The president’s visit to Louisiana comes with a promise of federal assistance to the millions coping with Ida’s devastation from the south to New England.
Biden said, “So far, we’ve provided, with the governor’s help as well, 100 million dollars in critical assistance, directly to people in Louisiana.”
The powerful storm cut a path of destruction from the Deep South to the Northeast, claiming more than 60 lives.
In the New Orleans area, persistent power outages are still posing danger as millions across the region entered the fifth day without air conditioning in the sweltering heat.
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards “I can tell you that the devastation on the transmission lines are the worst seen in the 83-year history of the company that services that area”
As crews race to restore the power grid and residents dig out from the damage, President Biden made the case for a massive infrastructure overhaul. “We’ve gotta build back better,” he said. “We’ve gotta build back more resiliently.”
The stunning death toll is worst in the Northeast where tornadoes and record flooding took neighbors by surprise.
The president called it all further evidence of climate change. “Superstorms are going to come more frequently and ferociously
In the desperate aftermath, lines are growing longer for gas, food, and water.
Hurricane Ida dealt an unimaginable blow that experts warn could become the new normal.
FEMA has deployed more than a thousand people to a string of hard-hit states, providing water, generators, ambulance crews, and other help.
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