Thousands of people attended a memorial on Tuesday morning in West Palm Beach, Florida, for three Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office deputies who were killed in a crash nearly two weeks ago.  

Deputy Sheriff Ignacio “Dan” Diaz, Deputy Sheriff Ralph “Butch” Waller, and Corporal Luis Paez were struck by a Jeep SUV on Nov. 21 while stopped with their motorcycles on the shoulder of Southern Boulevard, just west of Seminole Pratt Whitney Road near Wellington. 

Waller and Paez were pronounced dead at the hospital shortly after the crash, while Diaz was in critical condition and underwent surgery at the hospital but later succumbed to his injuries. 

President-elect Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis were in attendance, according to Trump’s deputy director of communications Margo Martin, who posted images on X of DeSantis, Trump and Eric Trump at the memorial.

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“You can train the deputies to deal with bad guys, for traffic stops, high speed chases,” Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said at a press conference in front of the Fallen Officer’s Memorial Wall at PBSO. “There’s no training for this. They never saw it coming. They never had a chance to try and save themselves.”

More than 7,000 people were expected to attend Tuesday’s memorial, he said.

The public memorial was set to take place at the iTHINK Financial Amphitheater in West Palm Beach. The procession was scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m., followed by an 11 a.m. service, which was expected to end around 2 p.m. 

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President Donald J. Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis attend a memorial service for three fallen Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputies at the South Florida Fairgrounds, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Palm Beach County. (Bill Ingram/Imagn)

Rescue vehicles carry the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputies from the motorcycle unit who were struck and killed by a vehicle. The procession carried the deputies to the PBSO morgue on Nov. 21, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Greg Lovett/Palm Beach Post/Imagn)

Rescue vehicles carry the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputies from the motorcycle unit who were struck and killed by a vehicle to the morgue on Nov. 21, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Greg Lovett/Palm Beach Post/Imagn)

The three deputies were pulled over to the shoulder on their motorcycles, as one of them appeared to have an issue with his bike, Bradshaw said during a press conference after the crash. A woman driving her SUV down Southern Boulevard came upon a driver who was driving slower than her and veered toward the shoulder to pass but “overcompensated” and struck all three deputies, sending them “airborne,” Bradshaw added. 

“People have to take it seriously when you’re driving a vehicle…that’s 2,000 pounds of destruction if it’s not handled properly,” Bradshaw said, adding that the driver is cooperating in the investigation and “feels terrible” about what happened.

The Dec. 3 memorial for Deputy Sheriff Ignacio “Dan” Diaz, Deputy Sheriff Ralph “Butch” Waller, and Corporal Luis Paez, who were struck by a Jeep SUV on Nov. 21 while stopped with their motorcycles on the shoulder of Southern Boulevard, just west of Seminole Pratt Whitney Road near Wellington, Florida. (PBSO/X)

Palm Beach County deputies and others gather on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024 at the South Florida Fairgrounds near Royal Palm Beach for a memorial for three deputies who died in a Nov. 21 crash west of Wellington, Florida. (Bill Ingram/Palm Beach Post)

People watch along State Road 7 on Dec. 3, 2024 as a procession passes by for three Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputies who died last month in a roadside crash. (Damon Higgins/Imagn)

Diaz, 51, joined PBSO in 2004 and had been with the agency’s motor unit for more than 10 years, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.  

Paez, 58, worked for more than 36 years with PBSO, starting as a corrections deputy in 1988 before transitioning to road patrol and ultimately serving as a motor deputy for more than 20 years.

Waller, 54, worked in the motor unit for more than 18 years, beginning his law enforcement career with the Royal Palm Beach Police Department before it merged with PBSO in October 2008.

“It never gets easier,” Bradshaw said, discussing the nature of speaking to relatives of slain officers. “When you look in their eyes, you see that pain…and I never get used to it.” 

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Memorial service for three fallen Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputies on Dec. 3, 2024 in Palm Beach County.  (Bill Ingram/Imagn)

School Police Major J. McCarthy puts his hand on his heart after a motorcade drove by carrying two Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputies who were struck and killed by a vehicle on Thursday morning on Nov. 21, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Greg Lovett/Palm Beach Post/Imagn)

A police officer salutes on Dec. 3, 2024 as a procession for three Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputies who died last month in a roadside crash passes by on the way to the iThink Financial Amphitheatre on the South Florida Fairgrounds campus. (Damon Higgins/Imagn)

The crash is being investigated as a traffic homicide case, Florida Highway Patrol told WPTV. 

President Donald J. Trump, a Secret Service member, his son Eric Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his wife Casey DeSantis attend a memorial service for three fallen Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputies at the South Florida Fairgrounds, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Palm Beach County.  (Bill Ingram/Imagn)

Family members of three fallen Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Deputies attend a memorial service for their loved ones on Dec. 3, 2024, at the South Florida Fairgrounds.  (Bill Ingram/Imagn)

It is unclear if any criminal charges will be filed against the woman who crashed into the deputies, but no charges have been filed against her at this time, the outlet reported. 

“When a deputy dies, a piece of the community dies with them,” Bradshaw said. 

President Biden pledged $1 billion in humanitarian support to Africans displaced by historic droughts and food insecurity on Tuesday, as North Carolina residents continue to rebuild after the devastation left by Hurricane Helene.

“The United States continues to be the world’s largest provider of humanitarian aid and development assistance. That’s going to increase, you know, that’s the right thing for the wealthiest nation in the world to do,” Biden said while speaking in Angola. “Today I’m announcing over $1 billion in new humanitarian support for Africans displaced from homes by historic droughts and food insecurity. We know African leaders and citizens are seeking more than just aid. You seek investment.

“So, the United States is expanding our relationship all across Africa from assistance to aid, investment to trade, moving from patrons to partners to help bridge the infrastructure gap,” he added.

Biden’s visit to Angola this week marks the first time the president has stepped foot on African soil during his presidency, and it comes as people in North Carolina continue to face challenges after Hurricane Helene caused destruction and devastation in late September.

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Last month, the White House requested $98 billion in additional disaster relief funding to help efforts in Helene-ravished areas.

Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle have pledged to act swiftly once they get a formal request from the Biden administration.

On top of that, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told reporters last month that her agency “will need additional funding of approximately $40 billion beyond its 2025 budget request to support the ongoing recovery efforts to these storms and meet our overall mission requirements through the end of the fiscal year.” 

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Married couple Victoria and Jeff, stay on a street with their dog after Hurricane Helene destroyed their motor home about a month ago, in Asheville, North Carolina, on Oct. 29, 2024. (Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via Getty Images)

Still, until these funds are in place, some continue to slam Biden’s legacy of putting foreign countries before his own, which was seen Tuesday as a video of Biden making the $1 billion announcement in Africa made the rounds on social media.

“BREAKING: Joe Biden just announced a $1B aid package for AFRICAN nations that are rebuilding from natural disasters. What about North Carolina? This is DISGUSTING,” one user on X wrote.

“This is by far the WORST President of all time,” another said on X.

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Destroyed cars remain in a river after the flooding caused by Hurricane Helene in Asheville, North Carolina. (Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via Getty Images)

Still, one more user asked, “Can anyone please explain why Joe Biden hates America so much?”

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the matter.

Helene ravaged part of the U.S. Southeast in late September, killing more than 100 people in North Carolina alone.

It’s estimated to have caused billions of dollars worth of damage as well.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., previously told Fox News Digital that he believed it could be one of the most expensive storms in U.S. history. 

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

As the holiday season begins, residents of western North Carolina who lost everything during Hurricane Helene want their fellow Americans to keep them in mind.

Some people in hard-hit areas like Swannanoa and Burnsville, or in hard-to-reach places nestled in the Appalachian Mountains, are still living in tents or RVs where their homes once stood. 

“We’ve been delivering campers,” Robert Pearson, a member of the Louisiana-based rescue organization Cajun Navy 2016, told Fox News Digital. “We delivered one just an hour before we’re doing this interview, and we’ve got two more we’re going to deliver this afternoon. But people have been donating campers to us, and we’ve been doing whatever we can to try to help. We have a list of people that need help.”

Cajun Navy 2016 is a group of civilian volunteers that formed after Hurricane Katrina to help those in need during and after disasters. They have had volunteers on the ground, including Pearson, since Sept. 27, the day Helene struck the North Carolina mountains.

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“When we first got here, it was just utter chaos. There was a complete infrastructure failure. There were no phones, no electric, no water,” Pearson said. “And I’ll be honest with you, nobody knew what to do. We had wound up in a little town called Clyde, and they had their fire department destroyed. Like, just one whole section of town just had gotten wiped out there. And we stayed there.”

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The town of Montreat offered Cajun Navy 2016 a building to house 30 beds, and when volunteers filled all 30 beds, Montreat gave them another building for more beds, Pearson said. 

People are still without cars, heating or internet in some places. 

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“Just looking at it in person [versus] seeing the pictures, it’s just hard to imagine how bad it is. … I went through Katrina, and this is Katrina-like to me,” Pearson said. “The damage is every bit as bad. It’s just different because it’s in the mountains, 100 yards this way, everything’s fine. But 20 miles down this river, it’s just utter chaos.”

An aerial view of destroyed and damaged buildings in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene flooding on Oct. 8 in Bat Cave, N.C. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Some can’t rebuild due to government regulations; others can rebuild but don’t have the money. Some are still without vehicles, and others have not found new work after losing their jobs. Bridges across towns and counties were destroyed and will take time to replace.

Pearson recalled delivering a camper to one family after their house was damaged by about 18 inches of flooding during Helene.

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Cajun Navy 2016 has been delivering donated campers to those who need housing in Western North Carolina. (Cajun Navy 2016)

“So, definitely salvageable. Everything could be fixed. But they got this big sticker on the door that says the house has to be razed,” Pearson said. “So … there was a mortgage on the house. It’s not covered by homeowner’s insurance because the river took it out. They didn’t have flood insurance because it wasn’t a flood zone. … They owe a mortgage. They don’t have a house they can live in. What are they going to do? I don’t have an answer for that.”

Pearson delivered another camper to a family of five, including three children, who lost their house in a mudslide. 

“I don’t think they had insurance. This was a 200-year-old home that had been handed down to the family for years and years. They’re just not well-off people, but great people. And they’re running off of generators because they don’t have a house to hook [a] power pole to,” Pearson said. 

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People collect donated items at a shuttered gas station along the Swannanoa River in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Oct. 7 in Swannanoa, N.C. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Counties that were dependent on the fall tourism season lost millions of dollars in revenue. Buncombe County officials are estimating a 70% loss in revenue for businesses reliant on tourism and hospitality in the final quarter of 2024, according to WFAE.

Volunteer organizations like Samaritan’s Purse, as well as churches and ministries from across the United States, still have boots on the ground in various towns around western North Carolina. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) also has employees still deployed in the area.  

FEMA recently came under fire after former supervisor Marn’i Washington instructed the agency’s relief workers to avoid reaching out to homeowners in Florida who had Trump signs displayed outside their homes after Hurricane Milton, which struck the U.S. about two weeks after Helene. Washington appeared on “Fox News @ Night” on Nov. 14 and said she was “simply executing” orders from her superiors to avoid political encounters that could be hostile. 

FEMA did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital when asked to comment for this story.

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In North Carolina, FEMA has so far approved “$722 million to support survivors with housing repairs, personal property replacement and other essential recovery efforts” and $1.1 billion for debris removal and other emergency protective services, according to a press release from the agency. FEMA has also deployed more than 4,800 personnel to the affected areas.

Americans from across the country have been donating everything from RVs to cars to tree-cutting and roof repair services to those in need. But what western North Carolina needs most now is money, according to those in the area.

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Some people in hard-hit areas like Swannanoa and Burnsville, or in hard-to-reach places nestled in the Appalachian Mountains, are still living in tents or RVs where their homes once stood. (Cajun Navy 2016)

Coree Loffink, a resident of Bakersville, told Fox News Digital that locals are struggling to get their day-to-day necessities because some large grocery stores are still closed and certain roads remain inaccessible. 

“A lot of people are still living out of campers or looking for campers to live out of because they’re … living out of their cars or living in neighbors’ houses,” Loffink said. “But yesterday is going to be our last day of warm weather after this. … The high next week on Tuesday is 28 degrees, the low is like 14. So it is going to be a struggle for having heating sources out here.”

Even two months after Helene, while many roads and properties look better than they did after Sept. 27, “there’s still so much struggle and so much personal struggle and individual struggle from family to family,” Loffink said.

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Mekenzie Craig brushes mud off a photo from her wedding that survived the mudslide that killed her in-laws on Sept. 27. (Adam Eugene Willis for Fox News Digital)

“It’s going to be a problem here for at least a few years for rebuilding, you know, creating jobs, just people trying to figure out their lives.” she said. “Do they want to stay? Do they want to go? If they stay, they have to try and rebuild. It’s just there’s a lot of complicated and stressful things that have popped up since the hurricane for families here.”

Loffink said it’s been hard to drive by the same destruction every day that cost some people their lives.

“A lot of people still say they cry every day, whether it be for a loved one, a missing pet, seeing your family home destroyed.”

— Coree Loffink

“There’s people out here who just cry every day because it’s so upsetting,” Loffink said. “I mean, you drive down Green Mountain and you see all the destruction out there. … There are some houses, and they got completely washed away in the Green River, and there’s a cross there. Those families did not make it, and it’s really unfortunate, but they had nowhere to go. And you still [are] going to see that stuff every day when you’re driving around.”

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Amid the destroyed homes, mangled cars and spray-painted orange “X” symbols on trees and rocks where authorities located bodies days after Helene came through, leaves are starting to turn vibrant colors. (Adam Eugene Willis for Fox News Digital)

Volunteers are organizing hot Thanksgiving meals or delivering boxes of Thanksgiving food directly to people to cook themselves at home. 

An Asheville-based charity called Chances for Children Carolinas, which was created by a group of children as a Destination Imagination Club service project to help other children receive scholarships for extracurricular activities, partnered with Grateful Village to host a holiday fundraiser for Helene survivors. 

Volunteers with Chances for Children Carolinas organized a holiday pop-up store with donated giftable items that locals could purchase with vouchers, and 100% of the proceeds go directly back to families in need in western North Carolina. 

Founder Mary Hudson Harrelson and her mother, Anna Harrelson, said they wanted to create a way for people who lost everything to purchase gifts with dignity rather than collect free donations. Harrelson described the people of western North Carolina as resilient and said even those who have lost homes and vehicles are still volunteering to help their neighbors. 

Chances for Children Carolinas is collecting monetary donations through its website, chancesforchildrencarolinas.com, which they put directly into the hands of those in need who apply for assistance.