Tropical Storm Helene was just over four months ago, but its effects are still hurting Southwest Virginia to this day.
Which is why Vice President JD Vance -alongside Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin- paid a visit to the town of Damascus to personally oversee the damage caused by Helene.
It isn’t Vance’s first time in Southwest Virginia, as he visited the area back in October when he was still on the campaign trail.
Today, he was here not only to oversee the damage but to also fulfill his campaign promise that he would return to the town.
As the two men walked through the town, one talking point became common: federal bureaucrats have been too slow getting funds to the area.
“I think the country has decided collectively that we want to help the regions of our country that have been devastated by this flood,” Vance said. “So why aren’t the bureaucrats not doing the American people’s will and holding up the aid here?”
Youngkin brought up his past inquiries for more federal funding and said that Virginians couldn’t wait a single day longer for funds.
“As the vice president said, folks can’t wait, they’ve been waiting for four months since this storm and they don’t need to wait another day,” Youngkin said.
Before Vance left on a plane back to Washington D.C., he did leave the town with a promise that they wouldn’t be forgotten.
“Look this is a part of our country-Appalachian Virginia-that has been ignored and left behind for decades and for generations in this country,” Vance said. “Again, we are never going to be perfect but I promise you that this administration will not forget you. We love you, we’re rooting for you and we want to be a part of this revival in Southwestern Virginia.