President Trump on Wednesday promised a “100 percent” commitment to help the state of North Carolina as it deals with the fallout from Hurricane Florence.
“I’ll be there, 100 percent … We will be there 100 percent and all of the folks from the federal government that are around the table they are confirming it,” Trump said. “That is why we started early and we will be there late.”
Florence is taking a toll on North Carolina. Since the storm hit landfall last weekend, Florence has taken 27 lives in North Carolina alone and at least 35 in the three states. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is warning North Carolina residents, especially those along the coast, that they should stay put and not venture out until flooding subsides.
[More: Hurricane Florence power outages drop well below 400,000, says Energy Department]
“I know for many people this feels like a nightmare that just won’t end,” Cooper said Tuesday.
Florence is expected to cause damages between $16 billion and $20 billion. FEMA Administrator Brock Long told reporters days before Florence made landfall that Americans could expect it to cause as much destruction as Hurricanes Hugo and Floyd, which caused roughly $15 billion in damage combined.
The Trump administration took a number of steps in preparing for Florence.
Trump granted emergency declarations in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and other areas that were Florence was expected to impact. Ahead of Florence, the administration said there were over 4,000 federal employees actively working to support those in the path of the storm and they had positioned resources, including over 11 million meals, 18 million liters of water, 60 thousand cots, and 1 million blankets in the relevant areas.
The president claimed Democrats are trying to undermine his administration’s efforts to recover from Florence.
“Right now, everybody is saying what a great job we are doing with Hurricane Florence – and they are 100 percent correct,” Trump tweeted Tuesday, adding that Democrats “in the near future” will try to undermine his administration’s success.
