Joe Biden will have two trips to Florida and Puerto Rico next week to assess the damage caused by Hurricanes Fiona and Ian, and will also meet with officials and residents after the hurricanes hit both regions in 10 days.
The White House announced the president’s travel plans this Saturday after leaving His intentions to visit both destinations affected by the hurricanes this week are clear, so both Joe and the first lady, Jill, are expected to visit Puerto Rico and Florida on Monday and Wednesday, respectively, Politico reported.
“It’s not just a crisis for Florida. This is an American crisis. We are all in this together,” Biden said. “I just want the people of Florida to know: We see what you are going through and we are with you.”
Hurricane Ian has devastated parts of Florida after making landfall on Wednesday, and there are fears that search efforts will reveal a higher number of deaths, as rescue forces continue to search for people trapped by floodwaters.
Recently, authorities have reported that more than 200 people have died after the impact of Ian, according to information provided by CNN.
Likewise, more than 1.1 million homes and businesses are still without electricity this Saturday in Florida. However, with the support of local and federal rescuers, more than 700 rescues have been made, according to officials of the southern state.
More than 1,300 search and rescue workers were on the trail of survivors this Saturday, according to authorities, including five teams that were out of state.
“We are just beginning to see the scale of that destruction. It is likely to rank among the worst in the nation,” Trump said Friday. “You have all seen rented houses and properties on television. It will take months, (or) years to rebuild it.”
Recovery efforts related to Hurricane Ian have threatened to overshadow the devastation that has been caused in Puerto Rico by Hurricane Fiona, that has hit the island for two weeks and has left more than 200,000 people.
The US government has had to face criticism from nonprofit and community leaders, including frustrations that the federal government did not cover all of Puerto Rico at the beginning of President Biden’s disaster declaration, in addition to the late transfer of federal aid to the most affected communities.