Politics & Government
President Biden Reaches Out To Fla., As Hurricane Ian Approaches The West Coast Of The Peninsula
As Hurricane Ian continues its path toward the west coast of Fla., President Joe Biden Tuesday afternoon showed support for Floridians.
September 27, 2022
As Hurricane Ian continues its path towards the west coast of Florida, President Joe Biden on Tuesday afternoon showed support for Florida officials and reiterated that federal resources will be available.
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“Experts say this could be a very severe hurricane — life-threatening and devastating in its impact,” Biden said, according to the Miami Herald. “Safety is more important than anything. And I know our hearts are with everyone who will feel this storm, and we’ll be with you every step of the way. We’re not going away.”
Biden also made separate phone calls Tuesday with the leaders of the three major cities in the Tampa Bay area, according to a White House statement. The mayors were: Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch and Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard.
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Biden spoke with the mayors about the potential impacts of Ian and the ongoing efforts by federal, state and local governments to prepare for the storm, according to the statement.
That said, the latest track of the storm indicates that landfall will likely be taking place in Sarasota County, about 70 miles south of Tampa.
Still, evacuation efforts are continuing in the Tampa Bay area.
Hillsborough County Administrator Bonnie Wise announced this morning — after state and federal officials said the landfall would likely be in Sarasota County — that Hillsborough is expanding its mandatory evacuation order to now include residents living in Zone B, which previously had been under a voluntary recommendation. That order affects an additional 90,000 residents.
On Saturday, the president approved a federal emergency declaration to ensure that resources will be available to Florida a soon as possible, according to a White House press release.
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