Biden to Tour Hurricane Ida Damage in New Orleans

Politics|Biden to Tour Hurricane Ida Damage successful New Orleans

WASHINGTON — President Biden is acceptable to alert to New Orleans connected Friday to circuit the harm wrought by Hurricane Ida, portion of an effort to show his committedness to the national government’s tempest effect adjacent arsenic his medication remains enmeshed successful different pressing matters from the coronavirus surge to the aftermath of his Afghanistan withdrawal.

In guidance for reporters issued precocious Thursday evening, White House officials said Mr. Biden would survey tempest harm and conscionable with authorities officials from communities affected by the hurricane, which the president described connected Thursday arsenic the fifth-largest hurricane successful American history.

Mr. Biden said successful a code astatine the White House earlier connected Thursday that helium would conscionable with Gov. John Bel Edwards of Louisiana, on with parish presidents and different section officials.

“Governor Edwards encouraged maine to travel and assured maine that the sojourn volition not disrupt betterment efforts connected the ground,” Mr. Biden said. “That’s what I wanted to beryllium definite of. My connection to everyone affected is: We’re each successful this together. The federation is present to help.”

Ida slammed into Louisiana connected Sunday arsenic a Category 4 hurricane, leaving astatine slightest 12 radical determination dormant and the powerfulness grid successful shambles, earlier its remnants marched up the East Coast and deluged New York and overmuch of the remainder of the Northeast, killing dozens more.

Despite the departure of the past U.S. troops from Afghanistan connected Monday, Mr. Biden has taken pains to amusement his engagement with the tempest effect efforts passim the week. On Sunday, arsenic the tempest made landfall connected the Gulf Coast, helium stopped astatine the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s headquarters successful Washington to springiness workers a pep talk.

Mr. Biden said connected Thursday that helium was getting “hourly updates connected the advancement from FEMA, good into the night, and we’ll beryllium moving astir the timepiece until the captious needs of the portion are afloat met.”

The itinerary for the trip, and Mr. Biden’s assertive nationalist efforts to item however his medication was preparing for the storm, supply a stark opposition from President George W. Bush’s absorption to Hurricane Katrina 16 years ago.

Mr. Bush drew crisp disapproval for a dilatory national effect to that storm, which inundated parts of New Orleans and caused the deaths of much than 1,800 people. Mr. Bush was famously photographed viewing the storm’s devastation from a model connected Air Force One, successful what became a awesome of national detachment from the damage. He aboriginal said helium regretted the photograph, and wished helium had landed successful Louisiana.

“I should person touched down successful Baton Rouge, met with the politician and, you know, walked retired and said, ‘I perceive you,’” Mr. Bush said successful a 2010 interview. “And past got backmost connected a formation up to Washington. I did not bash that. And paid a terms for it.”

Mr. Biden has not mentioned Mr. Bush successful his remarks astir the hurricane this week. But helium has repeatedly promoted authorities efforts to presumption electrical workers, aesculapian teams, electrical generators and different assistance up of the storm, successful hopes of rapidly bringing alleviation to the radical affected by it.

“Even arsenic we tackle the halfway elements of the catastrophe response, we’re besides deploying caller tools to assistance velocity this betterment — things that person not been utilized precise overmuch successful anterior hurricane responses,” Mr. Biden said connected Thursday. “Working with backstage companies that ain and run the lifeline infrastructure, similar energy and communications, we’ve utilized the latest exertion to accelerate restoration of powerfulness and cellphone service.”

Mr. Biden has besides utilized the storm, including the flooding successful the Northeast connected Wednesday, to telephone attraction to his docket to combat clime change. Democrats successful Congress are scrambling this period successful an effort to walk a multitrillion-dollar spending measure that Mr. Biden says should see taxation incentives for low-carbon vigor deployment, on with different policies meant to trim greenhouse state emissions.

Jen Psaki, the White House property secretary, told reporters connected Thursday that the hurricane reaffirmed the president’s “commitment to getting his Build Back Better docket passed, which has a huge, immense absorption connected addressing the clime crisis.”