U.S. President Joseph Biden on Thursday declared a state of emergency in North Carolina due to the emergency conditions caused by Hurricane Helene and requested federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts.

The Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will coordinate all disaster relief efforts to alleviate the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency to the local population and to provide appropriate assistance for emergency measures necessary to save lives, protect property, public health and safety, and to minimize or avert the risk of a catastrophe.