- Despite Hurricane Idalia’s diminished strength after making landfall in Florida, President Joe Biden issued a warning.
- Biden addressed the governors of the Idalia-affected states of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.
- Idalia, a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds reaching 125 mph, made landfall close to Keaton Beach.
Despite Hurricane Idalia’s diminished strength after making landfall in Florida, President Joe Biden issued a warning that it was still deadly. He also made clear that he is “laser-focused” on assisting the Hawaiian wildfire victims in their recovery.
A historic town on Maui was destroyed by wildfires from the storm, and a hurricane that might inflict catastrophic floods also resulted from it. After some locals complained that the government wasn’t sending enough early assistance, some Republicans in Congress threatened to look into the federal response in Hawaii.
Wildfires in Hawaii
Biden addressed the governors of the Idalia-affected states of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Deanne Criswell, the chief of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, gave him his second briefing, and he instructed her to spend Thursday assessing the hurricane damage and the needs in the area with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis and Biden have fought recently over the socially conservative governor’s policies. DeSantis is a candidate for the Republican presidential candidacy. Biden insisted that there was no sign of politics in his contacts with the governor over the storm.
Idalia, a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds reaching 125 mph (205 kph), made landfall close to Keaton Beach. By Wednesday afternoon, it had diminished to a tropical storm with winds of 70 mph (113 kph).
To strengthen the electrical grid on Maui, Biden said that $95 billion in infrastructure money will be allocated to the island. These monies will be used to install equipment that can provide alerts about power outages, create stronger poles to support power lines and bury them underground where practicable.
Some island residents who had their homes torched have claimed that the government won’t let them go back to their homes. For anyone to return, the hazardous substance must be removed, Biden pleaded for patience.
He claimed to be aware of the suffering caused by the circumstances, including the beginning of the new academic year and the displacement of persons.
