In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, southern states are grappling with the devastation left in its wake.
Among these states, Georgia has been particularly hard hit, with a death toll reaching at least 25. Governor Brian Kemp has voiced his dissatisfaction with the Biden-Harris administration's response, particularly in relation to the rural communities of his state.
In an interview with WRDW, as reported by The Post Millennial, Kemp expressed his exasperation over the necessity of personally contacting the White House to request an extension of Biden's disaster declaration to include additional counties affected by the hurricane. "When the first emergency declarations came down, there was only 11 counties in that. A lot of people were outraged, including me, because there was such devastation in up to 90 counties," the Republican governor stated.
Kemp further elaborated on his conversation with the White House, stating, "So we called the White House. We spoke to the presidents chief of staff, the FEMA administrator and said, look, youre sending the signal that youre not paying attention to some of these rural communities."
On Monday, Biden issued his initial disaster declaration for Georgia, which included the counties of Appling, Brooks, Coffee, Columbia, Jefferson, Liberty, Lowndes, Pierce, Richmond, Tattnall, and Toombs. This declaration mandates federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts, encompassing grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to assist residents and business owners.
The New York Post has reported that the storm has claimed the lives of at least 200 people across six states. The recovery process from this natural disaster is expected to cost more than $35 billion. This situation raises questions about the federal government's commitment to rural communities and their recovery from such devastating events.
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