President Biden (right) walks while touring areas affected by Hurricane Milton in St. Pete Beach, Florida, following his aerial tour on Sunday.
Manuel Balse Senator/AP
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Manuel Balse Senator/AP
ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — President Biden is making his second trip to Florida in recent weeks, this time to inspect the damage caused by Hurricane Milton to the state’s west coast.
Biden landed in Tampa early Sunday, where he was joined by federal and local officials before flying by helicopter to St. Pete Beach, a barrier island that was particularly hard hit by the storm.
Milton’s total damage was far less than forecasters expected, but some communities, such as inland communities around St. Pete and Tampa, suffered damage first brought on by Helen and further worsened by Milton. We are dealing with the wreckage.
“It was a devastating event for some people,” Biden said of Milton during his speech. “Probably all the people who lost their homes, and more importantly, the people who lost their lives, lost their families, lost all their belongings.”
Biden’s motorcade drove through the devastation caused by Milton, and he spoke from the hard-hit St. Pete Beach area. Entire buildings were demolished, and crooked palm trees and piles of rubble still litter the streets. A hotel sign that read “Come as a guest, leave as a friend” was toppled.
As part of his visit, Biden announced $612 million for six Department of Energy projects to improve the resiliency of power grids in hurricane-hit areas. This includes $94 million for two projects in Florida. $47 million to Gainesville Regional Power Company and $47 million to Switched Source Inc., which will help modernize existing infrastructure, in partnership with utility company Florida Power & Light.
President Biden spoke Sunday in St. Pete Beach, Florida, where he was touring areas affected by Hurricane Milton, as he was briefed by federal, state and local officials.
Manuel Balse Senator/AP
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Manuel Balse Senator/AP
About 850,000 customers across the state remain without power. According to PowerOutage.us, As of 3 p.m. ET, that’s down from more than 3 million homes without power after Milton hit.
Biden’s speech took place in front of a collapsed building just off Gulf Boulevard in St. Pete Beach.
Biden said disaster relief is not a partisan issue, in what appeared to be an indirect response to criticism from former President Donald Trump and other Republicans.
“We are one America,” Biden said.
Trump and others have falsely claimed that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has no money for hurricane recovery due to immigration and foreign war spending (none of these claims is true). isn’t it).
On Friday, Biden approved a major disaster declaration for Florida, freeing federal funds that residents and business owners can use for temporary housing, home repairs and low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses. Biden said he has directed FEMA to open 10 disaster recovery centers across the state to help residents access federally assisted resources.
Conspicuously absent from Biden’s visit was Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who got into an argument with Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris after the storm.
NBC News reported last week DeSantis reportedly refused to respond to Harris’ calls regarding hurricane relief, a charge the Republican governor denies. DeSantis claimed Harris was trying to “politicize the storm.” Harris criticized him, calling him “totally irresponsible” and “selfish.”
