Biden Pledges Continued Federal Support for Hurricane Idalia, Maui Wildfire Recovery

President Joe Biden on Wednesday sought to reassure those impacted by Hurricane Idalia and the Maui wildfires that the federal government will provide the support and resources needed for recovery.

Biden said he spoke directly with governors of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina after Idalia made landfall Wednesday morning. The hurricane caused floods and power outages along Florida's gulf coast before moving on to Georgia.

The president directed Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Deanne Criswell to travel to Florida and assess storm damage with Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate, on Thursday.

Asked whether he sensed any politics in his conversations with DeSantis, Biden said “no, believe it or not” and that he knows that sounds “strange,” given the nature of politics today. 

“I think he trusts my judgment and my desire to help,” Biden said, adding that he trusts DeSantis to put politics aside and focus on helping Floridians.

Biden also said he has directed his team to do everything they can “for as long as it takes” to help Maui rebuild in a way that honors Hawaiian traditions, restoring it rather than opening it up to “a new land grab” and “multimillion dollar homes on the beach.”

He announced $95 million, from the bipartisan infrastructure law, is on the way to Hawaii to harden the grid to ensure electricity can continue to reach homes and facilities during extreme weather. The funding will pay for “smart meters” that can identify where problems exist, Biden said.

“All this is gonna help Maui and the entire state of Hawaii better withstand future disasters because this is not going away,” he said. “It's not like, oh, these are the last disasters.”

The president said the work in Maui, including removing hazardous materials, may take a long time. “We’re not walking away,” he said.

Ahead of Hurricane Idalia making landfall, the administration pre-positioned hundreds of personnel and resources to support the response and recovery efforts in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. 

Idalia is the strongest storm to make landfall in this part of Florida in more than a century, Criswell told reporters. This storm and others over the last few years are intensifying more rapidly because of higher water temperatures, she said.

“These storms are intensifying so fast that our local emergency management officials have less time to warn and evacuate and get people to safety,” Criswell said.

The wildfires in Maui were the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century. More than 100 people have been confirmed dead since the fire ignited on Aug. 8 and an unknown number of people are still missing.

The fires have left some locals pleading for tourists to return to support businesses, even as others express frustration with tourists as they grieve, according to news reports.

Criswell on Tuesday called on Congress to pass additional funding for the agency’s disaster relief fund, which has dwindled to only $3.4 billion. The remaining money will be used to respond to Hurricane Idalia, the Maui wildfires and other recent natural disasters.

“We started with atmospheric rivers in California in January, extreme tornadoes in the spring, to the wildfires, and now we are in peak hurricane season,” Criswell said. “And we have had an unprecedented number of disaster requests from governors because of the extreme weather that they’re experiencing. This is our new normal.”

The Biden administration wants Congress to approve $40 billion in emergency funding, including $12 billion for disaster relief, when lawmakers return to Washington after Labor Day. The request also includes funding for Ukraine and migration management.

Some lawmakers want to add to Biden’s spending request, while some Republicans oppose Biden’s request to include disaster relief and Ukraine aid in the same package. The emergency funding is expected to be attached to short-term legislation to continue funding the government beyond the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. 

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said Tuesday he would introduce separate legislation to fund disaster relief, and accused Biden of “playing games” by tying domestic aid to funding for Ukraine.

Biden told reporters on Friday that there is no possibility of splitting the disaster and Ukraine funding.

Asked on Wednesday whether the federal government will have the resources it needs to get through the hurricane season, Biden said, “if I can’t do that, I’m going to point out why.”

“How can we not respond to these needs?” he asked. “I’m confident, even though there’s a lot of talk from some of our friends up on the Hill about the cost, we’ve got to do it.”