WASHINGTON (TND) — Hurricane Helene recovery efforts are now becoming political as both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are changing their plans to respond to the storm.

The death toll from the severe storm continued to rise as many states are still assessing the damage.

I want them to know that we are not leaving until the job is done. “I also want you to know that I am committed to traveling to affected areas as quickly as possible,” President Joe Biden said Monday.

Biden said he plans to travel to North Carolina on Wednesday or Thursday to support one of the states hardest hit by Hurricane Helene. He said he was waiting to ensure a visit would not interfere with emergency operations. Many of them remain missing and some communities are without essential services after widespread damage.

Former President Donald Trump was in Valdosta, Georgia, on Monday to take part in recovery efforts there. Trump had previously called out both Biden and Harris, saying Biden was on the beach instead of responding to the storm and Harris was too busy fundraising.

It’s very difficult for them to get the president on the phone when he can’t reach him. The vice president is somewhere on the campaign trail and looking for money. It has to be that way, they have to be concentrated here. “It’s too big,” Trump told reporters after arriving in the hard-hit southern Georgia city.

Gov. Brian Kemp, R-Ga., told reporters earlier in the day that he spoke with President Biden the day before and Biden told him to call him directly if he needed anything.

Because of the storm, Harris changed her campaign plans and promised to give states everything they needed before leaving Nevada early to attend FEMA briefings.

I want to thank everyone for going above and beyond to think of them, send them your thoughts and send them your prayers. “I want to thank the first responders who have done so much,” she told the crowd at her rally in Las Vegas on Sunday.

The historic storm will eventually have its price. President Biden said he is considering asking Congress to come back from recess to approve more money for disaster relief, but the total cost of the damage is not yet known.