Vice President-elect JD Vance spent Friday afternoon in Western North Carolina, where he toured storm damage, received updates on recovery efforts and thanked first responders in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Vance began the afternoon at the Fairview Volunteer Fire Department, where he met with first responders and thanked them for their response to the storm. He also met with the family of Battalion Chief Tony Ray Garrison, who died while rescuing victims of a landslide caused by Helene. The VP-elect toured the fire department, which flooded during the storm, and saw images of the devastation in the area. Vance also visited a home in Fairview that was destroyed by the hurricane and is now the site of a Samaritan’s Purse recovery project. As the VP-elect spoke to reporters after the meeting with the family and touring the home, he reiterated that he has not forgotten about the people of …
