AFP :
The death toll from powerful storm Helene, which battered the southeastern United States, has climbed to at least 155, authorities said Tuesday, as President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris prepared to survey the damage.
Biden will head to North Carolina and South Carolina on Wednesday, while Harris, who is campaigning to succeed her boss in the Oval Office, will visit Georgia.
North Carolina and Georgia are two of the hardest-hit states, but also two key battlegrounds in the November presidential election, in which Harris is vying to defeat Republican former president Donald Trump.
Emergency workers labored to restore power and water services across the region. Hundreds of people are still unaccounted for, though officials have expressed hope that some will be found once cell phone service is back up.
“We know that the devastation brought by hurricane Helene is beyond belief. Communities were wiped off the map,” North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said at a briefing Tuesday, admitting that he believed the death toll in his state would yet rise.
“The challenges are immense,” he added, offering details about power outages, blocked interstate highways, and airlifts of emergency aid to communities not reachable by road.