Joe Biden describes losing his own home in a lightning strike during Florida tour of hurricane devastation
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President Biden has told people in Florida affected by two major hurricanes in recent weeks he knows “how devastating it is to lose your home”.
He told reporters his home was struck by lightning “several years ago” and the things he missed most were “my daughter’s drawings… All the family photographs, all the albums, all the things that really matter.
“The fact is that when you lose your wedding ring, the old photos, your children’s and family’s keepsakes, things that can’t be replaced… sometimes, in my own experience, that’s the part that hurts the most,” said the president.
He was in Florida to survey the damage done by Hurricane Milton, a huge storm that swept into the state on Wednesday evening.
It was the second major storm to hit Florida in recent weeks, and the state is suffering millions of dollars of damage.
The president took an aerial tour of affected areas in a helicopter, on his way to the Florida city of St Petersburg.
At least 17 people died during Hurricane Milton which came just two weeks after Hurricane Helene killed 236 people across six states, including in Florida.
People are still struggling to get access to electricity and fuel in some parts of Florida, where flooding continues.
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Florida before and after Hurricane Milton
River waters are continuing to rise around Tampa Bay and some parts of Orlando, according to the National Weather Service’s website, which warned that more flooding is on the way.
President Biden urged Congress to approve additional emergency disaster funding.
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He has been pressing House Speaker Mike Johnson to approve more aid money before the US election on 5 November, but Mr Johnson maintains the issue will be dealt with after the vote.
The aftermath of Hurricane Milton. Pic: NBC
The president used his Florida trip to announce $612m (£468m) in funding for state energy projects to try to improve the region’s electricity grid to make it more resilient.
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The science behind Hurricane Milton
The devastating hurricanes have turned into a political campaigning point for both parties, with less than four weeks to go until the hotly contested US election.
Donald Trump said the Biden administration’s response to Hurricane Helene was lacking while President Biden and Kamala Harris criticised Mr Trump for spreading misinformation.
A property damaged after Hurricane Milton made landfall in St Lucie County, Florida. Pic: Reuters
Meteorologists have reportedly facing death threats after misinformation was spread online about Hurricane Milton.
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Some, including Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, spread lies suggesting meteorologists and those in power could control hurricanes and had created Milton on purpose.
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“Murdering meteorologists won’t stop hurricanes. I can’t believe I just had to type that,” wrote meteorologist Katie Nickolaou on X after someone used her social media page to call for the death of meteorologists.
Donald Trump told his supporters at a rally that the Democrats had stolen disaster relief funds meant for hurricane victims “so they could give it to their illegal immigrants”.
