President Joe Biden is visiting Florida on Oct. 5, a week after Hurricane Ian wreaked havoc on parts of the state.
Biden flew to Fort Myers in the morning. After arriving, he and First Lady Jill Biden were set to survey damaged areas while traveling via helicopter to Fishermans Wharf.
In the afternoon, the Bidens are scheduled to receive a briefing on response updates by local, state, and federal officials. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, and Deanne Criswell, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will be among the officials, the White House said.
And in the evening, the president and his wife are slated to meet with small business owners and residents who were impacted by the storm, as well as workers who responded after the hurricane made landfall.
Biden “will deliver remarks to reaffirm his commitment to supporting the people of Florida as they recover and rebuild from the devastating storm,” the White House said.
According to the schedule, the Bidens will fly back to Washington in the evening.
Ian made landfall as a category 4 hurricane, with winds of 140 mph. The storm brought strong surges and heavy rain, causing flooding and other damage.
The death toll from Ian has reportedly risen above 100, with about half of the deaths in Lee County.
Officials there did not order an evacuation until the day before Ian struck, later than other nearby counties.
DeSantis has said that officials delayed the order because the projected path of the storm shifted. The storm had not been projected to have much of an impact on Lee County before the shift.
The order was given “the earliest possible moment when we got the weather information,” Lee County Manager Roger Desjarlais told reporters at a briefing.
DeSantis told reporters on Monday that the storm preparations and response would be reviewed.
