(Washington) President Joe Biden and his wife Jill travel Monday to Puerto Rico, devastated in September by the hurricane Fionain order to show their solidarity with this American territory whose population has complained of being neglected after past natural disasters.
Posted at 12:21 a.m.
The Bidens will then travel to Florida on Wednesday to assess the devastating damage caused by the hurricane. Ian.
Puerto Rico and Florida have suffered numerous deaths, widespread power outages, dangerous flooding and extensive property damage from the two recent hurricanes, Fionathen Ian.
No details of the Bidens’ trip have been announced, although visits to disaster areas are a customary obligation of US presidents.
On Saturday, the president told a Congressional Black Caucus dinner (a group of African-American parliamentarians) that “our hearts … are heavy (after) the devastating hurricanes, the storms in Puerto Rico, Florida and South Carolina . And we owe Puerto Rico much more than they have already received”.
Twenty-five people are believed to have died in Puerto Rico as a result of the hurricane Fionaaccording to the island’s public health department, which is still investigating how 12 of the deaths occurred.
The entire territory of Puerto Rico was deprived of electricity and approximately one million people were temporarily without drinking water when Fionathen a powerful Category 4 storm, hit the island in mid-September.
Joe Biden declared a state of emergency for Puerto Rico on September 18.
Islanders — all U.S. citizens — have complained of being neglected by Washington after previous disasters, including the devastating twin hurricanes, Irma and mariain 2017.
Florida, where the hurricane Ian hit Wednesday as a Category 4 storm, still assessing extensive damage, especially on its southwest coast.
The death toll of Ianone of the most powerful storms to ever hit the continental United States, has claimed at least 48 lives — including 44 in Florida and four in North Carolina — and rescuers are still searching for survivors in neighborhoods overwhelmed by water.
More than 700,000 Florida residents were still without power as of Sunday, according to poweroutage.us, and authorities said it would take months and US$50 billion or more to rebuild devastated coastal areas.
Federal, state and local governments are often judged on the effectiveness of their response to such disasters.
After the hurricane Katrina that devastated New Orleans, critics blasted then-President George W. Bush after photos showed him surveying the damage as he flew at high altitude.
And later, after then-President Donald Trump, visiting Puerto Rico following other storms, used a basketball-style throw to distribute rolls of paper towels, the mayor of the capital San Juan denounced an “insulting” and “abominable” gesture.