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“The final days of Hurricane Ida and wildfires in the West and unprecedented flash floods in New York and New Jersey are another reminder that these extreme storms and the climate crisis are here,” said Biden, speaking from the White House.
The president said the nation needed to be better prepared and argued his plan would make key investments that would make power grids and transmission lines more resilient to storms, wildfires and floods.
Biden said he spoke to the governors of New York and New Jersey following the flooding and damage, and said he plans to speak to the governor of Pennsylvania.
“There is a lot of damage, and I have made it clear to governors that my team at the Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA is on the ground and ready to provide whatever assistance is needed,” Biden said. , speaking from the White House.
“My message to everyone involved is that we are all in the same boat. The nation is here to help. This is the message I have conveyed to mayors, governors, energy and utility leaders of the region that my administration has worked closely with over the past few days, ”Biden said.
Biden said that since the hurricane made landfall, more than 6,000 members of the National Guard have been activated in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas and other states to support search and search efforts. rescue.
“We know there is a lot to do in this response on our part. We need to restore power. We need to deploy more food, fuel and water,” Biden said.
The president said he was receiving hourly updates on FEMA’s relief efforts “until late at night,” and said his team would work “around the clock until the critical needs of the region are fully met. And we will meet them. “
Biden said his team is working with private companies to speed up the restoration of electricity and mobile phone services.
“It’s starting to pick up, but there’s still a long way to go,” Biden said.
“We’re here for you,” Biden said, addressing those affected by the storm. “And we’re making sure the response and recovery is fair, so those hardest hit get the resources they need and aren’t left behind.”
Biden noted that the hurricane-affected region is a key center of the country’s oil production and refining infrastructure. As a result, he said his administration was moving quickly to increase gas availability and ease pressure on gas prices across the country.
The president said he had asked Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm “to use all the tools at her disposal, including the use of the Strategic Oil Reserve to keep gas flowing to the pumps in order to ‘supply the region with essential supplies’.
Biden also called on private insurance companies to pay their policyholders what they are owed to cover the cost of temporary housing amid the natural disaster.
“Don’t hide behind the fine print and technicality. Do your job. Keep your commitment to your communities that you insure. Do the right thing,” Biden said.
Biden met with FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell and the governors and mayors of the states and cities affected by Ida on Monday after the storm made landfall in Louisiana on Sunday and caused catastrophic damage.
Residents now face gas shortages and dwindling supplies, and power outages in some parishes in Louisiana could last at least a month.
The President spoke on Monday of the number of steps the federal government has taken, including working with private sector energy providers to restore power to more than one million Louisianans who were at the time without power.
Prior to the storm, Biden approved the state of Louisiana’s request for a major federal disaster declaration and the state of Mississippi’s request for an emergency declaration. He said the statements made federal aid ready in advance to complement state, tribal and local recovery efforts in areas affected by Ida.
The president visited FEMA headquarters in Washington on Sunday to receive a briefing on the storm. While there, Biden warned the hurricane was life threatening and the devastation was likely to be immense.
This story has been updated with further developments from Biden’s speech.
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