President Biden says Ida shows ‘climate crisis’ has struck

President Joe Biden has pledged robust federal help to states battered by Hurricane Ida and for western states beset by wildfires — with the catastrophes serving as deadly reminders that the “climate crisis” has arrived.

“These extreme storms, and the climate crisis, are here,” Mr Biden said in a White House speech. “We must be better prepared. We need to act.”

The president said he will further press Congress to pass his nearly one trillion dollars infrastructure bill to improve roads, bridges, the electric grid and sewer systems.

The proposal intends to ensure that the vital networks connecting cities and states and the country as a whole can withstand the flooding, whirlwinds and damage caused by increasingly dangerous weather.

Mr Biden stressed that this was a challenge that transcends the politics of a deeply divided nation because of the threats posed by the storms and fires.

“It’s a matter of life and death and we’re all in this together,” the president said.

Ida was the fifth-most powerful storm to strike the US when it hit Louisiana on Sunday with maximum winds of 150 mph, likely causing tens of billions of dollars in flood, wind and other damage, including to the electrical grid.

The storm’s remnants dropped devastating rainfall across parts of Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey on Wednesday, killing at least 40 people and causing significant disruption to major population centres.

More than one million homes and businesses in Louisiana and Mississippi remained without power after Ida toppled a major transmission tower and knocked out thousands of miles of lines and hundreds of substations.

New Orleans was plunged into total darkness; power began returning to parts of the city on Wednesday. Mr Biden is set to visit Louisiana on Friday to survey some of the damage.

Mr Biden said the flooding in Louisiana was less than the region experienced 16 years ago during Hurricane Katrina, crediting federal investments in the area’s levee system.

“We know that there is much to be done in this response on our part,” Mr Biden added. “We need to get power restored. We need to get more food, fuel and water deployed.”

He said he was receiving hourly updates on the disaster response and outlined efforts by the federal government to ease recovery efforts, including by making satellite imagery available to utility companies and waiving some regulatory requirements.

Mr Biden added he directed the Department of Energy to use the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to ensure the steady supply of fuel. Crude oil prices have stayed close to 70 dollars a barrel since the storm, despite the disruption to a part of the country that is critical for extracting and refining fossil fuels.

Mr Biden said separately that the Pentagon was assisting with ongoing firefighting operations in California against the Caldor fire.

Louisiana Gov John Bel Edwards suggested Mr Biden’s Friday visit would be crucial for the president to understand the destruction by seeing the widespread damage for himself.

“There’s nothing quite like visiting in person,” Mr Edwards told reporters following a briefing with local elected officials in Jefferson Parish, which took direct blows from Ida. “When you see it for yourself, it is just so much more compelling.”

Asked what type of assistance he planned to request from Mr Biden, Mr Edwards said: “Quite frankly, the list is going to be very, very long.” But he said a priority would be for a housing programme to help people rebuild.

The White House says Mr Biden has been getting regular updates on the storm and its aftermath. He has held several conference calls with governors and local officials to discuss preparations and needs after the storm, and has received briefings from Fema Administrator Deanne Criswell.

Fema had sent tons of supplies, including generators, tarps and other materials to the region before the storm, and federal response teams are working on search and rescue.