Biden to visit Florida to view hurricane damage

| September 1, 2023

US President Joe Biden says he will visit Florida to view damage from Hurricane Idalia after the storm pounded the state with high winds and flooding.

Idalia slammed into the Florida’s Big Bend area – where its northern Gulf Coast panhandle curves into the state’s peninsula – on Wednesday morning as a powerful Category 3 hurricane.

Biden, who gave remarks on Thursday during a visit to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s headquarters, said he spoke to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to offer federal help in the state’s recovery.

“This morning I spoke again – it seems like we, there should be a direct dial (between) the two of us – Governor DeSantis and I. We spoke again this morning, I let him know that I approved his major disaster declaration,” Biden said.

Idalia left toppled houses and destroyed vehicles in its wake but overall the destruction was not as severe as feared. 

Electricity outages from fallen trees, utility poles and power lines were widespread. 

The back-end of the storm was producing heavy downpours of up to 25cm in some spots along the region’s coastline on Thursday, the National Weather Service said.

The service predicted that rains would diminish during Thursday afternoon but warned of possible life-threatening flash flooding, especially in low-lying areas and along rivers, through the evening.

Storm surge watches were also in effect for several oceanfront communities as fierce winds remained in the forecast.

“Remaining efforts to protect property should be completed as soon as possible. Prepare for limited wind damage,” the service said.

As of midday, the centre of the storm was moving eastward off the North Carolina Coast, about 135km southeast of Cape Lookout as it carried winds of 105km/h. 

Idalia was expected to curl eastward and out into the Atlantic on Thursday night.

Local, state and federal authorities will assess the full extent of damage in the days ahead. 

Insured property losses in Florida were projected to run $US9.36 billion ($A14.48 billion), investment bank UBS said in a research note.

While coastal communities sustained major damage, Idalia appeared to have been far less destructive than Hurricane Ian, a Category 5 storm that struck Florida last September, killing 150 people and causing $US112 billion in damage.

“The community is resilient and we are going to work hard to make sure people get what they need,” Governor Ron DeSantis said during a news briefing on Thursday.

Florida has requested a major disaster declaration from the US government for all 25 counties that fell under the hurricane warning, he said.

Deanne Criswell, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said during the news briefing that she would tour the area with DeSantis to assess the damage and that the governor and US President Joe Biden have remained in close contact.

The surge of storm-driven seawater that accompanied Idalia rushed inland for kilometres, flooding low-lying communities and roadways in its path. 

No deaths had been reported from the storm surge, considered the greatest hazard posed by major hurricanes.

Florida Highway Patrol reported that two motorists had died in separate rain-related crashes early on Wednesday before Idalia made landfall. 

DeSantis later said state authorities were investigating one unconfirmed storm-related traffic death.

Another death from the storm was reported in Georgia where a man was killed while clearing debris, local news reported.

In Taylor and Hernando counties, National Guard troops pulled stranded motorists to safety on Wednesday while emergency teams plying submerged streets in boats rescued dozens of people from floodwaters in St Petersburg.