Biden Sends 500 Additional Troops to North Carolina Amid Ongoing Helene Response

President Joe Biden announced on Sunday the deployment of another 500 active-duty troops to western North Carolina to assist with the ongoing response efforts after Hurricane Helene caused widespread devastation.

The deployment was made in response to a request from Gov. Roy Cooper, according to the White House.

Biden pledged that his administration will continue to work with local and state leaders "regardless of political party" as Tropical Storm Milton intensified into a hurricane on Sunday night in the Gulf of Mexico.

The newly-sent troops are equipped with "advanced technological assets" aimed at providing greater situational awareness on the ground, the White House said.

They will focus on delivering food and water to distribution sites, ensuring that survivors in hard-to-reach areas receive essential supplies, while also assisting in road stabilization and route clearance activities.

It stated that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers set up three emergency operation centers in North Carolina, and nine more centers in the southeast, and created "emergency power teams" that are tasked with assessing water and wastewater systems, inspecting bridges and roads, and conducting debris removal.

The Pentagon said that it would continue to engage with FEMA and "the whole-of-government" Hurricane Helene relief efforts and provide capabilities that "best support needs on the ground."

According to the White House, the Biden administration has provided over $137 million in federal assistance to help residents affected by Hurricane Helene "jumpstart their recoveries" and that there will be "more to come."

The storm has led to the closure of some 650 roads, and around 173,000 residents in Western North Carolina were still without electricity as of Oct. 5, according to the department.