Washington — President Biden will provide an update on it Wednesday evening Hurricane Milton ahead of the expected landfall in Florida, as he urged Floridians in the storm’s path to evacuate, calling it “a matter of life and death.”
It is expected to be one of the worst storms of this century, Biden said. “The storm surge is expected to be up to 4 meters high,” he warned. Evacuation at this late date is “probably difficult,” the president said, adding that “sometimes moving just a few miles can mean the difference between life and death,” he said.
Earlier in the day he had said: ‘It looks like the storm of the century.’ He added: “I urge everyone in the path of Hurricane Milton to follow all safety instructions as we move into the next 24 hours.”
Mr. Biden postponed his trip to Germany and Angola this week so he could oversee the federal government’s response to the hurricane, which towards the west coast of Florida as a Category 3 storm. Biden was scheduled to leave for Germany on Thursday and then travel to Angola in southern Africa. The trip would have been Biden’s first visit to Africa as president.
Officials briefing the president and Vice President Kamala Harris on hurricane preparations said conditions will deteriorate rapidly in the coming hours. They warned of a storm surge of 10 to 15 feet above ground level stretching from the Tampa Bay region south to Fort Myers and Naples. A wider area is at risk of devastating winds, widespread power outages and structural damage, they said.
Deanna Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, who is traveling to Florida on Wednesday evening, assured that the agency is prepared to support any state affected by the storms. She also warned that it may be too late for some to evacuate safely.
“Some of you may be able to evacuate others safely, but it may be too late,” Criswell said at the White House news conference. “Again, I want you to listen to your local officials, they will know exactly what else you can do.”
Mr. Biden said he had approved emergency declarations in Florida and offered state and local officials “everything they need.” He also gave them his personal phone number so they could contact him if any problems arose, he said.
“We have committed unprecedented resources to address this crisis,” the president said. “We will continue to do this until the job is done.”
“This is going to be a catastrophic storm. It will be a potentially deadly storm. Please listen to your local officials as they will give you the best information on what to do, where you are.”
The president also condemned those who have spread misinformation about the government’s rescue and recovery operations, saying this is “harming those who need the help most.”
“Former President Trump led the onslaught of lies,” Biden said.
Claims that people’s property is being confiscated, that crisis funds are being diverted to undocumented migrants and that hurricane victims will receive only $750 in aid are “simply not true,” Biden said.
“It’s beyond ridiculous. It has to stop,” he said. “At times like these, there are no red states or blue states, there is one United States of America, where neighbors help neighbors, volunteers and first responders risk everything, including their own lives, to help their fellow Americans. State, local and federal officials stand side by side.”
