Gabbard said she was angry and frustrated over President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’s “lack of adequate response” to the impacts of the hurricane and said she was reminded about the wildfires that impacted Maui, Hawaii, last year. She explained that when she made a visit to the areas impacted by the wildfires, she discovered that those trying to help the victims had not seen “a single federal official on the ground.” 

“And I have friends there in Asheville, North Carolina, and in other communities that have been devastated by Hurricane Helene, and they are saying the exact same thing,” Gabbard said on Fox News’s The Ingraham Angle. “As you heard from that sheriff, they don’t have access to water, they don’t have access to electricity and communication. The same thing that happened to our communities in west Maui, and yet they’ve said we have not seen a single federal official on the ground. Not even a FEMA orange vest-wearing person going out there and doing that assessment.”

Gabbard recalled how the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Deanne Criswell, stated that all households affected by the Maui wildfires would receive $700. The former Hawaii lawmaker rebuked this response, claiming that Criswell made this statement thinking it was something worthy of recognition.

“It is unfortunate the people of North Carolina are facing a leadership in the White House who care more for bureaucracy rather than actually kicking down the doors of that bureaucracy and getting out there and providing the help that these families and communities direly need,” Gabbard said.

Former President Donald Trump, who is running for office again, made a visit to Valdosta, Georgia, on Monday, an area that was also hit by Hurricane Helene. In announcing his plans to visit on Sunday, the former president accused Biden of “sleeping” and Harris of holding fundraising events while parts of the country deal with the hurricane’s aftermath.

President @realDonaldTrump is right—this is an hour of need. I want to thank him for coming to Valdosta, Georgia, today where so many lives have been torn apart by Hurricane Helene. The hurting families and emergency officials who met with him couldn’t have been more grateful… pic.twitter.com/dzG9PTCK6U

— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) September 30, 2024

Trump was joined by Rev. Franklin Graham during his visit, who thanked the Republican presidential nominee on X for visiting the weather-torn community. Graham added that the victims and emergency personnel on the scene “couldn’t have been more grateful” that Trump took time to visit the area. He also encouraged people to pray for the hurricane victims.