In October,  President of the United States Joe Biden made his way down to South Georgia to provide aid and support from Hurricane Helene. 

Biden visited many different  cities in South Georgia, including Valdosta. 

From the end of September to the beginning of October, Hurricane Helene made its way through the southeastern part of the United States. 

Valdosta was one of the major cities impacted heavily by Helene’s destruction, causing the VSU campus to be shut down for two weeks in need of removing all hazardous debris. 

The storm heavily devastated the community, leaving homes and businesses destroyed by Helene’s damage. 

Many communities were still without power and running water even after the storm was gone. 

During that time, the campus did its best to ensure all students’ issues and disabilities were met. 

When Biden made his way down to Valdosta, he stopped by VSU and met with President Richard Carvajal and discussed the matter of the hurricane aftermath. 

Dr. Carvajal described his encounter with Biden. 

“It was an honor to meet President Biden, but I was fully aware that he was in South Georgia solely because of the horrific damage to our community because of Hurricane Helene, ” said Dr. Carvajal. 

Dr. Carvajal also spoke about why Biden came to Valdosta. 

“He came personally to inspect Hurricane Helene’s impact and his stop in Valdosta was especially focused on the storm’s effect on our military and agricultural and forestry industry,” said Carvajal. 

The VSU president described his discussion with the Biden. 

“After exchanging greetings, we turned our attention to the local impact of the storm. I thanked him for focusing the eyes of the nation on our damages, noting that many people were hurting and needed help,” said Carvajal. 

 Biden didn’t just stop there; he also visited the mayor of Valdosta, Scott Matheson, to further discuss ways to clean Lowndes County. 

According to the Matheson, he received some attention from the president that he didn’t expect. 

Biden surprised Matheson by inviting him to ride in the presidential vehicle from Valdosta all the way to Moody Air Force Base. 

On the ride, Biden and Matheson were the only two people sitting in the back seat, with two Secret Service officials sitting in the front seat. 

During the 25-minute journey, Biden shared stories from his political career as Matheson listened attentively. 

Biden jokingly informed the mayor that it was only to be a one-way trip. Matheson said he truly appreciated the experience that not many people tend to have.  

Written by Armone’ Gates, Staff Reporter. Photo courtesy of VSU.