Vice President Harris comforts a woman as she tours the damage from Hurricane Helene in the Meadowbrook neighborhood of Augusta, Georgia, on October 2.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Vice President Harris took a break from the campaign trail Wednesday to visit a neighborhood devastated by Hurricane Helene where more than half of residents have no electricity and many have no running water, comforting a woman who had her said she lost her husband.

“This hurricane is causing real pain and trauma,” Harris said.

Meanwhile, President Biden spent about an hour flying by helicopter over Asheville, North Carolina. “You can clearly see that houses have been moved from one side of the river downstream to another side,” he said. “Communities like Chimney Rock are being reduced to piles of wood and rubble.”

Vice President Harris speaks about the damage caused by Hurricane Helene on October 2 in Augusta, Georgia.

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Biden and Harris are trying to reassure residents affected by the massive storm that the federal government will help the region rebuild. Keeping that promise is a critical test for the administration this election year, particularly in the swing states of North Carolina and Georgia, where Biden and Harris visited.

But Biden said it’s not about politics. “In a moment like this, we put politics aside – at least we should put everything aside, and that’s what we have here,” Biden said at a briefing at an emergency operations center in Raleigh, North Carolina

“There are no Democrats, no Republicans – just Americans – and our job is to help as many people as possible, as quickly as possible and as thoroughly as possible,” he said.

President Biden speaks with state officials at an emergency operations center in Raleigh, North Carolina, with a map of the area hit by Hurricane Helene behind him.

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Biden announced that the federal government would cover 100% of the costs of debris removal and emergency response efforts for North Carolina for six months, as requested by its Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.

He also directed that up to 1,000 active-duty troops be deployed to help the North Carolina National Guard deliver food, water and medicine.

In Georgia, Harris said the federal government would cover 100% of the cost of debris removal and emergency response efforts for the state for three months, as requested by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. Kemp was not with her on the tour.

President Biden surveyed storm damage on Marine One near Asheville, North Carolina, on October 2.

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The White House also announced that Biden had approved 100% of the cost of debris removal and emergency response efforts for three months for Florida – a state he plans to visit on Thursday.

Biden will also stop in Valdosta, Georgia on Thursday. Former President Donald Trump was there on Monday, where he also said that disasters go beyond politics.

Former President Donald Trump visits a furniture store that was damaged during Hurricane Helene in Valdosta, Georgia, on September 30.

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“As you know, our country is in the final weeks of a closely contested national election. But at a time like this, when there is a crisis and when our fellow citizens are crying out in distress, none of that matters. We’re not talking about politics now. “We all have to come together and solve this,” Trump said.

But during his stop, Trump falsely claimed that Gov. Kemp had been unable to reach Biden. “He called the president but couldn’t reach him. But they’ll get there, I’m sure,” Trump said. Biden angrily criticized Trump later in the day.

“He’s lying, and the governor told him he’s lying,” Biden said, noting that he had spoken to Kemp. “I don’t know why he (Trump) is doing this. And the reason I’m so angry about this is because I don’t care what he says about me, but I care about what he says to those in need. It implies that we are not doing everything that is possible. This is who we are,” Biden said.