Joe Biden has said his administration is “ready to provide all the assistance that’s needed” in response to a massive wildfire in California and to Hurricane Ida, which knocked out power and wreaked havoc along the Gulf Coast before causing deadly flooding and tornadoes in the north east.
Ida was the fifth most powerful storm to strike the US when it hit Louisiana on Sunday with maximum winds of 150mph, causing tens of billions of dollars in flood, wind and other damage, including to the electrical grid.
The storm’s remnants dropped devastating rainfall across parts of Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey on Wednesday, killing at least 18 people and causing significant disruption to major population centres.
Tune in as I deliver remarks on our response to Hurricane Ida. https://t.co/oguK3wNtvG
— President Biden (@POTUS) September 2, 2021
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More than a million homes and businesses in Louisiana and Mississippi remain without power after Ida toppled a major transmission tower and knocked out thousands of miles of lines and hundreds of substations.
New Orleans was plunged into total darkness, with power only returning to parts of the city on Wednesday.
The president is set to visit Louisiana on Friday to survey some of the damage.
He said the flooding was less than the region experienced during Hurricane Katrina, crediting federal investments in the area’s levee system. “It held, it was strong, it worked,” he said at the White House.
“We know that there is much to be done in this response on our part,” he added. “We need to get power restored. We need to get more food, fuel and water deployed.”
He said he was receiving hourly updates on the disaster response and outlined efforts by the federal government to ease recovery efforts, including by making satellite imagery available to utility companies and waiving some regulatory requirements.
Mr Biden added he had directed the Department of Energy to use the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to ensure the steady supply of fuel to the region.
He also said the Pentagon is assisting with firefighting operations in California against the Caldor fire.
He said the crises are “yet another reminder that these extreme storms and the climate crisis are here”.
“It’s a matter of life and death, and we’re all in it together,” he added.
Mr Biden said he was assured that his visit to Louisiana would not interfere with relief efforts in the state.
Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards suggested the visit would be crucial for the president to understand the destruction by seeing the widespread damage for himself.
