On Wednesday, the White House described that Joe Biden, President of America, is going to review the result of Hurricane Ida and negotiate with state and local rulers on Friday. On Thursday, the U.S. President will give a speech describing his administration’s handling of the storm.
Ida was the 5th highly powerful storm to hit the United States when it strikes the US state of Louisiana on Sunday with maximum winds of 240 kph or 150 mph, possibly pushing tens of billions of dollars in the wind, flood, and several other damages, including the electrical grid.
Above one million businesses and homes in Mississippi and Louisiana were turned powerless as Ida collapsed the main transmission tower and broke hundreds of substations and thousands of miles of lines. Moreover, New Orleans went totally dark at some point, and power started returning to the city on Wednesday.
Jen Psaki, Press Secretary of the White House, described that President Joe Biden absolutely wouldn’t tour Louisiana in case if his presence takes away from relief struggles.
The visit is crucial for Biden to see the damage – Edwards
John Bel Edwards, Governor of Louisiana, proposed that the tour would be necessary for Joe Biden to acknowledge the devastation by seeing the extensive damage for himself.
On Wednesday, after a briefing with local elected regulators in Jefferson Parish, John Bel Edwards explained to news reporters that there is nothing quite like touring in person. He continued that when you see it for yourself, it’s much more compelling.
Asked what kind of help he decided to appeal from Joe Biden, Louisiana Gov. said that quite frankly, the list is going to be very extensive. But he described that a priority would be for a housing package to assist people in rebuilding.
The White House stated that Joe Biden had been consistently attaining regular updates on the storm and its result. Furthermore, Biden has conducted many groups calls with local regulators and governors to negotiate preparations and requirements after the storm. He even got briefings from Deanne Criswell, FEMA Administrator.
FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) had dispatched tons of supplies, including tarps, generators, and many other materials to the area ahead of the storm, and federal response crews are operating on rescue and search. Besides this, officials are blaming the storm for around 6 fatalities.
On Friday, Joe Biden’s tour to the Gulf area is going to cap a tough stretch for the president, who supervised the evacuation of American troops from Afghanistan after a twenty-year involvement.