President Joe Biden will visit Florida on Sunday, after Hurricane Milton.
The president will take an aerial tour of the affected areas on his way to St. Petersburg, where he will participate in a briefing with federal, state and local officials. He will also greet first responders and local residents.
Ahead of President Joe Biden’s trip to Florida on Sunday, the White House shared advance information with Real America News about the Administration’s response and recovery efforts after the Hurricane Helene and and the Hurricane Miltonas well as details of an announcement the president will make in Florida.
During your visit, President Biden to announce $612 million for six Department of Energy projects in regions affected by hurricanes Milton and Helene that will improve the resilience of the region’s electrical grid.
This includes $94 million for two projects in Florida: $47 million for Gainesville Regional Utilities and $47 million for Switched Source to partner with Florida Power and Light.
Both Florida utilities were impacted by Hurricane Helene, and Florida Power and Light was further impacted by Hurricane Milton. These funds are disbursed through the Department of Energy’s Grid Innovation and Resiliency Partnerships Program (GRIP).
These investments are part of the commitment of the president of make long-term investments that protect, improve and upgrade our nation’s electric grid, especially in the face of extreme weather events.
The White House shared a complete list of the Administration’s response and recovery efforts in Florida related to hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Previously, the Biden-Harris administration took important measures and made extensive preparations before hurricanes Helene and Milton made landfall and will cause a trail of deaths and damage in several states.
Restore power, clear debris, and distribute fuel are now top priorities in Floridaas the state continues to reel from the passage of Hurricane Milton.
More than 1.2 million people are without electricity and at least 17 deaths have been confirmed as recovery efforts continue over the weekend.
Early estimates suggest damage from Hurricane Milton could reach $50 billion, President Joe Biden said Friday.
Hurricane Milton: Rescue and Response Efforts
On Friday night, President Biden approved a Major Disaster Declaration for Florida, unlocking federal funds for survivors so they can be used for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs. to help people and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.
- President Biden ordered FEMA to open immediately disaster recovery centers in affected communities so that residents have a single place where they can learn about all the federal support that is available to them and apply for assistance in person.
- Additionally, the Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration authorized Florida Power and Light to fly large drones to quickly assess damage to the power gridso ground crews can restore power more quickly.
- The president ordered the Coast Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate how quickly they can reopen the port of Tampa so that fuel, food, water and basic products flow to the area again.
- More than 50,000 workers from 42 states, the District of Columbia and Canada have been working to restore power supply to millions of people as quickly as possible.
Hurricane Helene: response and recovery efforts
Hurricane Milton brought chaos and alarm earlier than expected before making landfall this week, as tornadoes formed and moved across the state.
The tornadoes led the National Weather Service to issue 126 tornado warnings. The agency’s Storm Prediction Center received 45 preliminary reports of tornadoes left in their path a trail of destruction and considerable losses.
- More than $440 million in grants have been awarded to Helene survivors, including more than $157 million in housing and other assistance in Florida.
- FEMA staff and other federal partners, including FEMA’s Surge Capacity Force, remain on the ground supporting affected communities, delivering more than 17.2 million meals and 13.9 million liters of water and ensuring information is accessible, including resources in preferred languages and ASL.
- Over the course of the last two weeks, 1,000 urban search and rescue personnel have helped more than 3,200 survivors. FEMA disaster survivor assistance teams are on the ground in neighborhoods across states affected by Helene helping survivors apply for assistance and connecting them to additional resources from state, local, federal, and voluntary agencies.
- The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued a Regional Emergency Declaration for Florida, granting emergency regulatory relief regulations to allow truck drivers to bring essential supplies to affected areas.
- NOAA continues to support post-disaster imaging flights, which capture damage to coastal areas caused by a storm and aid safe navigation. Aerial images are a crucial tool for determine the extent of damage caused by floods and to compare coastal reference areas for assess the damage in major ports and waterways, coastlines, critical infrastructure and coastal communities.
- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is providing a 90-day moratorium on foreclosures insured by the Federal Housing Administration. Additionally, affected homeowners who have mortgages through government-sponsored companies, including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and the FHA are eligible to suspend their mortgage payments through a forbearance plan for up to 12 months.
- The Internal Revenue Service announced disaster tax relief for all people and businesses affected by Hurricane Helene in Florida. Taxpayers now have until May 1, 2025 to file various individual and business federal tax returns and make tax payments.
- In collaboration with the Department of Labor, Florida announced that Eligible workers can receive Federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance to offset lost revenue as a direct result of Hurricane Helene.
- The Department of Education is ensuring that affected student loan borrowers in areas impacted by the hurricanes can focus on their critical needs without having to worry about not being able to make payments on your student loans. Direct loan borrowers and federally serviced FFEL loan borrowers in the affected area who do not make their payments will automatically be placed into natural disaster forbearance.
Affected people in 34 Florida counties and the Miccosukee Indian Tribe of Florida are eligible to receive federal support for temporary housing, low-cost loans and other programs, according to a news release from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). ).
Funds will also go to local governments and nonprofit organizations for emergency work.
Keep reading:
• Biden approved a major disaster declaration for Florida
• Biden said damage from Hurricane Milton reaches almost $50 billion
• Two economic aid for Florida, North Carolina and other states after hurricanes