Bidens to visit Puerto Rico, Florida in aftermath of hurricanes

President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are visiting Puerto Rico and Florida this week to survey damage from recent hurricanes and comfort residents reeling from the devastating storms’ aftermath.

The Bidens will visit Puerto Rico on Monday and Florida on Wednesday, the White House announced over the weekend.

“It’s not just a crisis for Florida. This is an American crisis. We’re all in this together,” the president said at the White House on Friday. “I just want the people of Florida to know: We see what you’re going through and we’re with you.

“We’re going to do everything we can for you.”

Biden said the administration also remains focused on Puerto Rico, wide swaths of which still lack power and water service days after Hurricane Fiona struck the island on Sept. 23.

“We’re going to stay … at it as long it takes,” Biden said of recovery efforts there.

As of Sunday afternoon, 47 people in Florida had died because of Hurricane Ian, which made landfall last Wednesday.

Hundreds of thousands of people lacked power, and rescuers were still helping people who had been stranded on Sunday.

“Our focus right now is supporting the people of Florida that have had the most significant impacts from this storm,” Deanne Criswell, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

As of Sunday morning, almost 850,000 Florida homes and businesses lacked electricity — down from a peak of 2.67 million — as authorities worked to restore juice.

“The power companies have done an amazing job of getting things restored as quickly as possible. But those hardest-hit areas, they’re going to take some more time,” said Criswell.

She also addressed Friday remarks from Vice President Kamala Harris saying “it is our lowest-income communities and our communities of color that are most impacted by these extreme conditions.”

The comments drew criticism from some Republicans, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign accusing Harris of creating “undue panic.”

Asked about Harris’ statement, Criswell said, “We’re going to support all communities.

“I committed that to the governor, I commit to you right here that all Floridians are going to be able to get the help that is available to them through our programs,” she added.

Policy makers have begun to debate whether some of Florida’s hardest-hit areas should be rebuilt.

Florida Sen. Rick Scott voiced support of rebuilding.

“These places are places where people want to live — they’re beautiful places,” the Republican told “Face the Nation.” “So what you really have to do is you have to say, ‘I’m going to build, but I’m going to do it safely.’”

Criswell said she’d accompany the Bidens to Puerto Rico on Monday.

“We have not left Puerto Rico. We know that they’re still responding to the impacts that they have from Hurricane Fiona,” she said. “We have a strong team that’s been there working, [and] they’re going to continue to work.”

With News Wire Services