This week, while the United States deals with the death toll, severe flooding, and destruction left in Hurricane Ian‘s wake, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will visit communities that have been impacted.
The Bidens will travel to Florida on Wednesday and Puerto Rico on Monday, according to a late-Saturday White House announcement.
According to a count by state officials and an NBC News count, at least 73 storm-related deaths have been documented in Florida since Hurricane Ian blasted into the state last week with 150 mph gusts.
The National Hurricane Center reported in a late-Saturday statement that the storm was fading through southern Virginia after being reduced to a post-tropical cyclone. Still, once the scope of the destruction became apparent, it also caused floods and power outages throughout the Carolinas. In North Carolina, there have been at least four fatalities. Roy Cooper, the governor, declared on Saturday.
Local officials issued a warning as rescue attempts continued and floodwaters receded in areas littered with destroyed homes, warning that it might still be too early to determine the full extent of the death and destruction caused by Ian.
According to the island’s health authorities, Puerto Rico is still dealing with the effects of Hurricane Fiona, which has killed 25 people since it struck the U.S. territory last month.
No other information on the trip was provided, but on Saturday night at a Congressional Black Caucus awards dinner, Biden expressed his concern for the regions devastated by the storms.
“Our hearts … are heavy, the devastating hurricanes, storms in Puerto Rico, Florida, and South Carolina. And we owe Puerto Rico a hell of a lot more than they’ve already gotten,” Biden said.
“To the people of Puerto Rico, we’re not gone away; I am committed to you and the recovery of the island,” Biden had said after a FEMA briefing on Thursday. “We’ll stand by you for however long it takes to get it done,” he said.