Biden Announces $600M For Areas Hit By Hurricanes While In FL After Milton

TAMPA, FL — President Joe Biden surveyed the deadly devastation of Hurricane Milton on Sunday between Tampa and St. Pete Beach and announced more than $600 million in energy projects for hurricane-affected areas.

After an aerial tour and a briefing, Biden said he was thankful the damage from Milton was not as severe as officials had anticipated. But he said it was still a “cataclysmic” event for the people in the storm's path, and that many lost irreplaceable personal items when their homes were flooded. The president praised the first responders who came from as far as Canada.

"It's in moments like this we come together to take care of each other, not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans," Biden said after he was briefed by federal, state and local officials, and met with residents and some of the responders.

Biden arrived in Tampa and flew by helicopter to St. Pete Beach, surveying the wreckage left behind by Milton, including the roof of Tropicana Field that was shorn off by the powerful storm's winds. Later, as the president’s motorcade drove along the highway, piles of debris, tattered billboards, toppled fences, fallen trees and closed gas stations were seen. It passed through a neighborhood where almost every home had water damage and heaps of belongings were on the curb.

Biden said Sunday that over 250,000 Florida residents, “the most in a single day ever in the history of this country," had registered for help after he approved a disaster declaration to free up federal funding for housing and repair grants, USA Today reported.

In Florida, Biden announced $612 million for six Department of Energy projects in areas affected by the hurricanes to improve the resilience of the region’s electric grid. The funding includes $94 million for two projects in Florida: $47 million for Gainesville Regional Utilities and $47 million for Switched Source to partner with Florida Power and Light.

For Biden, it was his second trip to Florida in two weeks. He traveled to the state's Big Bend region on Oct. 3 to survey damage after Hurricane Helene ripped through the area.

The visit gave Biden another chance to press House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., for congressional approval of more aid money before the Nov. 5 election. Johnson said Sunday that lawmakers will deal with the issue after the election because of the amount of time it takes to come up with an estimate. He said on CBS' “Face the Nation” that his “guesstimate” is that $100 billion will be needed.

“We’ll provide the additional resources,” Johnson said.

The president is pressing for swift action by Congress to make sure the Small Business Administration and FEMA have the money they need to get through hurricane season, which ends Nov. 30 in the Atlantic. He said Friday that Milton alone had caused an estimated $50 billion in damages.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said last week that FEMA will be able to meet "immediate needs" caused by the two storms. But he warned in the aftermath of Helene that the agency does not have enough funding to make it through the hurricane season.

But Johnson has pushed back, saying the agencies have enough money for the time being and that lawmakers will address the funding issue during the lame-duck session after the election.

Biden said he hoped to see Gov. Ron DeSantis on Sunday, if the governor's schedule permitted. DeSantis was not among the officials who greeted Biden in Tampa or joined his briefing in St. Pete Beach.

Republicans Sen. Rick Scott and U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, however, were in attendance, according to CNN.

National Weather Service meteorologist Paul Close said rivers will keep rising for the next several days and result in flooding, mostly around Tampa Bay and northward. Those areas got the most rain, which came on top of a wet summer that included several hurricanes.

Fuel shortages appeared to be easing as more gas stations opened over the weekend, and lines at pumps in the Tampa area looked notably shorter. The Florida Division of Emergency Management was opening several refueling stations Sunday, with locations announced in Tampa, Sarasota, Arcadia, Tarpon Springs, North Port and Port Charlotte. Sites were already open with a 10-gallon limit in St. Petersburg, Bradenton and Plant City.

Arriving just two weeks after Helene, Milton initially knocked out power to more than 3.4 million customers. As of 11 p.m. Saturday, 17 people had been confirmed dead, and as of Sunday evening, over 500,000 people remained without power as crews continued working to restore service.

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Duke Energy officials estimated power would be restored to Flagler, Levy, Brevard, Citrus, Hernando, Highlands, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia counties by 11:59 p.m. Sunday. Power in Pasco and Pinellas counties should be restored by 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, the company said.

As of Sunday, there were well over 100 active boil water notices as a result of Milton in Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, Flagler, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Marion, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Lucie, Sumter and Volusia counties, according to the state health department.

On Friday, Biden approved a Major Disaster Declaration for Florida, making federal funding available for people impacted in 34 counties. Residents and business owners who sustained losses can begin applying for assistance by registering online at DisasterAssistance.gov, using the FEMA app or calling 1-800-621-3362.

Also Friday, the owner of a major phosphate mine disclosed that pollution spilled into Tampa Bay during the hurricane. The Mosaic Company said in a statement that heavy rains from the storm overwhelmed a collection system at its Riverview site, pushing excess water out of a manhole and into discharges that lead to the bay. The company said the leak was fixed on Thursday.

Mosaic said the spill likely exceeded a 17,500-gallon minimum reporting standard, though it did not provide a figure for what the total volume might have been.

The state has 25 such stacks containing more than 1 billion tons of phosphogypsum, a solid waste byproduct of the phosphate fertilizer mining industry that contains radium, which decays to form radon gas. Both radium and radon are radioactive and can cause cancer. Phosphogypsum may also contain toxic heavy metals and other carcinogens, such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury and nickel.

Other things to know about Hurricane Milton recovery:

• Those who need help with damages can call Florida’s Crisis Cleanup hotline at 844-965-1386. Residents may also call 833-438-4673 for free assistance and resources such as food, household goods and debris removal.
• FEMA assistance is available to residents who experienced damages or losses due to Hurricane Helene. Financial help is available for temporary lodging, basic home repairs and other disaster-caused expenses. Apply online at DisasterAssistance.gov, the FEMA app or 1-800-621-3362.
• Sarasota Bradenton International Airport: Because of extensive damage to the terminal, the airport will be closed to flights and passengers until Wednesday at 9 a.m. Check with airlines for specific flight information.
• The St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport has reopened. Check with airlines for specific flight information.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.