Former President Donald Trump and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp appeared together for the first time in four years on October 4th to assess the damage caused by Hurricane Helene in Georgia. Despite their previous disagreements, the Republican leaders received a briefing from local officials before addressing the press at a conference. When asked about his relationship with Kemp, Trump stated that it was “great.” Prior to the 2020 election, Trump had publicly supported Kemp’s bid for governor. However, their relationship soured when Kemp did not back Trump’s claims of election fraud in battleground states, including Georgia.
During his visit to Georgia, Trump also planned to speak at a town hall event in Fayetteville, North Carolina—another state affected by Hurricane Helene. The hurricane made landfall as a Category 4 storm in Florida on September 26th and caused severe flooding throughout the Southeast. The death toll has reached at least 215 people, with ongoing search and rescue efforts in western North Carolina where flooding has left residents stranded.
In addition to loss of life, Hurricane Helene devastated Georgia’s agricultural industry. Governor Kemp highlighted that this year’s crop had been significantly impacted by the storm. Approximately 35 percent of the state’s cotton crop and 30 percent of its peanut crop were destroyed. Furthermore, numerous dairies remain without power while poultry houses and livestock facilities suffered extensive damage.
Criticism has arisen from Republicans regarding the Biden administration’s response to this disaster. Former President Trump expressed dissatisfaction with what he perceived as a poor response from the White House and accused FEMA of diverting funds intended for disaster relief towards rehousing illegal immigrants over recent years. However, FEMA denied these allegations and clarified that their disaster response efforts are funded separately through dedicated funds.
As hurricane season continues until November 30th, FEMA anticipates running out of relief funds before its conclusion according to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ statement on October 2nd.
