Biden visits area devastated by Idalia, pledges help until ‘job is done’

Miami, US, Sep 2 (EFE).- The president of the United States, Joe Biden, visited parts of northwestern Florida on Saturday that were the hardest hit by Hurricane Idalia.

Biden promised that the federal government will maintain its support and will not abandon the victims “until the job is done”.

“If there’s anything your state needs, I’m ready to mobilize that support,” he said from the town of Live Oak.

“Your nation has your back.’’

Shortly after his arrival in Florida, the president and his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, flew over the areas where Idalia had the greatest impact, and where work to restore power and collect debris continued Saturday.

The president was then briefed by federal and state officials on the recovery efforts, and heard from local residents whose homes have been damaged or destroyed by Idalia.

The storm is now over the Atlantic and has weakened to a post-tropical cyclone.

Biden said he was confident that the US Congress will act to approve the additional $4 billion that the White House requested on Friday to deal with the recent natural disasters that have hit the country, including the fires in Hawaii and Hurricane Idalia.

The president also downplayed the fact that Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who has been fiercely critical of Biden during the Republican primaries, had not joined him during his visit to the state, insisting that the White House has been in constant contact with the state government on recovery efforts.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said search and rescue operations have been completed.

One death has been attributed to the hurricane, and that the priority now is the restoration of power, she said.

The governor’s office reported Saturday that 90% of homes and units impacted by the storm already have had their power restored. Nearly 60,000 homes were still without electricity. EFE

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