Biden pledges aid for hurricane-hit Southeast

U.S. President Joe Biden said the devastation left behind by Hurricane Helene in the Southeast "is the worst ever" and pledged unwavering federal aid to areas that saw roads, power and communications cut off and more than 100 people killed, in several Southeast states.

In an Oval Office briefing, accompanied by his homeland security advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall and North Carolina governor Ray Cooper by remote feed, Biden said he would visit the state and do an aerial inspection of the hard hit Asheville area.

"And to the survivors, I want you to know the administration is going to be there, and we just talked about this, until we finish the job. It's going to take a hell of a long time and a serious amount of assets. With federal support, the state has reopened 220 roads which help responders reach people, get the support they need quickly. Right now, thousands, thousands of federal personnel are deployed in their communities, supporting search and rescue, debris removal, power restoration and getting cell networks back online so folks can connect to their loved ones," Bidens said.

Biden also said he was "angry" following comments from former President Donald Trump suggesting the federal government was not doing enough to help the storm-stricken region. "Let's get this straight- he's lying," BIden said.

Officials reported more than 100 deaths across a half-dozen states due to the powerful storm that was a Category 4 hurricane when it slammed into Florida's Big Bend region, before cutting a destructive path through Georgia and into the Carolinas.

As many as 600 people remained unaccounted for, as washed out roads and toppled cellphone towers isolated devastated cities and towns.