MORNING NEWSBREAK | President Joe Biden is scheduled to be in the Carolinas today to survey the devastation and damage left behind by Hurricane Helene.
“We have to jump start this recovery process,” Biden said Tuesday, estimating it will cost billions. “People are scared to death. This is urgent.”
As of this morning, almost a half million customers in South Carolina remained without electricity, compared to 750,000 two days ago, according to PowerOutage.us. In North Carolina, about 350,000 customers still don’t have power.
Biden plans to visit both Carolinas “engaging with first responders and state and local officials in South Carolina en route to North Carolina,” according to the White House. He is set to take an aerial tour of damage in the western part of the Carolinas, receive briefings and greet first responders.
The president is scheduled to visit Greenville, S.C., in the morning to take an aerial tour of areas impacted by Hurricane Helene and then travel to Raleigh, N.C. for an operational briefing at the city’s emergency operations center.
Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris is set to visit Georgia Wednesday to assess damage.
In other headlines:
HELENE: Death toll in S.C. rises to 36, surpassing Hurricane Hugo numbers. The South Carolina Department of Public Safety said Tuesday afternoon that the number of deaths confirmed to be related to Hurricane Helene in the state rose again to 36. The death toll from Helene in South Carolina could climb higher still, as the storm’s impact and devastation persists in South Carolina, officials said.
- CP NEWS: Charleston Animal Society taking donations to help Asheville survivors
- CP NEWS: State officials scramble to respond to Helene’s devastation
CP FOOD: F&B vets host dinner at Chasing Sage. While the last day of service at Chasing Sage is this week, some local food and beverage professionals are taking over the kitchen for a collaborative dinner on Oct. 15.
CP ART: Carter brings resin art to MUSC’s cancer treatment building. Charleston–born, New York City–based artist Landon Carter was commissioned by MUSC’s Arts in Healing program to create three new art installations to be hung in MUSC’s new cancer treatment building, the Robert K. Stuart, M.D., Blood and Marrow Transplant Center at Ashley River Tower, which was unveiled in August.
Cogswell presents plan to fight homelessness. Charleston Mayor William Cogswell presented a rapid housing initiative that includes 118 rapid housing units that would have a bed, desk, air conditioning and heat, electrical outlets and more. There would also be a permanent building onsite with office space, a kitchen, a laundry room, as well as community and green space.
James Island County Park could lose 46 acres with Mark Clark expansion. The proposed extension on Interstate 526 would destroy 46.72 acres of the James Island County Park, including areas residents and visitors use. It would leave approximately 600 acres of the park would remain.
Fiber optic cut blamed for Lowcountry Xfinity outage. Xfinity says its customers in the Charleston area may be experiencing a service outage because of a fiber cut. It is unclear where the cut took place.
Spirit Airlines pulling back at Charleston International. Charleston International said Oct. 1 that its industry liaison confirmed Spirit Airlines is jettisoning four of its flights, which include a nonstop between the Lowcountry and Las Vegas that the budget carrier rolled out last year. It’s scheduled to end Nov. 6.
Lowcountry Marine Mammal Network hosts Fins and Flippers fundraiser Sunday. The Lowcountry Marine Mammal Network is set to host its Second Annual Fins and Flippers Fall Fundraiser on Oct. 6. from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Bowens Island restaurant dock house, located at 1870 Bowens Island Road in Charleston.
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