On October 7, 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris was the subject of a Vogue cover photoshoot amidst the ongoing efforts to find survivors of Hurricane Helene. The magazine cover was unveiled on Friday, though the photos were taken at the beginning of the same week.
The timing of the photoshoot was notably sensitive, coinciding with both the one-year mark of the deadly Hamas attack in Israel, which resulted in approximately 1,200 fatalities, and the continued search for those missing after Hurricane Helene. The number of unaccounted individuals exceeds 400, as tracked by a volunteer-led Google spreadsheet, with the confirmed death toll surpassing 230 across five states and rising each day.
The News & Observer reported that by Friday, North Carolina’s death count had climbed to 115, up from 92 just a day earlier. Moreover, nearly 70,000 residential and commercial properties in North Carolina and Georgia are still waiting for power restoration.
Harris, on the day she modeled for Vogue—a detail not listed on her official agenda—shared on X details of a website and a contact number for FEMA help, stating: “Disaster assistance is available for Hurricane Helene survivors throughout the southeast.” Nonetheless, Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright highlighted in a discussion with Sara Carter the challenge many face in accessing such resources due to the destruction of their phones and computers. Harris has responded to these concerns by stating that FEMA representatives are actively visiting affected homes to offer support.
