Biden to visit Louisiana to survey damage left by Hurricane Ida
The president will speak to local leaders about the hurricane's destruction
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}President Biden will head to Louisiana on Friday to survey damage after the state was battered by Hurricane Ida.
Biden will be in Louisiana for six hours beginning at noon, and is scheduled to deliver remarks in LaPlace at 4:15 p.m. He will begin his tour of the state in New Orleans and will speak about the damage and a path forward with various local leaders.
The announced visit comes after Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards invited the president to the state, noting that "getting eyes on the damage in person" is far better than seeing it on the news.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}IDA AFTERMATH: POWER OUTAGES IN LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI PERSIST FOR A FOURTH DAY
"I think getting eyes on the damage in person rather than reading about it, rather than hearing about it, rather than seeing it on TV is really important," Edwards said at a briefing Wednesday. "Because this is going to be a marathon, and we’re going to need a lot of help from our federal partners for a long time to come. And we need some of that help immediately."
Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy issued a statement thanking the president "for coming down to help him understand the magnitude of the situation here in southeast Louisiana."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}AFTER IDA HITS MASSACHUSETTS, THOUSANDS ARE LEFT WITHOUT POWER
"We know from bitter experience with Hurricane Laura that aid can be delayed too long," Cassidy said in a statement Thursday. "We thank the federal partners who are already here helping with the recovery, and we will ask the President once again that supplemental aid be delivered to southwest Louisiana and expedited for southeast Louisiana."
The visit comes after Ida left hundreds of thousands of people without electricity in Louisiana and Mississippi. Ida was the fifth most powerful storm to hit the mainland U.S. with maximum winds of 150 mph, according to the Associated Press.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}IDA REMNANTS BRING DEATH, DESTRUCTION TO NORTHEAST, DAYS AFTER STORM SLAMMED GULF COAST
Entergy Louisiana CEO Philip May said power would return to most customers in the Baton Rouge area by Sept. 8, but utility officials on Thursday said they were unsure when power would be restored in New Orleans.
At least seven deaths in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama have been attributed to Ida.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The remnants of the storm swept across the Northeast on Wednesday and Thursday, where tornadoes were seen ripping through Philadelphia suburbs and the Annapolis, Maryland, area. Flooding in New York City, New Jersey, and Connecticut has also left dozens dead, while extensive damage to the area has the Big Apple’s subway struggling to remain operational.
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"We are all in this together. Our nation is here to help," Biden said Thursday in prepared remarks delivered from the White House concerning the hurricane. "We’ll be working around the clock until the critical needs of the region are fully met, and we’ll meet them."