Biden to survey Ida storm damage in hard-hit New York, New Jersey
Written by ABC AUDIO on September 4, 2021
(NEW YORK) — After touring storm damage from Hurricane Ida in Louisiana on Friday, President Joe Biden will travel to the Northeast next, the White House said.
Biden will be in Manville, New Jersey, and Queens, New York, on Tuesday — two areas hard-hit by devastating flooding as remnants of Ida wreaked havoc earlier this week.
Overall, there have been at least 64 deaths across eight U.S. states related to Ida, including at least 49 in the Northeast.
New Jersey has seen the greatest loss of life tied to Ida, with at least 25 people dead and at least six people still missing as of Friday. Three tornadoes also were confirmed in New Jersey as the storm swept through Wednesday, mostly in the southern part of the state.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy confirmed on Twitter he will be joining Biden on the tour.
On Tuesday, @POTUS and I will survey devastating damage from Tropical Storm Ida in Manville. We’re grateful for the President’s leadership and support as we recover from this storm. Together, we will help New Jerseyans rebuild.https://t.co/srIK5Fepyc
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) September 4, 2021
In New York City, at least 13 people died due to the storm. All but two were found in basement apartments.
On Friday, Biden traveled to Louisiana to survey damage caused by Hurricane Ida.
“This storm has been incredible, not only here but all the way up the East Coast,” Biden told local officials in hard-hit LaPlace, Louisiana, just outside New Orleans.
“We came because we want to hear directly from you all, what specific problems you’ve been dealing with,” he said.
Biden told local officials he thought it was important to rebuild damaged infrastructure in a more resilient manner, such as placing power lines underground or making roofs stronger, and he spoke of the need to restore cellphone service so that residents can get in touch with loved ones and also learn about resources available to them.
Nearly a week after the storm, over 727,000 customers in Louisiana still remain without power statewide, according to data from PowerOutage.us.
The president also surveyed storm damage in the Cambridge neighborhood and took part in an aerial briefing by helicopter to Galliano, south of New Orleans, on Friday, according to the White House.
Before Hurricane Ida made landfall as a powerful Category 4 storm Sunday, Biden approved emergency declarations for Louisiana and Mississippi, authorizing FEMA to provide emergency assistance.
ABC News’ Ben Gittleson contributed to this report.
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