The death toll from a devastating storm that battered the southeastern United States climbed to at least 130 on Monday, as the disaster became a hot topic in an already bitter election campaign, with the White House angrily refuting claims it had been slow to respond.
With hundreds still unaccounted for across several southeastern US states and the death toll climbing, President Joe Biden announced he would travel to storm-ravaged North Carolina Wednesday to monitor rescue efforts.Biden also accused former president Donald Trump of spreading lies, after the Republican presidential candidate charged, without evidence, that the federal government was ignoring the disaster brought on by Hurricane Helene and denying help to his supporters.
“He’s lying,” Biden told reporters in the Oval Office, adding that he had spoken to North Carolina governor Ray Cooper “and he told him he’s lying. I don’t know why he does it… that’s simply not true, and it’s irresponsible.”
Later on CNN, Cooper, a Democrat, said when asked about Trump’s accusations of Republican victims being ignored: “It makes no difference who you are. If you need help, we are going to provide it. And if there is ever a time where we all need to come together and put politics aside, it is now.”
At least 130 people were killed by the storm and associated flooding — 57 in North Carolina, 29 in South Carolina, 25 in Georgia, 14 in Florida, four in Tennessee and one in Virginia, according to tallies from local authorities and media reports compiled by AFP.
Emergency workers continued a grim search for hundreds of people still unaccounted for across the affected states, where torrential rains brought widespread havoc. They also worked to restore water and power supply to the affected areas as well as cell phone service, remove fallen trees, deliver supplies and register people for disaster assistance.
Source: BBC
In other news – Idris Elba to headline Africa Cinema Summit in Ghana
Idris Elba has signed on to headline the National Film Authority of Ghana’s second annual Africa Cinema Summit, set to run from October 7 to 10 in Accra.
Elba, a Golden Globe winner and chairman of the IE7 and The Akuna Group, is joined on the top billing by former Netflix exec and co-founder of Juno Studios, Fiona Lamptey, and Andrew Kofi Egyapa Mercer, Ghana’s Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture. Scroll down for the full speaker lineup. Read more
