The president of the United States, Joe Biden, made his second visit to Florida this Sunday and announced an allocation of 612 million dollars to reinforce the electrical grid system, affected by the passage of Hurricane Milton, which has left two million of people without power, the second to hit the region in recent weeks after Helene.
“This funding will not only restore power, but will also make the region’s electrical system stronger and more capable and reduce the frequency and duration of power outages as extreme weather events become more frequent,” Biden said, that before the press conference he visited the areas most affected by the hurricane.
The US president has seen on the ground how increasing flooding, fuel shortages and power outages are hampering efforts to clean up the debris left behind by Milton, which made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane and has left maximum estimated damage of $50 billion.
At least 23 dead after Milton
Biden, who has thanked first responders and public service workers from 43 states and Canada for their efforts, has identified with those who have lost their homes to hurricanes Milton and Helene by recalling that several years ago a lightning strike partially burned his home and that It took him seven months to repair it. “I know from experience how devastating it is to lose your home.“, he said, adding that the most painful thing is losing family memories. “They hurt because they cannot be replaced,” the president said.
last friday Biden signed the order declaring Florida a disaster areaallowing its residents to access grants to cover temporary housing costs and home repairs, low-interest loans to cover losses not covered by insurance, and other programs for business owners. The president has reported that after that statement, 250,000 people have requested help. Also that the Office for Emergency Management (FEMA) has delivered 1.2 million meals, more than 300,000 liters of water and two million gallons of fuel.
The death toll caused by Milton amounts to 23according to the latest balance provided this Sunday by the state authorities. The latest deaths are two individuals crushed by trees that were staggering after the storm, as reported by local authorities to the American network CBS. this sunday More than 1,000 rescue and rescue personnel continue to work in the state.
Milton is the fifth hurricane to make landfall in the United States so far this year and the third to impact Florida. Helene, which left more than 100 dead, became the second-deadliest hurricane to hit the continental United States in the last 50 years, after Hurricane Katrina, which killed 1,833 people in 2005.
