Vance tells residents in hurricane-stricken North Carolina that they haven't been forgotten
Vice President-elect JD Vance is surveying hurricane damage in western North Carolina in one of his first public appearances since the November election
FAIRVIEW, N.C. (AP) — Vice President-elect JD Vance on Friday assured residents of western North Carolina still cleaning up from Hurricane Helene that they haven't been forgotten as he surveyed storm wreckage and talked to first responders in one of his first public appearances since the election.
Vance said he was visiting because the holidays are approaching and he wants to provide some comfort to those affected by the hurricane as they go about trying to rebuild their homes and livelihoods.
“My simple message to the people of Appalachia is that we haven’t forgotten you — we love you,” said Vance, who made a name for himself writing about the region in his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy.”
He added, “Certainly when this administration changes hands in the next 45 days, we’re going to do everything that we can to help people rebuild, to get them back on their feet, to bring some commerce back to this area, but, most importantly, to allow people to live in their homes.”
