President Joe Biden will travel to Puerto Rico this Monday, after the devastating passage of Hurricane Fiona, where he will announce 60 million dollars to strengthen defense against storms in this US territory whose population claimed forgotten sense after other natural catastrophes.
The first lady, Jill Biden, will accompany the president on the trip, which will continue on Wednesday in Florida, to assess the damage caused by Hurricane Ian.
“I am going to Puerto Rico because they have not been treated very well,” the president said before boarding the presidential plane bound for the island.
“They have been trying to recover at all costs from the last hurricane. I want to look at the situation today and make sure we do everything we can,” he added.
Both Puerto Rico and Florida recorded numerous deaths, widespread power outages, dangerous flooding and considerable material damage due to recent hurricanes, first Fiona and then Ian.
The Bidens will visit the city of Ponce, on the southern coast of Puerto Rico, where they will meet with families and community leaders affected by the storm, and will go to distribution centers for food and other supplies for the victims, said an official from the White House.
They will be joined by the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Deanne Criswell.
During the visit, Biden will announce the delivery of more than 60 million dollars in funds “to reinforce the levees, strengthen the flood walls and create a new flood warning system to help Puerto Rico be better prepared for future storms.” added the White House.
The Bidens “will reaffirm their commitment to supporting the people of Puerto Rico every step of the way” toward recovery, “for as long as it takes.”
forgotten
On Saturday, during an act with the group of African-American parliamentarians, the president declared: “We owe Puerto Rico much more than what they have already received.”
In Puerto Rico, at least 25 people have died due to Hurricane Fiona, according to the island’s health department.
The entire territory was left without electricity and around a million people temporarily without running water, when the powerful category 1 cyclone hit it in mid-September.
Biden declared a state of emergency for Puerto Rico on September 18.
The inhabitants, US citizens, complained of having been forgotten by Washington after other catastrophes such as hurricanes Irma and MarÃa in 2017.
Florida, where Hurricane Ian made landfall Wednesday as a Category 4 storm, is still assessing damage, particularly on its southwest coast.
The confirmed death toll from Ian, one of the most powerful storms to hit the United States, has soared to at least 58 in Florida and four in North Carolina, and rescuers are still searching flooded neighborhoods for survivors.
After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, then-President George W. Bush came under fire for photos that showed him surveying the damage while flying over the disaster area.
Later, on a visit to Puerto Rico after the devastating Hurricane Maria in September 2017, then-President Donald Trump threw rolls of paper to the victims at an aid supply collection center, a gesture described by the mayor of the capital, San Juan, of “insulting” and “abominable”.
