Biden says Hurricane Ian poses ‘crisis’ for Florida and may be ‘devastating in its impact’
Hurricane Ian poses a “crisis” for the people of Florida and may bring devastation to the state, President Joe Biden said on Tuesday, vowing to provide whatever federal aid is requested by communities in its path.
Speaking at the White House ahead of the storm’s anticipated U.S. landfall on Wednesday, Biden urged Florida residents to “obey the instructions of local officials” and “evacuate when ordered.”
“Experts say this could be a very severe hurricane — life-threatening and devastating in its impact,” Biden said. “Safety is more important than anything. And I know our hearts are with everyone who will feel this storm, and we’ll be with you every step of the way. We’re not going away.”
Biden spoke with the mayors of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater on Tuesday morning and pledged federal assistance to each city. The storm could hit a part of the west coast of Florida that has not experienced a significant hurricane landfall in roughly a hundred years.
“My administration is on alert and in action to help the people of Florida. I’ve approved Florida’s request for emergency assistance, immediately upon receiving it from the governor. And I directed my team to surge federal assistance there before the storm hit,” Biden said.
FEMA has deployed 700 personnel to Florida, and has prepositioned 3.5 million liters of water, 3.7 million meals and hundreds of generators, he added.
“Whatever they need — I mean this sincerely — whatever they need, contact directly,” Biden said, describing his conversation with local mayors. “They know how to do that. I have a lot of personnel down there already. We’re here to support them in every way we can.”
This story was originally published September 27, 2022 at 2:06 PM with the headline "Biden says Hurricane Ian poses ‘crisis’ for Florida and may be ‘devastating in its impact’."
