TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden joined Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in Fort Myers on Wednesday to tour areas damaged by Hurricane Ian.
On Tuesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden and DeSantis would put aside their political differences to focus on Florida families that are impacted by the storm.
“There will be plenty of time to discuss differences between the president and governor, but now is not the time,” Jean-Pierre said.
Biden plans to meet with home and business owners who lost everything during the storm.
The president will also take time to thank first responders who have played a critical role in rescue efforts.
Biden signed a declaration, which allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to cover 100% of recovery costs, including individual assistance, through Oct. 23.
DeSantis, FEMA’s administrator and state and local leaders will hold a briefing to update the president on the state’s recovery efforts.
Hurricane Ian’s death toll has continued to rise ahead of the president’s visit.
As of this writing Wednesday morning, at least 109 deaths have been tied to the storm, and 105 of those deaths happened in Florida.
The worst of the damage is in Lee County, where Air Force One touched down one week after the storm.
DeSantis said thousands of linemen were working to restore power in the areas of Cape Coral, Pine Island and Sanibel. The governor said linemen were being airlifted to Pine Island and Sanibel.
DeSantis said the bridge to Pine Island has been restored. The state has a contract to fix the Sanibel Causway, which is expected to be completed by October.
Biden said search and rescue teams have knocked on over 70,000 homes in the most devastated areas. There is over 4,000 personnel on the ground to help.
If you need disaster assistance, you can call 800-621-3362 or go to disasterassistance.gov.