Phone calls from President Joe Biden to mayors and county chairs in Florida went unanswered Wednesday during the throes of Hurricane Ian.
A Wednesday statement from the White House detailed that Biden made separate calls to the Mayors of Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Sarasota, and the Chair of Charlotte County, Florida to let them know that the federal government will support them as Hurricane Ian made landfall, according to the statement.
It’s unclear when the calls were made, as Hurricane Ian made landfall early on Wednesday as a Category 4 storm, battering the western Florida coastline. Reports of the major weather event were prevalent at least two days prior to Hurricane Ian making landfall.
Forecasters Warn Major Storm To Hit Florida In Coming Days https://t.co/dvGYax3Ikj
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) September 29, 2022
Footage and images from the destruction circulated online, showing mass devastation from storm surges in Naples, Fort Myers, and other areas around the state.
Biden was only able to get in touch with Mayor Kevin Anderson of Fort Myers, according to the statement. They discussed the city’s ongoing needs, specifically for the elderly and families who reside in mobile homes, the statement noted.
The Daily Caller spoke with Sarasota Mayor Erik Arroyo early Thursday morning, who said that he had not received a voicemail from the President. He did, however speak to Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Governmental Affairs Gabe Amo on Tuesday.
During this call, Arroyo provided Amo with the correct number for the president to contact him. Amo reportedly stated that the president might be calling through the weekend. The mayor added that he had not checked his office line, so the president may have called him there. (RELATED: Haunting Video From Tampa Shows Ocean Disappearing)
Arroyo noted that the power had come back on just 20 minutes before he made the call to the Daily Caller, and estimated that 200 trees and powerlines had come down throughout Sarasota. Thankfully, there were no reports of deaths in the area from Hurricane Ian.
As of Thursday morning, the line to Mayor Anderson’s office would not connect to make the call when The Daily Caller tried to contact for comment. Emails were sent to the other leaders mentioned in this article.
