Ivanka Trump flies to North Carolina town devastated by Hurricane Helene floods to hand out food and 300 Starlinks
Ivanka Trump traveled to Hickory, North Carolina, on Wednesday to distribute food, emergency supplies and 300 star links to those devastated by Hurricane Helene.
The former first daughter was there with CityServe, an aid organization she has worked with since her time in the White House.
They provided hot meals and fresh products from Planet Harvest. The Starlink devices, donated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, will help victims connect to high-speed internet.
Dressed casually in jeans, sneakers and a green and white sweater, Ivanka served meals and took photos with pilots, airport staff and volunteers.
Ivanka Trump was in Hickory, NC, distributing emergency supplies and food to those in need
North Carolina was hit hard by the storm, especially in the Appalachian Mountain region, which suffered from flooding and landslides.
The damage has closed many roads, making it difficult to provide help to those in need.
FEMA delivers 20 truckloads of food and 40 truckloads of water to people in North Carolina every day. The Department of Defense has deployed 22 helicopters to support response efforts in isolated communities.
Lack of power is a problem, as is a lack of clean water. Cell service is down, meaning people can’t connect with their loved ones.
The airport in Hickory, located in the northeastern part of the state, has been used as a base to deliver supplies to hard-hit cities like Asheville.
The base’s delivery efforts, organized by charitable missions, have also used Hickory Airport as a base for aid.
Recovery efforts are expected to take months and millions of dollars.
The death toll has risen to 176 and hundreds are still missing. At least 90 people are known to have died in North Carolina, where entire communities have been wiped out by floods.
Additionally, 1.3 million utility customers are still without power, from Florida to Virginia.
Ivanka Trump also posed for photos with pilots flying supply flights to surrounding areas of the state
Ivanka Trump meets with volunteers and people displaced by the storm
North Carolina was hit hardest by Hurricane Helene
President Joe Biden was in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Wednesday to meet with emergency responders. He also took an aerial photo of the damage.
He announced he would send 1,000 active-duty soldiers to North Carolina to help.
Ivanka Trump has focused on her family and philanthropic work since leaving the White House.
She has worked with CityServe to deliver goods and supplies to groups of displaced people, from refugees in Ukraine to those devastated by the fires in Maui, Hawaii.