Good day. Im Chris Jansing, live at Msnbc Headquarters in new York City. An unthinkable tragedy on every level, with communities torn apart, with the Death Toll from Hurricane Helene rising almost by the hour, the focus shifts now to the basics. Food, water, gas, power, as Tens Of Thousands plead for help that for many still hasnt come. The president says that help is on the way, but how long can people hold out . Plus, after killing Hezbollahs Leader, israel issues a stark warning to the rest of its enemies. You can run, but you cant hide. Now the u. S. Secretary of state claims that diplomacy remains the only path to peace. And the path towards the second largest Voting Bloc in the u. S. At a whole new level. Kamala harris blasting Donald Trump as he doubles down on his antimigrant messaging and his attacks on her. A lot to get to. A very busy monday. But we begin down south, where residents are facing a Mindnumbing Level of devastation left by Hurricane Helene. Lives and homes lost, futures upended. Roughly three and a half days after the Hurricane First came ashore, these are the headlines today. Officials still trying to get their arms around what one north Carolina City councilman described as postapocalyptic. This is what he was looking at. The area of Lake Lure and chimney rock, where a wall of water ripped through the area and left this behind. An Hour North outside of asheville, homes in swanonia were carried away or torn in half, all but erasing that town from the map. At least 116 deaths have now been blamed on the storm in six states. And that includes a mom and her 1monthold twins. They were altogether in a bed in their bed in a Mobile Home in georgia when it struck. A pair of sheriffs deputies were swept away by floodwaters in North Carolina and a Veteran Fire Chief in South Carolina died while responding to the storm. Hundreds more have been reported missing, although the hope is that many of them are in areas that just havent been reached yet. And with Cell Service down, they cant call out to say theyre okay. Roughly 1. 8 million people are still without power in florida, georgia, and the carolinas, and basic necessities are in short supply, pushing residents to their emotional limits. Theres no gas, theres no stores open, its cash only. The atms thats down. There are little babies that have nothing to drink. I havent seen my kids. Im tired, im hungry, still have no power. I have no gas to get to my kids. And i dont know where to get gas. So theres that. Priscilla thompson is in irwin, tennessee, and Nbcs Gabe Gutierrez is at the White House for us. Priscilla, there are 150 people missing just in tennessee. And i know you spoke to some of their families. What did they tell you . Reporter yeah, well, chris, they are growing more desperate by the day. They have been showing up with photos of their Loved Ones at these official Press Conferences, hoping for answers. And what we heard from Officials Today on day four of their operations is that this is no longer a Search And Rescue mission, is that this is now a Search And Recovery mission. And so, these families are looking for closure and there are also a lot of questions. We spoke to the families of two families who were missing Loved Ones, and they say that their Loved Ones were working in a factory when the floodwaters began to rise. And they have questions about why it is that officials were able to evacuate the local hospital, but were not able to make it to those folks who were working in this factory. I want to play a little bit of what one of the translators on the ground was able to translate about what these folks were saying. Take a listen. He says that the last communication that he had with her, she said, the water, you know, the waters Coming Up. Its rising. And weve been trying to call 911, but they already told us that their priority is the hospital. And he says, i dont understand. Theres a difference in the platforms. The Trailer Platform and the hospital. And why was that their priority . Reporter and these families say that they were out helping to search for their Loved Ones. They believe that their bodies were found, but that they still havent been called by authorities to confirmed that. No one has called them to confirm that. It has been agonizing for them, knowing that they believe that their Loved Ones are gone, but not having that confirmation. Now, at this point, the state of tennessee has only confirmed officials have only confirmed a toll of four deaths. But as you mentioned, there are more than 150 people who are still missing. And Officials Today saying that this is no longer a rescue effort, but that it is going to be a Recovery Effort now that the waters have fully receded. Chris . So priscilla, as you talk to people at the Family Reunion Center win mean, were all so used to this, right . We get not just Phone Calls and texts on this, but we get our information. I mean, is there a huge Power Vacuum . Are they able to go into the center and get the latest . Tell me what theyre doing to try to an the many questions that they have . Yeah, well, that is essentially what they have been doing. Showing up for the Press Conferences that are happening, 1 00 in the morning, 1 00 in the afternoon. Trying to glean what they can, even asking questions of officials here. And officials have said that one of the challenges with trying to get in touch with families and do a lot of this verification is the communication issues. And so theyre really just trying to rebuild a lot of that fracture. You can see if you look behind me, this blue tent, theyre currently building a mobile hospital here, trying to get generators connected and things like that, because the hospital here also flooded. Theyre deal with a lot of infrastructure issues, as folks are trying to get information, trying to communicate, and trying to deal with the sheer amount of devastation. Chris . Truly unfathomable. Priscilla, thank you so much for that. The president has said that he is on top of this. He has been in constant communication with the many states that have been impacted by this. Let me go to Nbcs Gabe Gutierrez, who is at the White House. What are you hearing from inside 1600 pen . Reporter hi, there, chris, good afternoon. Well, this is day where the president will have to fulfill his role as consoler in chief. And if you can excuse some of the music playing behind me, a band is playing out the olympians and paralympians who are being honored here at the White House just a few moments ago. But before that, earlier this morning, President Biden spoke about the federal response to this ongoing disaster, saying more than 3,600 federal personnel were deployed to the region. And that he had already signed Emergency Disaster declarations for many states, florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, georgia, virginia, and alabama. Lets listen to some more of what he had to say. I want them to know, were not leaving until the job is done. I also want you to know, im committed to traveling to the impacted areas as soon as possible. But ive been told that it would be disruptive if i did it right now. We will not do that and risk diverting or delaying any of the response aspects needed to deal with this crisis. The president went on to say to hope to make it to the affected region by wednesday or thursday. But hes waiting for a time where his Presence Wont be so disruptive. The president also saying, quote, the nation has your back. However, chris, this is already becoming an issue on the campaign trail. Vice president harris cutting her West Coast Swing short, coming back here to d. C. , where shes expected to receive a Fema Briefing at Fema Headquarters later on this afternoon. Former President Trump, though, is in Southern Georgia this afternoon, where he has been criticizing the biden administration and his opponent, Vice President harris, for not doing more over the weekend. And for fundraising in california. We should point out that the former president also held Campaign Events over the weekend. However, this is already, as i said, playing into the campaign, chris. Thank you so much for that. We also mentioned a at the top of the show, the devastation surrounding asheville, North Carolina. George solis is there for us. Whats the latest youre Seeing And Hearing . Reporter yeah, chris, its really just a dire situation. Were in the river arts district, which is an area that is known for a lot of tourism. This time yesterday, this whole area was still underwater, by these waters that are slow to recede after tropical Storm Helene really ravaged this area, on top of all of the rain that fell before it. Behind me, you can see the level of destruction here. Some of these Business Owners are getting their first glance at the destruction here, and it is heartbreaking. As you can see the despair on their faces as they look and kind of ravage through and rubble through the look through the rubble, excuse me, for anything that they can advantage uptothe. Theyre also dealing with people trying to steal things from their belongings. It really is just a tragedy upon tragedy. And its really starting to speak to the level of Desperation And Frustration thats happening here. A lot of focus really complaining they havent seen that federal response. Theyre awaiting for any kind of update that says that these resources are going to be here. Some of that information is starting to spread through some of those channels. The other big challenge here, and it has been for days, is the Cell Phone service. It is spotty, at best. You have heard from officials that theyve set up Cell Phone towers that work in some areas, but a lot of people just arent able to communicate with their Loved Ones. The Bunkham Sheriff Updating earlier today saying theyre getting calls left and right for people to do wellness checks. About 11,000 or so. Really just staggering numbers when you think about this area that was hit so hard by this storm. And no definitive timeline on when they are going to get water. Thats really becoming a story line. Residents are helping Each Other with bottles of Water Or Anything they have. Thats eventually going to run out. We have shortages of gas and no power in some areas. Its an issue that keeps compounding upon another issue, so people really dont know how much more they can take, chris. Priscilla thompson, thank you so much for you and your crews for your reporting. With just 36 days before the election, the aftermath of Hurricane Helene is a new Testing Ground for the candidates and in Kamala Harris case, also as Vice President. Harris cut her western Campaign Swing short, Leaving Las Vegas a short time ago for d. C. , to get an Inperson Briefing on helenes impact. On sunday, she spoke by phone to the fema administrator, and according to the White House, plans to visit impacted communities as soon as its possible without disrupting emergency operations. Donald trump, on the other hand, isnt waiting. After criticizing harris initial response, hes going to hardhit valdosta, georgia, to see the damage in person and speak with officials there. Nbcs Garrett Haake is in valdosta for us, two of the states hit hardest by helene are also battleground states, North Carolina, and where you are in georgia. And i understand that Donald Trump has arrived . Thats right, chris. He landed at the Valdosta Airport a short time ago. You know as well as i from covering this kind of thing for a long time, disasters are opportunities for incumbents, be they governors or president s to be on the Ground And Look president ial. Here you see Donald Trump not the incumbent, trying to lean in and take over that spot here in Southern Georgia by being the first of the major candidates on the ground here, just minutes after landing in valdosta, he spoke to reporters and hammered the administration over what he says has been a lack of federal response to this hurricane so far. Listen to this. The federal government is not being responsive, but theyre having a very hard time getting the president on the phone. He wont get on. And of course, the Vice President , shes out some place campaigning, looking for money. So they have to be focused over here. Its too big. This is a really bad one. Reporter chris, i dont think theres any reason to believe that the President Isnt reachable on the phone. The president is president everywhere they go, but here you see former President Trump, essentially trying to take advantage of this, to cast a light on his opponent for being essentially on the wrong coast, when this storm hit. I expect well hear a lot more of that when he gives remarks a little bit later today after touring a Command Center here. You mentioned, two of the hardest Hit States Critical Battleground states, georgia and North Carolina. Therell be opportunity for a long tail here of how this storm might affect the campaign, whos able to go to those states and when. Of course, its Worth Remembering the context here. All of this talk about Donald Trump and his security, he now has the same secret Service Apparatus around him as would a sitting president making a stop in the disaster zone, very closely thereafter. Exactly the kind of thing you hear the president and Vice President talk about not necessarily wanting to do to take up local resources. Chris . Garrett haake, well check back in with you as we hear more and see more from the former president. Appreciate it. Coming up in just 90 seconds, new threats against israel as it expands its operation in lebanon. Iran is vowing the assassination of Hezbollahs Leader will not go unanswered. Weve got that, next. T go unanswered. Weve got that, next i dont have to worry about a Mortgage Payment every month. It allowed me to live in my home and not have to make payments. If youre 62 or older and own your home, you could access a portion of your equity to improve your lifestyle. A reverse Mortgage Loan can eliminate your monthly Mortgage Payments and put taxfree cash in your pocket. It was the best thing ive ever done. Really . Yes without a doubt. 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