Vance to tour Helene recovery efforts in North Carolina

Vice President-elect JD Vance is expected to travel Friday to Fairview, North Carolina, to survey Hurricane Helene recovery efforts, a source familiar with the trip told NBC News.

Vance is scheduled to meet with first responders and visit a home renovation project, this person added. He also will meet with the family of Tony Ray Garrison, a fire battalion chief who died while rescuing victims of a Helene-related mudslide in late September.

Outside of meetings and events surrounding President-elect Donald Trump’s transition efforts, the North Carolina visit will be Vance’s first trip since last month’s election.

Vance surveyed Helene damage during an October campaign trip, touring storm-battered Damascus, Virginia. Appearing that day with Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a fellow Republican, Vance spoke about the importance of federal assistance to recovery efforts there and “especially North Carolina.” Vance also pledged to “do what we can to help this community and communities all across Appalachia rebuild.” 

Flanked by Youngkin and local officials as he took questions, Vance lauded FEMA for providing “a lot of resources,” while also arguing that President Joe Biden's administration “could be doing a whole lot better … making people feel like they matter.” 

“For so long, this community has been ignored, and they feel like their government is ignoring them once again,” Vance said. “We have got to change that.” 

Vance will soon resign his U.S. Senate seat in Ohio, where after taking office in January 2023 he became known for his responsiveness to local crises, such as the toxic train derailment in East Palestine and a string of tornadoes this year in western Ohio.