Biden to speak on Maui wildfires, Hurricane Idalia as White House plans disaster response

Aug. 30 (UPI) -- President Joe Biden will address the nation in remarks at the White House on the wildfire recovery efforts in Maui and the federal response to Hurricane Idalia, which barreled into Florida Wednesday morning as a Category 3 storm.

Biden is scheduled to speak from the Roosevelt Room at 1:45 p.m. EDT, where he will announce $95 million through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to boost Hawaii's power grid and help the state rebuild following the deadliest wildfire in modern U.S. history.

A day earlier, Biden signed an emergency declaration in Florida that delivered critical resources before the storm made landfall near Keaton Beach.

After speaking, Biden will huddle with cabinet officials to coordinate long-term government efforts on the ground in Hawaii and Florida amid nearly simultaneous and costly disasters.

The White House meeting takes place as Idalia slammed into the Big Bend region of Florida's west coast as a Category 3 storm with "extremely dangerous" winds up to 120 mph.

Mandatory evacuation orders are in effect for parts of Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, and Hernando counties, in addition to Pasco County where storm surge is the biggest concern with water from the Gulf of Mexico and heavy rainfall.

Earlier in the week, Biden assured Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that the federal government was prepared to respond with support after the storm passes; and in follow-up conversations, the governor has voiced concerns about emergency management and vulnerable populations who might not have evacuated in time.

During a press briefing at the White House Tuesday, Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Deanne Criswell called the calamities in Maui and Florida "indicative of the pace of the major disasters that we are seeing across the nation."

"This is our new normal," she added, while also noting the "atmospheric rivers in California in January, extreme tornadoes in the spring, to the wildfires, and now we are in peak hurricane season."

Criswell said she spoke with DeSantis, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, whose states were in the direct path of the storm.

"We'll remain in close contact with all of them in the hours and the days to come as Hurricane Idala -- Idalia makes landfall and moves across these states," she said, adding that the agency had warehouses filled with commodities like food, water, blankets, and medical supplies that were ready to be delivered to impacted areas.

Criswell said FEMA has received an unprecedented number of disaster requests from governors due to the steady drumbeat of extreme weather events this year, but said she wasn't concerned about the health of the U.S. Disaster Relief Fund, which held about $12 billion to help the nation withstand a number of catastrophes through the end of the fiscal year.

Idalia comes nearly one year after Hurricane Ian slammed into Southwest Florida and decimated large swaths of the state.

"When Hurricane Ian hit, you had many communities of color, you also had poor communities complaining that they were not prioritized during this time," Criswell said. And so, they didn't get necessary -- the relief that they wanted. And they felt like they were, kind of, put on the -- on the back burner."

On Tuesday, Criswell emphasized preparedness, calling on "all Floridians to take this storm seriously" as 12-foot storm surge was predicted in many areas along the state's west coast.

"We have to remain focused on making sure that we are also preparing people across the nation for these types of extreme weather events," Criswell said after she met with Biden in the Oval Office to discuss Idalia's path.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was standing by to support power restoration after the storm, while the Red Cross set up 19 shelters in the region that will provide 50,000 meals and other humanitarian support.

Meanwhile, more than 1,000 federal workers have landed in West Maui to help response efforts after Biden signed a federal disaster declaration earlier this week.

The Aug. 8 wildfire was still smoldering in some areas after several weeks, while at least 115 were dead and another 388 people remained unaccounted for in Lahaina, where thousands of homes and businesses were burned to the ground, leaving a crush of residents homeless.

On Tuesday, response teams wrapped up the ground search for victims and turned their attention to the ocean, where many jumped to escape the approaching flames.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has also deployed 48 responders to the island, along with 25 remote personnel and 51 independent contractors to assist with public works and engineering support.

Officials with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Interior were also on the ground to help deal with hazardous materials and disaster debris.

In a visit to Maui last week, Biden vowed his administration would do everything in its power to help the region.

The administration has approved more than $16 million in assistance to 4,200 households.

A large portion of the $95 million grant will go to strengthening the island's electrical infrastructure and critical facilities like hospitals and water plants, while also seeking to improve response times during emergencies.

Additional dollars have been set aside for debris removal and to provide interim facilities while the island recovers.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced $1.3 million in funding to help devastated communities.

FEMA has donated more than 50,000 meals, 75,000 liters of water, 5,000 cots and 10,000 blankets and shelter supplies to local officials for distribution.