VALDOSTA — President Joe Biden arrived at Moody Air Force Base on Thursday afternoon, before traveling to a local pecan farm to address the devastation following Hurricane Helene. 

“A week ago Hurricane Helene became one of the strongest hurricanes ever in Florida and this part of Georgia,” he said. “Roofs were ripped off of buildings, massive trees crashed into power lines, flooding wiped out homes and families lost everything, including family members.” 

Biden recalled that Valdosta and other surrounding areas experienced this familiar sense of loss just a year ago when Hurricane Idalia hit. 

“Just a few months ago Hurricane Debbie hit,” he said. “You’ve been through three in a row; you’ve been through hell and I want you to know I see you, I hear you, I grieve with you, and I’ve got your back.” 

Biden shared that earlier on Thursday, he traveled to Perry, Florida, where he met with first responders who have been working nonstop to provide aid to survivors. He said he took a walking tour of Keaton Beach with bipartisan officials to survey the damage from the 15-foot storm surge. 

“We are in this together,” he said. “We might be separate states, but we are in this together. We are the United States of America.” 

Biden said he spoke with Gov. Brian Kemp on his way back into Georgia, before being joined by U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and U.S. Congressmen Austin Scott and Sanford Bishop at the farm. 

“At times like this, it’s time to put politics aside, there’s no Republicans or Democrats out here, our job is to help as many people as we can,” he said. “I hope we can break down this rabid partisanship that exists because there is no rationale for it.” 

Biden said that before the storm, he pre-positioned numerous resources throughout the South, including search and rescue teams, food, water, and EMS. 

“Before Helene made landfall, I signed the emergency declaration your governor asked for so we could all focus on the first responders and standing up emergency response centers,” he said. 

Biden went on to share the news that Wednesday, he approved Gov. Kemp’s request to cover the entire cost of debris removal and emergency protective measures for the next three months. In addition to Georgia, Biden approved the same requests for Florida and North Carolina. 

“On top of this, the Department of Agriculture is on the ground to help farmers, ranchers, and small businesses impacted by this storm,” Biden said. 

The President also spoke on the response of FEMA. 

According to Biden, FEMA is urgently knocking on doors, giving individuals vouchers to make sure they can purchase what they need during this time of uncertainty. 

“This assistance is now being delivered directly with more to come,” he said. 

Biden did inform those in attendance that the hurricane and its response would cost billions of dollars due to the impact it had on so many states. 

Biden said one of the impacts it had was at the very farm he was visiting. 

The pecan farm near Ray City was passed down through generations and faced mass devastation with trees blown over and limbs and debris everywhere. 

Biden encouraged the farmer not to lose hope, quoting former President Jimmy Carter. 

“Tremendous progress can be made if we persevere through difficult challenges,” he said, quoting the 100-year-old Georgia farmer. 

“This is a difficult challenge we are facing,” Biden said. “It’s an extremely difficult challenge, but to all the police officers, firefighters, and volunteers who ran toward danger, to all the survivors and families who had their lives torn apart, we have a lot of work ahead of us, but we will persevere and get through all of this because this is the United States of America.” 

Biden concluded by stating that there is nothing that can’t be done when America puts politics aside and comes together for a common cause. 

“God bless you all,” Biden ended.