Biden Pledges Aid So Fort Myers Can Rebuild From Hurricane Ian

FORT MYERS, FL — The mood was more upbeat in Fort Myers than it had been since Hurricane Ian struck the area with President Joe Biden's arrival and announcement that he is extending 100 percent disaster funding for debris removal and emergency measures for an additional 30 days.

On Wednesday, Biden and First Lady Jill Biden toured Fort Myers and its barrier islands by helicopter before getting a briefing from Federal Emergency Management Agency and state officials on the rescue and cleanup efforts after the Category 4 hurricane struck the area a week ago.

• Stay up to date by viewing all Hurricane Ian coverage on Patch here.

Residents' spirits were further lifted when Gov. Ron DeSantis unexpectedly announced that the causeway from Fort Myers to Pine Island, which had been destroyed by the hurricane, leaving the island's 9,000 residents cut off from the mainland, had been repaired and reopened days ahead of schedule.

The Florida Department of Transportation previously estimated that the repairs to the island's only access to the mainland would be completed Saturday. However, FDOT Secretary Jared W. Perdue announced that the contractors were able to complete the work in just 50 hours.

Perdue also said the FDOT signed a contract with a construction firm Wednesday to immediately begin building a temporary bridge to Sanibel and Captiva islands where the 7,000 residents were also cut off from the mainland.

Those repairs are proving a bit trickier since three sections of the Sanibel Causeway were destroyed by the hurricane, he said. The work should be completed by the end of the month. In the meantime, helicopters and barges will be used to provide supplies to the islanders and materials to help utility linemen restore power to the islands.

Speaking with reporters in Fort Myers Wednesday afternoon, Biden said this is probably the 12th devastated area he's toured in the past month including severe storms, flooding and landslides in Alaska, the devastation in Puerto Rico from Tropical Storm Fiona, the Oregon Milo Mciver fire, the Idaho Ross Fork fire, the Washington Bolt Creek fire, and flooding and mudslides in Virginia.

Biden said more buildings have been destroyed by fire in recent weeks in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, New Mexico and Arizona than exist in the entire state of New Jersey.

"I think one thing it's done is ended any discussion of whether there is climate change," Biden said.

The president described the damage he saw in Fort Myers and its barrier islands as "titanic and unimaginable," and said the largest number of search-and-rescue teams ever assembled in the United States have been deployed to aid the residents of Lee County and surrounding areas.

Biden also said he's sent more than 4,000 federal employees to Florida to help with rescue and recovery efforts. In a week's time, they've rescued more than 3,800 people, gone to more than 7,000 homes to search for victims, served 4.4 million meals to hurricane-impacted residents, distributed 44 million bottles of water, deployed more than 500 generators and helped 200,000 families register for urgent assistance through newly opened FEMA disaster centers.

Additionally, he said tens of thousands of utility workers from across America responded to the call to help, and have now restored 85 percent of Fort Myers' power grid.

The president said federal employees will remain in Florida to help repair 11 schools significantly damaged and rebuilt three schools destroyed by the hurricane, along with parks and community centers.

The $13 billion Florida received for highway and bridge improvements through Biden's national $3 trillion infrastructure bill must be used to rebuild better roads and bridges and weather-resistant smart grid technology "because there will be more storms."

"We can build to withstand the kinds of things you face," Biden said. "We're in this together. This is THE United States of America; it's not something else."

DeSantis said he took his first ground tour of Sanibel Island Wednesday and was shocked by the amount of devastation, which is greater than any other site he's toured.

"Looking at it from the sky, you see the debris but it doesn't do it justice until you see it from the ground," DeSantis said. "This was the full Monty. The storm surge met the highest expectations."

But DeSantis said he also saw a lot of people determined to rebuild.

"There’s a great spirit on the island," the governor said. "I’m just thankful that everyone banded together."

Related:

• Florida Man Stole $100K In Hurricane Ian Relief Money: Police
• Hurricane Ian: How To Apply For FEMA Assistance In Florida