Two powerful hurricanes, Helene and Milton, have disrupted the US presidential election campaign, adding a new dimension to the already heated race between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump. The back-to-back storms have forced both candidates to address the recovery efforts, diverting attention from their usual campaign trail activities.
With less than a month until the November election, the focus has shifted to how each candidate would handle major natural disasters. The hurricanes have hit crucial battleground states like North Carolina and Georgia, highlighting the political significance of federal disaster response.
Vice President Harris is positioning herself as a leader during this crisis, appearing with President Biden at briefings and advocating for bipartisan collaboration. Meanwhile, former President Trump is using the situation to criticize the administration’s response, questioning whether aid is being withheld from Republican-leaning areas, despite no evidence to support his claims.
Trump has been vocal in his criticism of Biden and Harris, accusing them of incompetence in managing the federal response. He has repeatedly targeted Harris, saying she “led the worst rescue operation in history in North Carolina.” Harris, however, has called for unity and cooperation, emphasizing that “this is not a time for us to just point fingers at each other as Americans.”
The hurricanes have brought to the forefront the need for increased funding for the Small Business Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Biden has urged lawmakers to address the situation without delay, as back-to-back crises will put FEMA under intense scrutiny.
Both Trump and Harris have visited Georgia and North Carolina to assess the damage and offer support. These trips, however, have forced them to cancel campaign events, highlighting the critical time constraint in the final weeks before the election.
The impact of the hurricanes is evident in the candidates’ campaign activities. During a Univision town hall in Las Vegas, Harris faced questions about the administration’s response to the hurricanes, revealing how Trump’s messaging is resonating with some voters.
On the same day, Trump began his address at the Detroit Economic Club by praising Republican governors in the impacted states while criticizing the Biden-Harris administration. He claimed that “they’ve let those people suffer unjustly.”
The storms have also complicated the voting process in several areas. North Carolina has taken steps to help residents in affected counties with voting, while Florida has provided more flexibility in distributing mail-in ballots and adjusting polling locations. However, a federal judge in Georgia ruled that the state does not need to reopen voter registration despite the disruptions caused by Hurricane Helene.
Harris has unexpectedly taken a prominent role in responding to the hurricanes, a responsibility not typically associated with vice presidents. She has participated in Situation Room briefings and live interviews to discuss the administration’s efforts, highlighting her leadership capabilities.
Trump and his allies have used the aftermath of Hurricane Helene to spread misinformation about the administration’s response. They have made false claims about the amount of aid available to victims and alleged that emergency response funds were redirected to immigrants. Trump has even compared the administration’s handling of Helene to the George W Bush administration’s response to Hurricane Katrina, which resulted in nearly 1,400 deaths.
Experts argue that victims are primarily concerned with receiving the aid they need, and these disasters provide a test of leadership for officials at all levels. However, they also point out that US politics has become polarized, and other pressing issues like the economy are shaping the election landscape. As a result, the current debate about disaster response might not significantly influence the outcome of the election.
With the hurricanes continuing to impact the US, the upcoming presidential election will be a test of how both candidates handle a crisis and demonstrate their leadership capabilities in the face of adversity. The outcome of the election could shape the future of disaster preparedness and the overall political landscape in the United States.
