Florida lawmakers urge Biden to approve disaster declaration after Idalia slams state

A bipartisan group of Florida lawmakers sent a letter to President Biden calling on him to approve a disaster declaration to assist the state’s recovery from Hurricane Idalia, which swept through the state Wednesday.

“Hurricane Idalia’s devastating wind speeds, historic storm surge, and heavy rainfall severely impacted substantial portions of the state, with significant flooding, massive power outages, and widespread damage that will take a strong partnership to recover and rebuild,” the lawmakers said.

A federal disaster declaration would bring federal resources to the state, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Biden told Florida Gov. Ron Desantis (R) and other impacted state governors Wednesday they would have backing from the federal government in recovery.

“This major hurricane will continue to impact the state for some time, and the full extent of damage will not be known for days,” the lawmakers wrote. “However, approving this declaration request will allow Floridians to be better prepared for the recovery phase.”

“Floridians are incredibly resilient, and with the cooperation from all levels of government, we will rebuild stronger than ever,” they added.

About 300,000 people are still without power in the southeast as of Thursday morning as the storm moves east off the coast of the Carolinas into the Atlantic Ocean. 

The storm directly hit Florida’s Big Bend region, a rural area where severe hurricanes are not common. Damage has sparked fears that recovery could last longer for the area because Idalia is one of the strongest storms to hit that area in years.

The letter, led by Sen. Rick Scott (R), was also signed by Sen. Marco Rubio (R) and Reps. Kat Cammack (R), Vern Buchanan (R), Gus Bilirakis (R), Kathy Castor (D), Neal Dunn (R), Laurel Lee (R) and Daniel Webster (R).