Biden to visit Puerto Rico to survey Hurricane Fiona's damage
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will visit Puerto Rico on Monday to survey the damage caused by Hurricane Fiona, the White House said.
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will visit Puerto Rico on Monday to survey the damage caused by Hurricane Fiona, the White House said.
The Bidens will travel to Ponce, where they will meet with families and community leaders and help pack bags with food and other essential items. They will also thank federal and local officials working on recovery efforts, a White House official said.
The president is also set to announce more than $60 million from the infrastructure law he signed last year to shore up levees, strengthen flood walls and create a new flood warning system ahead of future storms.
The administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Deanne Criswell, will join the president and the first lady on their visit.
Fiona hit Puerto Rico on Sept. 18, with heavy winds and flooding that led to an islandwide power outage and at least 25 deaths, according to its health department. The storm was followed just days later by Hurricane Ian, which ripped through Florida last week, causing 83 deaths, before making its way up the East Coast to South Carolina and then North Carolina, where four people were killed, according to tallies by state officials and NBC News. Biden is set to travel to Florida on Wednesday.
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