President Joe Biden announced $612 million in recovery aid for areas stricken by hurricanes Milton and Helene as he surveyed the aftermath of Milton in Florida.
“This funding will not only restore power, but will make the region’s power system stronger and more capable and reduce the frequency and duration of power outages while extreme weather events become more frequent,” Biden said Sunday during a stop in St. Pete Beach.
Biden said Friday that the damage from Milton alone could be around $50 billion based on early assessments. Sunday’s funding announcement will go toward six Department of Energy projects to strengthen the region’s electric grid, according to the White House.
The trip is part of an effort by Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running for the presidency in the Nov. 5 election, to assure voters that they are maximizing the government’s disaster response and counter claims by former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, that the administration isn’t doing enough.
Milton is the second storm to strike Florida in recent weeks, bringing new devastation to a state still recovering from Hurricane Helene, which caused a swath of damage across the southeastern US. Harris was visiting North Carolina on Sunday for stops including a campaign rally.
The relief funds will be distributed through the Department of Energy’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships Program. Projects slated to receive some of the funding include $47 million for Gainesville Regional Utilities and $47 million for Switched Source to partner with Florida Power & Light.