Harris Cuts Campaign Trip Short For Hurricane Helene Briefings

Photo: Reuters/Octavio Jones

LAS VEGAS, NV (REUTERS) – Vice President Kamala Harris is taking part in briefings on the federal response to Hurricane Helene, cutting short a campaign trip as she plans a visit to the storm-ravaged southeastern United States.

Harris is flying back to Washington earlier than planned from Las Vegas, Nevada, where she was on a presidential campaign trip, to take part in briefings at the headquarters of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Winds, rain and storm surge from the storm killed at least 90 people in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Virginia, while millions more faced power outages and destroyed roads.

Harris was briefed on the federal storm response as she traveled aboard Air Force Two to campaign stops in the Western United States, where she was raising money in California and rallying voters in the competitive state of Nevada.

She also spoke with North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and reached out to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp to discuss their needs, according to the official who declined to be identified.

Harris had initially planned campaign stops in the Las Vegas area but changed those plans to return earlier to Washington.

The Democratic presidential candidate also plans to travel to the storm-hit region “as soon as it is possible without disrupting emergency response operations,” the official said. It was not immediately planned when or where she would go.

North Carolina and Georgia are both among the more hotly contested states in the 2024 race between Harris and Trump.

Trump will be visiting Valdosta, Georgia, to receive a briefing on storm damage and “facilitate the distribution of relief supplies,” his campaign said.

More than 3,300 federal personnel are deployed as part of the hurricane response, including search and rescue efforts and restoring power, Biden administration officials have said.