President Joe Biden on Monday surveyed damage from Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico, promising long-term attention and aid to the island not only for immediate recovery but an infrastructure overhaul that will make the island's electric grid more resilient and the community more prepared for intensifying storms.

The Category 1 hurricane knocked out electrical power to the U.S. territory of 3.2 million people, 44% of whom live below the poverty line.

Power has been restored to about 90% of the island's 1.47 million customers, but more than 137,000 others, mostly in the hardest hit areas of Puerto Rico's southern and western regions, continue to struggle in the dark. Another 66,000 customers are without water.

Biden has pledged that the U.S. government will not abandon Puerto Rico as it starts to rebuild again, five years after the more powerful Hurricane Maria devastated the island.

“Somehow the people of Puerto Rico keep getting back up with resilience and determination. Quite frankly, it’s pretty extraordinary," he said.

Biden pointed out that though Congress approved billions of dollars for the island after Maria, the government did not get the funds in a "timely way" under the Trump administration.

"We're going to make sure you get every single dollar promised. I'm determined to help Puerto Rico build faster than in the past and stronger and better prepared for the future," he added.

During his visit, Biden announced the administration will provide $60 million through last year's bipartisan infrastructure law to help Puerto Rico shore up levees, strengthen flood walls and create a new flood warning system so the island will be better prepared for future storms.

"We have to ensure that when the next hurricane strikes, Puerto Rico is ready," he said, noting another $700 million commited to Puerto Rico through the same infrastructure law since it was signed last year.

"We are not leaving here, as long as I'm president, until everything ... every single thing we can do is done," he later added.

The president, accompanied by first lady Jill Biden and Deanne Criswell, the Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator, touched down Monday in Ponce, Puerto Rico, a city on the southern coast. Most of the storm damage is in southern Puerto Rico.

FEMA has so far gotten $700 cash assistance vouchers to 200,000 people in Puerto Rico, Biden announced, and it will pay for up to $37,500 in necessary house repairs under the federal emergency declaration. Crisis counselors are available to speak in Spanish or English at 800-981-0023.

Criswell told reporters aboard Air Force One that the goal was to make the island "stronger" than it was before Maria hit five years ago.

"We're making them more resilient. Some of these projects are very complex, right? And we want to make sure that, as we're going through the rebuilding process, we're taking the time to understand what it's going to take to make them more resilient," she said, noting the electricity grid was a top priority.

FEMA had previously issued $9.5 billion to Puerto Rico for recovery from Maria, including for the electrical grid, sewer system, public schools and public housing, the administrator noted.

Criswell said that Biden had directed her attention to the island as soon as she began her role in 2021, making Puerto Rico her first trip and taking two others since, including after Fiona hit last month.

Both the FEMA administrator and the president warned that climate change meant that the risk is growing for more intense storms in the future. Biden on Monday announced that Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm would lead a Puerto Rican grid recovery modernization team, which will focus on clean energy and "mini" electric grids that are easier to revive after a storm.

Florida is also cleaning up after Hurricane Ian churned across that state last week, killing more than 60 people, decimating some coastal communities and flooding others. Biden plans to visit Florida on Wednesday to survey damage.

Fiona caused catastrophic flooding, tore apart roads and bridges, and unleashed more than 100 landslides when it hit Puerto Rico on Sept. 18. At least two people died after being swept away by floods, and several others were killed in accidents related to the use of candles or generator during the island-wide power outage.

Government officials have estimated some $3 billion in damages, but warn that costs could rise significantly as evaluations continue.

Some people in Puerto Rico wondered whether Biden's visit would change anything as they recalled how President Donald Trump visited after Hurricane Maria hit as a more powerful Category 4 storm in 2017, and tossed rolls of paper towels into a crowd in a display that riled many.

Manuel Veguilla, a 63-year-old retired mechanic who lives in a remote community in the hard-hit northern mountain town of Caguas, said he didn't expect his life to improve in the aftermath of Fiona, which cut off his neighborhood from any help for a week.

"They always offer the lollipop to the kids," he said, referring to Biden's visit. "But in the end, the outcome is always the same. The aid goes to those who have the most."

Biden recently told Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi that he authorized 100% federal funding for a month for debris removal, search and rescue efforts, power and water restoration, shelter and food.

The lack of electrical power on the island led to the temporary closure of businesses, including gas stations and grocery stores, as fuel supplies dwindled amid heavy generator use. As a result, many cheered the Biden administration's decision to temporarily waive a federal law so that a British Petroleum ship could deliver 300,000 barrels of diesel.

Many also have begun demanding that Puerto Rico be fully exempted from the law, known as the Jones Act, that requires that all goods transported to Puerto Rico be aboard a ship built in the U.S., owned and crewed by U.S. citizens and flying the U.S. flag. This drives up costs for an island that already imports 85% of its food.