Joe Biden says Hurricane Ida, wildfires show ‘climate crisis’ has struck
- US president to visit hard-hit Louisiana to see damage from Hurricane Ida
- Storm has killed dozens in Gulf Coast region and northeastern United States
“These extreme storms, and the climate crisis, are here,” Biden said in a White House speech on Thursday. “We must be better prepared. We need to act.”
The president said he will further press Congress to pass his nearly US$1 trillion 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. Biden stressed that the challenge 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 US president said.
Ida was the fifth-most powerful storm to strike the US when it hit Louisiana on Sunday with maximum winds of 240km/h (150mph), 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, causing significant disruption to major population centre.