Survivors count cost of Hurricane Helene destruction as Biden visits

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00:00Floating piles of debris, stretching as far as the eye can see.

00:05The waters of Lake Lure were barely visible under the wreckage, as North Carolina reckoned

00:10with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

00:14All across the southeastern U.S. coast, residents and federal workers were coming to terms with

00:19the trail of destruction left by the powerful storm.

00:23In Asheville, Georgia, which was laid to waste by devastating floods, the mayor called on

00:28federal authorities to provide urgent and sustained assistance.

00:32We have damage to our transportation, just roads buckled and collapsed, and is the cost

00:40and the time that's going to be needed to restore this community.

00:44And I don't want, I don't want that to fade away in terms of the priority of our nation.

00:54Rebuilding vital infrastructure, restoring power to over a million households, and providing

01:00shelter, food and other essential goods to affected communities – a monumental task

01:06which U.S. officials already warn could take billions of dollars and several years to complete.

01:12On Wednesday, Joe Biden headed to North and South Carolina, where he took an aerial tour

01:17of some of the areas hardest hit by the storm.

01:20The president then vowed to provide relief and support for as long as necessary.

01:25The damage is still being assessed, but many people are still unaccounted for.

01:31So I'm here to say, the United States, the nation, has your back.

01:36The nation has your back.

01:37We're not leaving your back on your feet completely.

01:39There are no Democrats or Republicans, only Americans.

01:43And our job is to help as many people as we can, as quickly as we can, and as thoroughly

01:48as we can.

01:50The White House on Wednesday also greenlit the deployment of 1,000 additional soldiers.

01:55They will join more than 10,000 National Guard and federal aid workers already on the ground

02:00to help with rescue and relief efforts.

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