ST PETE BEACH, Florida - After surveying battered communities and debris-filled streets in Florida, US President Joe Biden vowed on Oct 13 to continue supporting the state's recovery from Hurricane Milton, the second major storm to pummel the region in recent weeks.
Rising flood waters, fuel shortages and power outages are hindering clean-up efforts after Milton, which made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane. The devastation was compounded by the earlier Hurricane Helene. Recovery is expected to take a long time, with the two storms hitting within two weeks of each other.
Residents of hard-hit St Pete Beach are “heartbroken and exhausted, and their expenses are piling up”, Mr Biden said after touring the barrier island.
A photo album, mattresses, siding, couches and busted kitchen cabinets were scattered on roads, some still covered in large patches of sand, as he walked through with emergency responders. The smell of mould hung in the air.
“Help,” one resident had scrawled across a pile of destroyed household remnants.
“I know you're concerned about the debris removal, and it's obvious why,” the President said, speaking in front of a beach house toppled from its foundation. “There's much more to do. We're doing everything we can.”
Meanwhile, flooding is expected to continue around the Tampa Bay and the Sanford area north-east of Orlando, according to the National Weather Service.
This story is from the October 15, 2024 edition of The Straits Times.
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This story is from the October 15, 2024 edition of The Straits Times.
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