WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - President Joe Biden has directed FEMA to immediately open disaster recovery centers across the impacted communities in Florida to help survivors of Hurricane Milton.
These centers will operate as one-stop-shops for residents to learn about all the Federal support that is available to them and apply for assistance in person, the White House said.
The President has also directed Coast Guard and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to assess how fast they can re-open the Port of Tampa to get fuel, food, water, and basic goods flowing into the area again.
Later, the Coast Guard said the Captain of the Port for Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg reopened Port Tampa and Seaport Manatee with some restrictions.
Vessel movements requiring federal pilotage, including U.S. vessels above 1,600 gross tons and U.S. petroleum barges above 10,000 gross tons, are prohibited.
Vessel movements are restricted to daylight hours only, while there will be no restrictions for intra-port vessel movements.
St. Petersburg, Fort Myers, Port of Palm Beach, Fort Pierce, Port Canaveral, Jacksonville, and Fernandina ports will remain closed, according to the Coast Guard.
The Federal Aviation Administration has authorized Florida Power and Light to fly large drones to quickly assess the damage to the power grid, so ground crews can restore power more quickly.
More than two million businesses and homes in Florida are still in black out caused by heavy rainfall and winds.
More than 50,000 workers from 42 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada already are dedicated to the power restoration efforts, beginning that work as soon as it was safe to do so, the White House said. Additionally, three U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Temporary Power teams are staged in the region to provide temporary power to critical facilities, such as hospitals.
Biden spoke to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell about the initial impacts of Hurricane Milton. The President reiterated that he will provide any Federal support the State needs to speed response and recovery.
At the same time, Biden has urged Congress to convene cutting short the current recess to address the situation immediately as the government requires additional funds to deal with the aftermath of the hurricane.
He is scheduled to provide an update on the government's response to Hurricanes Milton and Helene at the White House at 1 PM ET today.
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