President Biden on Sunday announced $600 million in aid for areas hit by Hurricanes Milton and Helene as he toured Florida’s storm-damaged St. Pete Beach region.
“This is all a team effort, folks. It has made a big difference,” Biden said. “And it has saved lives. But there is much more to do, and we are going to do everything we can to get power back into your homes, not only to help you recover, but to help you bounce back stronger build.”
Mr. Biden thanked local officials, first responders and health care workers for their help, emphasizing that “in moments like these, we come together, not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans. … We are one United States.”
He also said he knew “how devastating it is to lose your home” as his home in Delaware was struck by lightning and damaged years ago. According to news reports at the time, the strike resulted in a small fire in the kitchen that was brought under control within 20 minutes.
Energy Secretary Granholm also spoke, along with several local officials.
Previously, Mr Biden toured the destruction caused on Florida’s Gulf Coast Through Hurricane Milton and spoke with emergency workers and local residents.
Biden’s visit to Florida gives him another opportunity to put pressure on the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson to get lawmakers to provide more funding before the Nov. 5 election. Johnson has said the issue will be dealt with after the election.
Mr. Biden left early Sunday morning, with FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell among others traveling aboard Air Force One.
Biden announces more than $600 million in aid
“I think Speaker Johnson is going to get the message that he needs to step up, especially for small businesses,” Biden told reporters Friday as he and Harris met with aides to discuss the federal response to Hurricanes Milton and Helene. Biden and Johnson have yet to discuss the issue directly.
In Florida, Mr. Biden announced $612 million for six Department of Energy projects in areas hit by the hurricanes to improve the resiliency of the region’s power grid, the White House said. The funding includes $94 million for two projects in Florida: $47 million for Gainesville Regional Utilities and $47 million for Switched Source to partner with Florida Power and Light.
‘We are one United States’
Mr. Biden spoke of government relief efforts “from state and local to FEMA and us, the Coast Guard Army Corps of Engineers, the Energy Department, Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Defense, to name a few.”
“FEMA has delivered 1.2 million meals in over 300,000 gallons of water and 2 million gallons of fuel, and to date we have installed 100 satellite terminals to restore communications in affected areas so families can talk to contact their loved ones to make sure everything is okay. Okay, and you can also ask for help.
“Speaking of assistance, so far we have opened 10 disaster recovery centers in Florida and more will follow, so people can contact officials all at once and get the federal assistance they deserve.” He said direct, immediate financial assistance was available, including interest-free loans, mortgage relief and more.
For a more complete overview of disaster assistance programs, residents can go online to disasterAssistance.gov, or call 1-800-621-FEMA.
Recent hurricanes and the government’s response have added a new layer to the presidential race
With less than four weeks to go until Election Day, the hurricanes have added a new dimension to the closely contested presidential race.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has said the Biden administration’s storm response was lacking, especially in North Carolina after Hurricane Helene. And Mr. Biden and Harris have hammered Trump for promoting falsehoods about the federal response.
Trump made a series of false claims after Helene struck in late September, including the false claim that the federal government is deliberately withholding aid from Republican disaster victims. He also falsely claimed that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had run out of money because it had all gone illegally to immigrant programs in the country.
Mr Biden has said Trump was “not particularly” responsible for the spreading false claims in recent weeks, but that he has the “biggest mouth”.
The head of Homeland Security warns that FEMA has run out of relief funds
The president insists swift action from Congress to ensure the Small Business Administration and FEMA have the money they need to weather the hurricane season, which ends Nov. 30 in the Atlantic. He said Friday that Milton alone had caused an estimated $50 billion in damage.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said last week that FEMA will be able to meet the “immediate needs” caused by the two storms. But he warned in the aftermath of Helene that the agency does not have enough funding to weather the hurricane season.
But Johnson has pushed back, saying the agencies have enough money for now and that lawmakers will tackle the funding issue in the post-election lame-duck session.
Harris and DeSantis trade accusations about storm responses
Tensions between Harris and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. As Helene barreled toward Florida last week, the Democratic vice president and Republican governor traded accusations that the other was trying to politicize the federal storm response.
Harris’ office suggested last week that DeSantis was dodging her calls. DeSantis responded that he did not know she had called and grumbled that she had not been involved in the federal government’s response before becoming the Democratic presidential nominee.
For his part, Mr. Biden said he hoped to see DeSantis on Sunday, if the governor’s schedule allowed.
“He has been very cooperative,” Mr. Biden said of DeSantis. He added: “We got along really well.”
DeSantis said Saturday he had no details about the president’s visit.
During Sunday’s visit, Biden called the storm recovery “a team effort, folks.” It made a big difference and it saved lives. But there is much more to do. And we are going to do everything we can to get power back into your homes. , to not only help you recover, but to help you come back stronger.”
Hurricane Milton landed in Florida as a Category 3 storm on Wednesday evening. At least ten people were killed and hundreds more thousands of inhabitants remain without power.
“Earlier this morning I took an aerial tour of St. Petersburg and its battered coastline,” Biden said. “I flew over Tropicana Field and… the roof almost completely came off. But thank God not many people were hurt. I spoke to first responders who were working around the clock. I also met small business owners and homeowners here they took a real hit [with] successive storms. And they are heartbroken and exhausted, and their expenses are piling up.”
Officials say the toll could have been worse if that wasn’t the case large-scale evacuations. The still fresh ones destruction caused by Helene just two weeks earlier likely prompted many people to flee.
Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP
