****

Former President Donald Trump arrived in Valdosta, Georgia, to receive updates on Hurricane Helene recovery efforts and help distribute relief supplies. His visit coincided with ongoing political critiques aimed at President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris over their handling of the hurricane's aftermath.

Biden spent a second consecutive day assessing the damage and receiving briefings on the recovery operations in the storm-ravaged Southeast. The president has faced a barrage of criticisms from Trump, who accused Biden and Harris of incompetence. "Kamala and Sleepy Joe are universally being given POOR GRADES for the way that they are handling the Hurricane, especially in North Carolina," Trump stated in a social media post, calling it the "WORST & MOST INCOMPETENTLY MANAGED 'STORM,' AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, EVER SEEN BEFORE."

As the death toll from Hurricane Helene approaches 200, with hundreds still unaccounted for and millions lacking power or running water, Trump's remarks add fuel to an already intense political discourse. The hurricane has inflicted billions of dollars in damage, particularly affecting North Carolina and Georgia—two key battleground states for the 2024 presidential election.

Over the weekend, Trump claimed that Biden was "sleeping" at his beach house in Delaware while the hurricane ravaged the Southeast. Upon arriving in Valdosta, Trump asserted that "the federal government is not being responsive" and incorrectly stated that Biden had not communicated with Georgia Governor Brian Kemp.

In response, President Biden clarified that he had been in regular contact with federal, state, and local officials throughout the weekend. He emphasized that over 1,000 federal personnel were prepared on the ground before the storm hit and assured that his administration was utilizing every available resource for the affected regions. "We had over 1,000 federal personnel, including search and rescue teams, at the ready on the ground before it hit," Biden remarked.

Biden's administration has pledged to stay until the recovery work is completed. Most of the fatalities occurred in North Carolina, where fast-moving floodwaters wiped out entire communities in the western part of the state. During his visit to North Carolina, Biden surveyed damage from a helicopter over Ashville, one of the hardest-hit areas, and visited a rescue command center.

To support relief efforts, Biden authorized up to 1,000 active duty troops and underscored the importance of putting politics aside during such crises. "In a moment like this, we put politics aside... We have here - there are no Democrats or Republicans, only Americans," Biden stated.

Trump also criticized Harris for attending fundraising events in California during the weekend instead of being present in the hurricane-hit areas. Addressing reporters in Georgia, Trump commented, "The vice president, she's out someplace campaigning looking for money." Harris had spent the weekend in communication with federal, state, and local officials and visited the Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters for a briefing on the relief efforts.

As both leaders continue their activities amid the hurricane aftermath, the political tension surrounding their responses underscores the high stakes tied to the unfolding disaster recovery process.