SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN)

"As Hurricane Helene made climate change an early focus of the vice-presidential debate, the running mates quickly demonstrated the stark differences between the parties on the issue."

"Residents of two south Florida counties are feuding over the proposed construction of a huge trash incineration plant that environmentalists say will subject thousands of people to toxic fumes and a risk of polluted drinking water."

"Widespread devastation left behind by Hurricane Helene came to light Monday across the South, revealing a wasteland of splintered houses, crushed cargo containers and mud-covered highways in one of the worst storms in U.S. history. The death toll topped 130."

"The Harris campaign accused Trump of a lack of empathy, and the Trump campaign said Harris should visit the areas affected."

"VALDOSTA, Ga. — The two candidates for president ventured carefully into the politics of Hurricane Helene on Monday, with Vice President Kamala Harris canceling West Coast campaign stops to attend a storm briefing in Washington and former president Donald Trump delivering remarks from a Georgia city battered by the storm.

"The president, who plans to travel to North Carolina this week, said he might need to call Congress in for a special session after it did not include additional disaster relief in its spending bill."

"Some residents east of Atlanta were evacuated while others were told to shelter in place Sunday to avoid contaminants from a chemical plant fire that sent a massive plume of dark smoke high into the sky that could be seen from miles away."

"On Thursday night Helene crashed into Florida’s coast as a Category 4 hurricane. ... The disaster underscores Americans’ dangerously low levels of flood insurance coverage, especially away from coastal areas."

"Authorities struggled to get water and other supplies to isolated, flood-stricken areas across the U.S. Southeast in the wake of Hurricane Helene as the death toll from the storm rose. A North Carolina county that includes the mountain city of Asheville reported 30 people killed due to the storm, and several other fatalities reported in North Carolina Sunday pushed the overall death toll to at least 91 people across several states."

"The National Hurricane Center has warned of the risk of significant landslides through Friday in parts of Tennessee, Georgia and the Carolinas."