Here in the United States, the death toll from Hurricane Helene has climbed to at least 133 people, with hundreds more still unaccounted for. A White House homeland security adviser told reporters Monday the death toll could climb as high as 600. Rescue workers are racing to access communities completely cut off by floodwaters and landslides. On Monday, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper toured areas around the mountain city of Asheville, which endured its worst flooding in at least a century.
Gov. Roy Cooper: “The devastation was beyond belief. And even when you prepare for something like this, this is something that’s never happened before in western North Carolina.”
On Monday, Donald Trump made the baseless claim that Governor Cooper and President Biden were not helping Republican areas. Trump also falsely claimed Biden did not reach out to Georgia’s Republican Governor Brian Kemp to offer hurricane relief. Kemp called out Trump’s lie, saying he had spoken to President Biden, and praised the federal government’s response in Georgia.
Meanwhile, in Mexico, at least 22 people have been confirmed dead after Hurricane John ravaged coastal communities in southwestern Mexico last week.