President Joe Biden announced new funding Wednesday in an address to the nation in the wake of recent natural disasters that have wreaked havoc across Hawaii and Florida.
What To Know: Weeks after wildfires ripped across Hawaii and just hours after Hurricane Idalia made landfall in Florida, Biden announced new funding for recovery efforts.
A total of $95 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law he signed in 2021 is set to go toward strengthening Hawaii's electric grid after the deadliest wildfires in the U.S. in over 100 years swept across Maui earlier this month. The relief also aims to improve service, limit damage during future events and help prevent future failures.
In his remarks Wednesday, Biden said more than 1,000 federal personnel are on the ground in Maui and FEMA has offered more than 50,000 meals, 75,000 liters of water, 5,000 cots and 10,000 blankets for distribution.
"When you have your home washed away, when you are in a fire that's taken your home away, when your school has been destroyed and ... you can't send your kid to school, these are urgent needs," Biden said Wednesday afternoon.
Republicans recently criticized the president for a slow response to the wildfires. In a visit to the island state last week, Biden said he would support Hawaii for "as long as it takes."
"As President Biden made clear during his visit to Maui last week, the Biden-Harris Administration will do everything in its power to help Maui recover and rebuild from this tragedy," the White House said in a statement.
Biden reassured Americans on Wednesday that the government has deployed hundreds of personnel from several Federal departments and agencies to work to assess ongoing needs and provide resources to support response efforts.
"As an example of our commitment, we're not only building back, we're going to build back a stronger and more resilient future, which means we need to be ready to withstand any challenge coming our way," Biden said.
Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc HE is facing a lawsuit surrounding the tragic fires, the company is accused of removing key evidence from the primary fire scene, potentially hampering the official investigation.
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