President Joe Biden traveled to Florida Wednesday to inspect the damage done by Hurricane Ian, the Category 4 storm responsible for more than 100 deaths and billions of dollars in damage.
Joined by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, Biden promised the federal government would provide all the assistance needed. “We have one job and only one job, and that’s to make sure that people in Florida get everything they need to fully, thoroughly recover,” Biden told reporters at a press conference held near Ft. Myers, which took the brunt of the storm.
“We have a long road ahead of us, rebuilding entire communities from the ground up," Biden added. "I want the people of Florida to know — you have my commitment and America's commitment that we're not going to leave.”
The president listed some of the resources that have been made available to help Florida residents, including 4,000 federal personnel, millions of meals and bottles of water provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and a commitment to cover 100% of the cleanup costs.
Earlier in the day, the White House announced that it was doubling the length of time the federal government would cover cleanup costs, adding another 30 days to its major disaster declaration.
Asked about the cost of the cleanup and rebuilding operation, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told reporters on Air Force One that they are still working on an estimate. “We are still very much in the lifesaving and stabilization mode,” Criswell said. “They are just beginning the assessments of what the actual extent of damage is to the infrastructure. It’s going to be in the billions. How many billions? I don’t know yet. But it will certainly be in the billions and perhaps one of the more costly disasters that we’ve seen in many years.”
