Photo: OLIVER CONTRERAS / AFP / Getty Images
President Joe Biden warned Thursday that Florida could face the deadliest hurricane in its history, while praising emergency workers and warning gas companies not to use the devastation to raise prices.
Hurricane Ian made landfall a day earlier, flooding both coasts of Florida, knocking out power and killing at least one person.
Biden said that could be just the beginning.
“This could be the deadliest hurricane in Florida history,” he said during a visit to the headquarters of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in Washington, DC
“The number of deaths is not yet clear , but we are hearing the first reports of what may be a substantial loss of life.”
He added that he planned to visit Puerto Rico, which was devastated by Hurricane Fiona earlier in the month.
The emergency has been seen as a test of Biden’s relationship with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has positioned himself as a populist Republican with intentions of reaching the White House.
Biden snapped at a reporter who asked how his Thursday morning phone call went, saying that the question was “totally irrelevant”.
“But I will answer”, he said. “Okay. Good very good.
“I congratulate myself. He thanked me for the immediate response we had. He told me how much he appreciated it. He said he was extremely happy with what is happening.
“It’s not about whether it has anything to do with our political disagreements, it’s about saving people’s lives, homes, and businesses.”
Earlier, Biden declared the emergency a “major disaster,” releasing billions of dollars in assistance.
“That means that the federal government will cover 100 percent of the cost of cleaning up the debris and all the cost that the state have to do and spend to save lives,” Biden said during his visit.
“The federal government will also cover most of the cost of the reconstruction of public buildings such as schools and state fire stations.
“And the people in Florida who have seen their homes destroyed or damaged, (if ) are underinsured, it means the federal government will provide individual assistance of $37,900 dollars for home repairs , other $37,900 dollars for lost property.”
The cost of repairing and rebuilding homes from storm damage could reach up to $260 billion dollars, according to property experts CoreLogic.