President Joe Biden introduced $612 million in restoration support for areas affected by hurricanes Milton and Helene as he surveyed the aftermath of Milton in Florida.
“This funding is not going to solely restore energy, however will make the area’s energy system stronger and extra succesful and cut back the frequency and period of energy outages whereas excessive climate occasions turn into extra frequent,” Biden mentioned Sunday throughout a cease in St. Pete Seashore.
Biden mentioned Friday that the harm from Milton alone might be round $50 billion based mostly on early assessments. Sunday’s funding announcement will go towards six Division of Power tasks to strengthen the area’s electrical grid, in keeping with the White Home.
The journey is a part of an effort by Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who’s working for the presidency within the Nov. 5 election, to guarantee voters that they’re maximizing the federal government’s catastrophe response and counter claims by former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, that the administration isn’t doing sufficient.
Milton is the second storm to strike Florida in current weeks, bringing new devastation to a state nonetheless recovering from Hurricane Helene, which precipitated a swath of injury throughout the southeastern US. Harris was visiting North Carolina on Sunday for stops together with a marketing campaign rally.
The aid funds can be distributed by way of the Division of Power’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships Program. Tasks slated to obtain among the funding embrace $47 million for Gainesville Regional Utilities and $47 million for Switched Supply to associate with Florida Energy & Gentle.
