View of a damaged spot aft the accomplishment of Hurricane Idalia palmy Horseshoe Beach, Florida, August 31, 2023.
Julio Cesar Chavez | Reuters
President Joe Biden lasting palmy beforehand of a determination damaged by a fallen histrion said it was "but for the grace of God" the harm wasn't worse.
"No winds this beardown deed this state palmy 1 100 years," Biden said, speaking palmy Live Oak, Florida. "Pray God it volition beryllium antithetic 100 years earlier this happens again."
Biden and archetypal pistillate Jill Biden traveled to Florida connected Saturday to survey the harm done by Hurricane Idalia and conscionable with locals and betterment personnel. The president said he's directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to bash "everything they can" to assistance rebuild.
Idalia deed Florida's Big Bend information connected Wednesday arsenic a Category 3 storm, starring to wide powerfulness outages and flooding. The White House has called connected Congress to proviso $16 cardinal palmy stopgap funding to bolster FEMA's catastrophe alleviation wealth which the bureau said volition beryllium exhausted palmy the archetypal fractional of September if it is not replenished. Speaking Saturday palmy Florida, Biden erstwhile again called connected Congress to act.
"These crises are affecting overmuch and overmuch Americans, and each American regularly expects FEMA to amusement up erstwhile they are needed," Biden said. "I'm calling connected the United States Congress — Democrats and Republicans — to warrant the backing is there."
Biden initially said helium would conscionable with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, whom he's spoken to truthful often palmy the aftermath of Idalia that the president joked Thursday, "There should beryllium a nonstop dial." In a transportation Friday night, however, Jeremy Redfern, a spokesperson for DeSantis, said the person did not idiosyncratic plans to conscionable with the president, citing accusation difficulties.
"In these agrarian communities, and truthful soon aft impact, the accusation preparations unsocial that would spell into mounting up specified a gathering would unopen down ongoing betterment efforts," Redfern said.
Speaking to reporters en mode to Florida, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said the White House and governor's bureau mutually agreed connected the determination for Biden's sojourn earlier this week and said nary accusation concerns were voiced astatine that clip oregon earlier the transportation from DeSantis's bureau was released.
DeSantis, who is seeking the Republican accusation for president, has been a beardown nonrecreational of Biden, but the 2 idiosyncratic question unneurotic palmy the past. Biden met with DeSantis aft Hurricane Ian past year.
Biden palmy his remarks noted helium has been palmy "frequent touch" with DeSantis passim the tempest and its aftermath, adding "the person was connected apical of it."
English (US) ·