A destructive and deadly start to the 2024 hurricane season is becoming embroiled in the politics of the presidential election, as Vice President Kamala Harris seeks to prove the administration’s handle on two storms that have battered the southeastern U.S., while former President Donald Trump claims Americans are being left behind due to mismanagement.

The storms are throwing yet another variable into what has been a hectic election year, with voters in many states already starting to cast ballots.

Hurricane Milton made landfall last week as a Category 3 storm in Florida, bringing a barrage of tornadoes, 8 to 10 feet of storm surge, and knocking out power for millions. While the damage was not as serious as expected, it comes as the state was still in the early days of recovery from Helene, which unleashed massive flooding and damage across most of the southeastern U.S.

Roads, water lines and other infrastructure were destroyed in places like North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia by Helene, stretching disaster assistance resources across several states and adding to the challenge ahead for communities to recover.

The hurricanes also came at a crucial time in politics, with less than a month to go before a presidential election that is anticipated to be one of the most closely decided in American history. Hurricanes are not inherently political events, but the storms bring potential pitfalls for both candidates to navigate in the coming days.

It is uncertain what, if any, impact the hurricanes will have on the presidential election. But beyond the political implications, there are also concerns from both campaigns that the damage brought on by the storms could prevent some people from voting in crucial swing states like North Carolina and Georgia.

Harris is facing the challenge of proving the administration she is a part of is ready at the wheel and doing everything it can to help the millions of Americans impacted by the storms. She has revised her campaign schedule over the past week to include briefings on hurricane response, meetings with local officials, and called in to CNN and the Weather Channel to answer questions about the hurricanes and resources available for people affected.

“These are enormous disasters that would challenge any administration,” said David Cohen, a political science professor and director of the University of Akron’s Applied Politics program. “What the Biden administration has to do is keep referring back to the state leadership and the governors, some of whom are Republican, that are saying the federal government is being extremely responsive and giving them everything that they’re asking for.”

Trump has spent the past two weeks blasting the White House’s response to Helene, accusing the administration of failing to help people and claiming FEMA is prioritizing Democratic-leaning areas and sending money to migrants instead of storm victims, charges the administration has forcefully denied.

“This has been the worst hurricane response by a president and vice president since Katrina, and this is simply not acceptable,” Trump said at a Pennsylvania rally. “They’re offering them $750 to people whose homes have been washed away, and yet we send tens of billions of dollars to foreign countries that most people have never heard of.”

The $750 payments referenced are meant to help disaster victims with immediate costs but are only a small piece of federal funds they can be eligible for.

The former president also quickly traveled to a disaster area in Georgia on Sept. 30, while the White House stayed away over concerns they would interfere with recovery efforts.

Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, has also criticized the administration for failing to act fast enough and letting valuable time slip by before deploying troops to help in search-and-rescue missions and other tasks.

A risk both candidates are facing is appearing to politicize a natural disaster. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis accused Harris of politicizing the storms after reports surfaced about him ignoring her calls, while the vice president has frequently criticized Trump for politicizing the storms and response.

“It’s not like people who are supporting Trump are going to realize that he’s all of a sudden sharing disinformation and then change their mind all of a sudden about voting for him,” Cohen said. “It might matter among independent voters and swing voters if they realize that Trump is intentionally sharing erroneous information and that it’s very dangerous.”

Harris’ campaign has also released an ad of former Trump administration officials criticizing him for politicizing disasters in the past.

The White House has also been trying to beat down misinformation and rumors about FEMA’s response to the hurricanes for days, even taking new steps like creating a Reddit account to provide information about the ongoing response to the hurricane and recovery efforts. FEMA has created a “Rumor Response” page in another effort to address the claims being made on social media.

Administration officials, all the way to Biden, have addressed concerns about the scope of the false rumors circulating online and the dangers they pose to hurricane victims.

“I think the biggest impact that I’m concerned about, potential impacts, are the fact that it’s creating distrust in the federal government, but also the state government,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said on a call with reporters Tuesday. “I need people to register for assistance and they’re misrepresenting the types of programs that FEMA offers, and it’s creating fear in some of the individuals.”

President Joe Biden, who has also been targeted by attacks for the administration’s response, has forcefully rejected those claims and also called on the country to come together to help each other in a time of need.

“In moments like this, there are no red or blue states. There’s one United States of America, where neighbors are helping neighbors; volunteers and first responders are risking everything, including their own lives, to help their fellow Americans; state, local, and federal officials are standing side by side,” Biden said.

Have a news tip? Contact Austin Denean at atdenean@sbgtv.com or at x.com/austindenean.