Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) expressed gratitude for the federal government's role in the response to Hurricane Helen, and during a visit to the state on Monday, Kemp said he would communicate with President Biden. This contradicted comments made by former President Trump, who claimed that it was difficult.
Kemp and White House officials confirmed Monday that Biden spoke with the governor on Sunday and offered to help the state recover from Hurricane Helen.
“He just said, 'Hey, what do you need?'” Kemp told reporters about his phone call with Biden. “And I told him we have what we need. We're going to work our way through the federal process. If you need anything else, please call me directly,” he said. Thank you for that. But you know, we had FEMA built in a day or two before the storm hit.”
White House Homeland Security Adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall also confirmed Monday that Biden and Kemp had met and told reporters that Biden would respond to calls from governors if there were any problems during the recovery process. I told the group.
President Trump traveled to Valdosta, Georgia, on Monday to inspect storm damage and express support for communities reeling from the damage. Once he landed, he criticized Biden's response to the hurricane.
President Trump said of Kemp, “The governor is doing a very good job.” “He's having trouble calling the president. The federal government isn't responding.”
Hurricane Helen made landfall in Florida on Thursday as a Category 4 hurricane, bringing devastating winds and rain. Sherwood Randall told reporters that about 600 people are missing in multiple states as a result of the storm.
Vice President Harris returned to Washington on Monday after cutting short her campaign tour on the West Coast and visited the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters to receive an update on Helen's impact and the federal government's response.
Harris spoke with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) about the storm's aftermath on Sunday, and also contacted Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and Kemp. Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina bore the brunt of the storm's effects.
