President Joe Biden While surveying the storm-ravaged state of Florida on Sunday, he announced more than $600 million in aid to states affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, which also devastated Georgia and North Carolina.
During a speech in St. Pete Beach, a barrier island city outside St. Petersburg, Biden said about $100 million of the money would go toward upgrading Florida’s energy system. He noted that he is visiting the state for the second time in two weeks.
“Thankfully, the impact of the storm was not as cataclysmic as we predicted,” Biden said. “But for some people it was a cataclysm. “All the people who lost not only their homes, but more importantly their lives, lost their family members.”
Biden spoke alongside St. Pete Beach Mayor Adrian Petrila and Pinellas County Chairwoman Kathleen Peters, both of whom had damage to their homes from the storm. “But they didn’t just take a step [to] focusing on themselves but helping other families, helping their neighbors. You know, that’s the resilience of the people of West Florida.”
Florida officials confirmed it 17 deaths After Milton made landfall near Tampa last week. More than a million residents are still without power due to the storm that followed the impact of Hurricane Helene on September 26.
The Biden administration before the storm was trying to fight against disinformation about emergency funds flowing to the state. A conspiracy theory spread on the internet and propagated by politicians like former President Donald Trump and Rap Jim JordanR-Ohio, was that Federal Emergency Management Agency money was being spent to support undocumented immigrants in the United States, and the agency was left without the necessary resources to support hurricane victims.
On a FEMA fact-check page, the agency countered the misinformation, writing“This is a lie. No money is diverted from disaster response needs. FEMA’s disaster response and individual assistance is funded through the Disaster Relief Fund, a special fund for disaster efforts. “Disaster Relief Fund money is not diverted to other non-disaster-related efforts.”
FEMA uses Disaster Relief Fund money for this purpose only. The agency is also tasked with distributing in 2022 Customs and Border Protection money to areas dealing with migrant flows.
Biden’s visit on Sunday also coincides with what Trump continues to do false claims about the federal response, including the government’s lack of assistance to some regions.
Lawmakers in Florida is seeking more disaster relief for affected communities and is demanding that House leadership come into session to approve more money.
Active NBC News‘ “Meet the press“ on Sunday, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told moderator Kristen Welkere that she did not believe the House should return from an early recess after the hurricanes.
“We are already planning to return right after the election,” he said. “We have 23 days before the elections. This, I think, will coincide perfectly with[disasterreliefapplicationstoevenbeginandmanyofthemtobeprocessed”[fəlakətinaradanqaldırılmasıüçünmüraciətlərinəksəriyyətininbaşlamasıvəonlarınbirçoxununişlənməsivaxtıilədeməkolarkimükəmməlüst-üstədüşəcək”[disasterreliefapplicationstoevenbeginandmanyofthemtobeprocessed”
The speaker also pointed to disaster relief money in a continuing resolution passed last month before Congress went on recess, and Welkere said the federal government “needs to start distributing the funds that Congress has already appropriated.”
“It’s a really important thing. People are suffering. I’ve been on the ground in the hardest hit disaster areas, Florida, North Carolina. They really need help,” Johnson added.