President Joe Biden will meet with Governor Ron DeSantis on Wednesday when he and first lady Jill Biden travel to Florida to survey the devastation wrought last week by Hurricane Ian.
White House Press Secretary confirmed that the two leaders will meet at Tuesday’s daily press briefing. She said Mr DeSantis, Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) administrator Deanne Criswell, and “other state and local officials” will provide Mr Biden with “an operational briefing on the current response and recovery efforts”.
She also said the visit to Fort Myers by Mr Biden will serve to “reaffirm his commitment to supporting the people of Florida as they recover and rebuild from the devastating storm”.
Hurricane Ian is believed to be one of the strongest storms in Florida history, slamming into the west coast as a near-Category 5 with 155mph winds and record storm surge in places.
At least 100 people have been killed and thousands of residents were rescued from extreme flooding. FEMA expects that thousands of Floridians will be long-term displaced due to the extreme weather event.
Ms Jean-Pierre added that Mr Biden will also meet with “small business owners and local residents impacted by Hurricane Ian” and “thank the federal, state and local officials working around the clock to provide life saving assistance and restore power, distribute food and water, remove debris and begin rebuilding efforts”.
The meeting between Mr Biden and Mr DeSantis comes as the Florida governor has eschewed criticising the president, who is normally one of his top political targets, for his leadership of the federal response to the hurricane.
Last week, the two leaders committed to “continued close coordination” on response to and recovery from Ian, which has left thousands in Florida without power with many homes destroyed and communities shattered beyond recognition.
Speaking during a Fema briefing last week, Mr Biden said he had at that point spoken with the governor “four or five times already” and noted that Mr DeSantis — a potential 2024 rival — has thanked him for the “immediate response” from the federal government. He said the Florida governor has said he is “extremely happy with what was going on”.
The climate crisis will not necessarily mean more hurricanes but it is amping up the storms which do occur, causing them to more rapidly intensify and hold more water.
Hurricane Ian had at least 10 per cent more rainfall because of the effects of climate change, according to a rapid analysis by US scientists in the wake of the storm.
