President Joe Biden introduced $612 million in restoration assist for areas affected by hurricanes Milton and Helene as he surveyed the aftermath of Milton in Florida.
“This funding will not only restore power, but will make the region’s power system stronger and more capable and reduce the frequency and duration of power outages while extreme weather events become more frequent,” Biden mentioned Sunday throughout a cease in St. Pete Seaside.
Biden mentioned Friday that the harm from Milton alone may very well be round $50 billion based mostly on early assessments. Sunday’s funding announcement will go towards six Division of Vitality tasks to strengthen the area’s electrical grid, in response to 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 brought about 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 means of the Division of Vitality’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships Program. Initiatives slated to obtain among the funding embody $47 million for Gainesville Regional Utilities and $47 million for Switched Supply to accomplice with Florida Energy & Gentle.
