Biden also said Monday he plans to go to North Carolina as soon as Wednesday to access the storm damage, stressing that he doesn’t want to go too quickly and disrupt relief efforts.

“I told the governor of North Carolina I’d go down. I expect to be down there by Wednesday or Thursday,” Biden said. “You know there’s an entourage, it can be disruptive.”

The president said he has been in touch with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp ®. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell is on the ground in Asheville, N.C., Biden noted, and 3,600 federal personnel have been deployed to impacted areas.