CNN
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Vice President Kamala Harris will cut short her West Coast tour early and head from Las Vegas to Washington, D.C., on Monday morning to be briefed at FEMA headquarters on the ongoing effects of Hurricane Helen, according to White House officials. That’s what it means.
The vice president will be briefed on federal actions taken to support emergency response and recovery. The incident comes as Helen, the strongest hurricane on record, made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region last Thursday, causing widespread damage across the Southeast. At least 95 people were killed and millions were left without power.
Democratic presidential candidate Harris originally planned to make two campaign stops in Nevada on Monday before changing her plans. Former President Donald Trump criticized Harris for fundraising on the West Coast this weekend after Helen robbed the Southeast.
“We will support these communities for as long as it takes to make sure they recover and rebuild,” Harris said at a rally in Las Vegas.
On Sunday, Harris was briefed by FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell while traveling from California to Nevada on Air Force Two. He also spoke with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who reassured them that the Biden administration is standing by the overall recovery of affected communities. .
Harris intends to visit affected communities as soon as possible without disrupting emergency response operations.
“We will provide them with whatever assistance they need in the coming days and weeks,” she said in Las Vegas.
President Trump is scheduled to visit Valdosta, Georgia, on Monday, where he will be briefed on the devastation and “facilitate the distribution of relief supplies.”