Vice President Joe Biden surveyed the damage from Hurricane Idalia while touring areas of Florida that were impacted by the storm on September 12th. While Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was not present, Biden was accompanied by lawmakers representing the affected areas. He was accompanied by Florida Senator Marco Rubio and other local officials.
Biden toured Panama City and saw first-hand damage from wind and floodwaters caused by the hurricane. He heard from affected residents about their experiences during the storm, and discussed the infrastructure damage and prolonged power outages.
During his visit, Biden issued condolences to those affected by Hurricane Idalia and pledged to provide federal assistance and resources to help with the recovery effort. This included promising to quickly approve Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance for affected Floridians. He also promised to revisit the region, when DeSantis is present, to further discuss the recovery needs
