President Joe Biden made a stop in Florida to survey the damage done by Hurricane Ian and pledged millions to save small businesses affected by the storm.
The mutual admiration society of President Joe Biden and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis showed a few cracks Wednesday as the political rivals discussed how well they’ve worked together on recovery efforts from Hurricane Ian.
When it was Biden’s turn to speak, he said he’s sure that the damage looks a lot worse on the ground.- Maureen Groppe and Michael CollinsGov. Ron DeSantis thanked President Joe Biden for traveling to Florida to survey the hurricane damage and praised the “good coordination” between his administration and the White House.
“Today, we have one job and only one job, and that's to make sure that people in Florida get everything that they need to fully, thoroughly recover,” he said. Next up is a briefing by federal, state and local officials at debris-covered Fisherman’s Wharf followed by a meeting with small-business owners and local residents.Thousands of phone operators – including some from the IRS – have been helping field calls from FEMA’s jammed lines, according to the agency.“We’re going to try to speed that up by having additional personnel,” President Joe Biden said Wednesday.
For homes needing roof repairs, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is providing blue coverings with fiber-reinforced sheeting to help reduce further damage to property until permanent repairs can be made. The greeters did not include DeSantis and the state’s U.S. senators, all Republicans. But all three are expected to join the president later in his visit. The elected officials who met Biden included U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., whose district includes Fort Myers.– Maureen GroppeSeventeen search and rescue teams continue to work in Lee County, which includes Fort Myers and has had the most deaths attributed to Hurricane Ian confirmed by Florida’s medical examiners.
“It's going to be in the billions. How many billions I don't know yet,” she said. “But it will certainly be in the billions and perhaps one of the more costly disasters that we've seen in many years.”The death toll – which county medical examiners said Tuesday night stands at 72 – is expected to rise as rescue and recovery efforts continue in areas battered by the Category 4 storm and the flooding it spawned.
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