Before Hurricane Milton made landfall, the Federal government pre-staged personnel and resources to ensure a robust and immediate response effort could begin once the storm passed. Following Hurricane Milton's impact on Florida, the Biden-Harris Administration is working alongside State and local officials to carry out life-saving response efforts. As conditions on the ground begin to improve, first responders have begun assessing damage and assisting communities. The top response priorities include search and rescue, power restoration, route clearance, and debris clean-up.
President Biden and Vice President Harris have been regularly briefed about the initial impacts of Hurricane Milton, as well as the Federal government's ongoing support to State and local officials for their rescue and response efforts. This morning, President Biden spoke to Governor Ron DeSantis and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell about the initial impacts of Hurricane Milton. The President reiterated that he will provide any Federal support the State needs to speed response and recovery.
President Biden directed FEMA to immediately open disaster recovery centers across the impacted communities so there are one-stop-shops for residents to learn about all the Federal support that is available to them and apply for assistance in person.
Additionally, the Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration authorized Florida Power and Light to fly large drones to quickly assess the damage to the power grid, so ground crews can restore power more quickly.
The President directed Coast Guard and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to assess how fast they can re-open the Port of Tampa to get fuel, food, water, and basic goods flowing into the area again.
More than 50,000 workers from 42 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada already are dedicated to the power restoration efforts, beginning that work as soon as it was safe to do so. Additionally, three U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Temporary Power teams are staged in the region to provide temporary power to critical facilities, such as hospitals.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell has been on the ground in Florida since last night, and today she surveyed the damage alongside her State and local counterparts. She will continue working closely with them to determine any unmet needs. She is joined on the ground by more than 1,000 Federal responders.
Since last night, the President has spoken with numerous Florida officials, including: Senator Rick Scott; Representatives Gus Bilirakis, Kathy Castor, and Anna Paulina Luna; Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward; Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson; Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings; Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer; Pasco County Chair Ron Oakley; and Sarasota Mayor Liz Alpert. The President told each of them to call him directly if they need additional assistance on rescue, response, and recovery efforts. The President also emphasized that he will be with them and their communities before, during, and after the storm. The Vice President has also spoken to officials from impacted areas.
These urgent efforts are in addition to the expansive Federal response and recovery efforts underway across the Southeast and Appalachia following Hurricane Helene.
