President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed on Friday about ongoing efforts to help communities in Florida recover from Hurricane Milton, which left at least 9 dead after making landfall in the state earlier this week.

What You Need To Know

  • President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed on Friday about ongoing efforts to help communities in Florida recover from Hurricane Milton, which ripped through the state Wednesday evening, leaving at least 8 dead
  • Biden said Friday’s briefing focused primarily on power restoration and debris removal, two needs he identified as particularly “urgent"
  • Hurricane Milton – the second storm to hit the Sunshine State in less than two weeks – made landfall late Wednesday in Siesta Key, Florida, less than 100 miles from Tampa, as a Category 3 storm; While officials say Milton was not as destructive as originally feared, it came less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene ravaged much of the Southeast, killing more than 220 people
  • Biden on Friday noted that he is going to have to go to Congress to request more funds to assist communities in the half dozen states impacted by the recent hurricanes and said House Speaker Mike Johnson will "get the message" to "step up" to support local businesses

Biden said Friday’s briefing focused primarily on power restoration and debris removal, two needs he identified as particularly “urgent.”

Fifty thousand power line workers from 43 states and Canada are on the ground working to get power restored, the president said. One million people out of the three million who lost power in the storm have already been reconnected, he added. 

Biden touted his own efforts while in office to “harden the grid,” such as moving power lines underneath the ground and replacing wood power poles with concrete ones. He noted that while it costs more to put the lines underground, such a move results in “long-term savings” as it spares having to pay to rebuild the grid every time a storm comes and wipes it out.  

On debris removal, the president noted that the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers and the Florida National Guard are on the ground working to reopen roads and ports and the Coast Guard is leading efforts to get the Port of Tampa up and running. 

”I know it sounds corny but it really is a team effort,” Biden said. “I think we’ve saved lives – not me – but we, all of those folks out in the field saved lives. But there’s more to do and we’re going to do everything in my power to get it done.” 

Among those participating in the briefing in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Friday was the Energy and Homeland Security Secretaries Jennifer Granholm and Alejandro Mayorkas, along with other aides. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell joined virtually. She was sent to Florida on Wednesday ahead of the storm’s arrival. The president, the White House announced on Friday, will travel to Florida to survey damage on Sunday. 

Hurricane Milton – the second storm to hit the Sunshine State in less than two weeks – made landfall late Wednesday in Siesta Key, Florida, less than 100 miles from Tampa, as a Category 3 storm. While officials say Milton was not as destructive as originally feared, it came less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene ravaged much of the Southeast, killing at least 227 people across six states.

Harris, who is the Democratic nominee for president and joined the briefing virtually from battleground Arizona, where she is campaigning, lamented the “widespread devastation” experienced by communities on the ground. 

“Homes and neighborhoods have been severely damaged,” the vice president said on Friday. “Millions of people are without power and thousands without clean water.” 

She said the Biden administration is working “around the clock” to keep impacted communities safe. 

More than 9,000 federal personnel are on the ground supporting recovery efforts from both Milton and Helene across the Southeast, Biden said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday. Survivors of the storms have received more than $400 million in assistance from the federal government thus far and more than 12.6 million meals and 12.7 million liters of water have been distributed. 

Biden on Friday noted that he is going to have to go to Congress to request more funds to assist communities in the half dozen states impacted by the recent hurricanes. 

“We’re going to need a lot of help,” Biden said before clarifying “a lot more money” specifically. 

Biden on Thursday called on Congress, which is scheduled to be in recess until after Election Day in November, to “immediately” address a shortage of funds for the Small Business Administration’s disaster loan program. That call came after he sent a letter to Congressional leaders last week, warning them that the program, which he said is “often the largest source of Federal disaster recovery funds” for disaster survivors, was set to run out of funds “well before” lawmakers are set to return to Washington. 

Asked if he has spoken with GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson about the request and potentially calling members back to Washington before their break is over, Biden said he has not but noted that he has spoken with Republicans who agree with his position on the matter. 

“And I think Speaker Johnson is going to get the message that he’s got to step up, particularly for small businesses,” Biden said. 

Harris has said that FEMA has what it needs for the immediate response to both recent hurricanes in the short-term but Biden has drawn a distinction between that and the SBA disaster loan program. 

Biden on Friday also used his remarks to once again condemn false claims being spread about the federal government’s response to the storms, an effort he says is being led by former President Donald Trump. This time, Biden referred to the false claims as “dangerous” and “disgusting.” 

Asked if Trump was solely responsible for the spread of misinformation on the storms, Biden said no but he “has the biggest mouth.”