President Biden traveled today to Florida and Georgia, where he toured pockets of devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. He promised that the federal government would not abandon the communities that were damaged by one of the deadliest storms in American history.

Most of the 198 reported deaths — a figure that officials expect to rise — occurred far from Florida, where the storm first made landfall. Many of the hardest-hit areas were in and around western North Carolina, where residents were not prepared to evacuate.

The heavy toll of hurricanes far away from the coastline is not new. From 2013 to 2022, more than half of deaths attributed to tropical cyclones were caused by inland flooding. “Inland deaths are growing because there’s too much focus on the coast,” a former FEMA administrator said, adding that he expected more discussion about the use of mandatory evacuation orders in inland areas.

Several towns were left without food, water, phone service or gas. Supplies are now flowing into many of the most ravaged areas, but language barriers made it difficult for some Latino communities to find support.

Looking back: For years, North Carolina lawmakers have rejected building standards that experts now say could have prevented some damage.