US

Biden Vows Federal Support In Wake Of Hurricane Ida, Warns That The ‘Climate Crisis’ Is ‘Here’

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 02: U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks about the ongoing federal response to Hurricane Ida in the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on September 02, 2021 in Washington, DC. The deadly storm made landfall in Louisiana as a Category 4 hurricane and plowed across the country, causing flooding and destruction as far north as New Jersey and New York. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Shelby Talcott Senior White House Correspondent
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President Joe Biden promised the federal government’s support in the wake of Hurricane Ida and warned Americans that this is “yet another reminder that these extreme storms and the climate crisis are here.”

Biden gave remarks Thursday after Hurricane Ida ripped through the Gulf Coast and Northeast. The president is set to travel Friday to New Orleans to survey the damage done by the hurricane. The storm first made landfall in Louisiana as a Category 4 hurricane.

“My message to everyone affected is — we’re all in this together,” Biden said. “The nation is here to help. That’s the message I’ve been making clear to the mayors, governors, energy and utility leaders in the region who my administration has been working closely with over the past few days.”

Biden said he’s been receiving updates on the storm and recently spoke with the New York and New Jersey governors. The two states saw flash floods as a result of Hurricane Ida and the president noted that multiple people have died.

“People were trapped in the subways. But the heroic men and women of the New York Fire Department rescued all of them. They were trapped,” Biden said after videos showed massive flooding in subways and streets around New York and New Jersey, a state that also experienced highly destructive and powerful tornados. Southeastern Pennsylvania, specifically the area in and surrounding Philadelphia, also experienced intense flooding.

The president also used his speech to bring up the climate crisis, declaring that this was another reason why he’s going to continue pushing his Build Back Better agenda. The president said he plans to urge Congress for “further action” on his plan, saying the contents and their implementation would be historic.

“The past few days of Hurricane Ida and the wildfires in the West and the unprecedented flash floods in New York and New Jersey is yet another reminder that these extreme storms and the climate crisis are here. We need to do – be better prepared. We need to act.”

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“Hurricane Ida, it didn’t care if you’re a Democrat or Republican, rural or – this destruction is everywhere. It’s a matter of life and death and we’re all in this together,” he added.

New York issued a state of emergency Thursday and at least 11 people have died between this state, New Jersey and Maryland, CNN reported Thursday morning. Louisiana is experiencing mass power outages and parts of the country are also concerned about gas shortages. (RELATED: Cajun Navy Volunteers Stage Rescue Operation After Hurricane Ida Leaves Millions Trapped)

Hurricane Ida is the fifth strongest hurricane ever in the U.S. and the devastation for states affected is severe. Officials noted that New Orleans was better equipped to handle the massive storm compared to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which Biden pointed out as well Thursday.