Former President Donald Trump visited Monday parts of western North Carolina ravaged by Hurricane Helene, praising the community response to the devastating storm. 

During a stop in Swannanoa, Trump thanked first responders and promised to help rebuild the region after widespread flooding and mudslides caused by Helene. The storm’s death toll has surpassed 230 across the Southeast, including nearly 100 people in North Carolina alone. 

“What happened to this neighborhood, and the communities all across North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Virginia, Tennessee, was an act of absolute devastation,” Trump said. “All of America shares your sorrow and your grief over the past few weeks. This region has seen an extraordinary hardship. But in the midst of such terrible tragedy, we have also seen the extraordinary love that binds us together as Americans.”

Trump thanked the community for banding together after the storm, saying that “nothing is more inspiring than to see the American spirit triumph over adversity with the most selfless acts of generosity and love.”

During his remarks, Trump talked about 51-year-old firefighter Tony Ray Garrison of Fairview, North Carolina, who was killed by a mudslide alongside his nephew as they attempted to help storm victims. 

“In the wake of this horrible storm, many Americans in this region felt helpless, and abandoned, and left behind by their government. And yet, in North Carolina’s hour of desperation, the American people answered the call, much more so than your federal government, unfortunately,” Trump said. 

Trump also brought up Adam Smith, a former Army Green Beret, who has used his helicopter to help rescue those in western North Carolina who were trapped after Helene came through. Smith thanked Trump for coming and visiting, saying it would help people not to forget about the region. 

“To have you here, to have an opportunity to have this conversation on a national level, will keep western North Carolina on the map, and not leave the communities holding the bag on the back end of this,” Smith said. 

Brian Burpeau, the owner of Swannanoa automotive shop, Diamondback 4×4, said his entire shop was flooded. 

“We’ve lost bridges, we’ve lost businesses, we lost homes, we’ve lost people,” he said. “The devastation here is just not anything I would have ever imagined.” 

Trump was accompanied at the event by Senator Ted Budd, who said it would take years to rebuild the region after Helene. The former president has raised around $8 million for those impacted by the storm, of which $7 million has already been distributed.