in a message to residents speaking to reporters afterward.
More than 60% of voters in Buncombe County, where Vance visited Friday, supported Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, in the November presidential election. Liberal-leaning Asheville is known for its vibrant arts scene and the Biltmore Estate is a popular tourist attraction. The city’s art scene faced significant damage from Helene.
But a majority of North Carolina voters supported President-elect Donald Trump, and he generally did better among voters damaged by Hurricane Helene. Republica offered a scathing critique of the Biden administration’s aid package, which President Joe Biden called an “un-American” hoax.
AP VoteCast, a large poll of voters, found that 26% of North Carolina voters said the storm affected their lives by damaging their homes, causing extended power outages or affecting their ability to vote. Trump won 53% of those voters.
Vance hasn’t been seen much since the Nov. 5 election other than shepherding Trump’s Cabinet members on Capitol Hill.
Vance defended Pete Hegseth after his visit to the state, saying that Trump’s defense secretary should be heard in the Senate and not “hear lies in front of the American media” about allegations of sexual abuse and excessive drinking.
The incoming vice president also said he did not know whether he would accompany Kash Patel, Trump’s FBI director, to the Senate next week.
In North Carolina, representatives of the state have already allocated more than 900 million dollars in disaster relief, but Gov. Roy Cooper raised a total of 3.9 billion dollars. The Democratic governor and other state leaders have asked the federal government for $25 billion in aid.
Hundreds of miles of roads have been reopened and water systems are back online, but work has been slow. More than 100,000 western North Carolina residents were told two weeks ago that they could once again use the water coming out of the Asheville aqueduct to bathe and drink from the tap. A damaged waterway in an isolated area can take years to rebuild.
Many Republicans and citizens were critical of the initial restoration of operations by the federal government under the Cooper administration. Housing foreclosures over the winter has become a problem, and some Cooper allies have accused GOP lawmakers of failing to provide relief to small businesses at risk of bankruptcy and renters facing eviction.