Biden visits Puerto Rico on Monday

On Monday, during a visit to Puerto Rico, President Joe Biden will announce more than $60 million for Hurricane Fiona relief efforts.

The president promised that the federal government would support Puerto Rico as well as the states of Florida and South Carolina, which have been hit hard by Hurricane Ian in recent days.

Biden travels to Florida on Wednesday.

More than $60 million is being allocated to Puerto Rico as part of the Infrastructure Act “to strengthen dams and flood control levees and create a new flood warning system to help Puerto Rico better prepare for future hurricanes,” a White House official said.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Director Deanne Criswell and First Lady Jill Biden will accompany the president on the trip to Puerto Rico.

“It is impossible not to say with what a heavy heart we see the aftermath of the devastating hurricane and storms in Puerto Rico, Florida and South Carolina,” Biden said Saturday night at an event in Washington. – “We owe Puerto Rico far more than has already been provided.

Hurricane victims in Florida and islands near South Carolina are facing tens of billions of dollars in disaster relief.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been without power since Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico about two weeks ago.

On Sunday, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said on Twitter that power to the island is 90 percent restored.

“This is a major milestone – just 13 days after Fiona reached the island’s shores,” she said. – While we are grateful for this progress, we realize that the work is not over. The recovery and relief efforts will continue.