Biden declares major disaster in Florida and frees up funds for state ravaged by Hurricane Ian

Joe Biden declared a “major disaster” in Florida early Thursday morning after Hurricane Ian made landfall, leaving 2.5 million people without power.

The president’s statement makes federal funding available to nine provinces on the Sunshine State’s Gulf Coast. Funding may include help for temporary housing and home repairs and low-cost loans to help cover uninsured property, among other programs.

The cost of repairing and reconstructing homes from the storm damage could reach $260 billion, according to real estate experts CoreLogic.

The grant programs available through federal funding could also help individuals and business owners recover from the damage done by the storm, the White House noted in a statement on the declaration of the major disaster.

Hurricane Ian sweeps through Florida, leaving a devastating trail of destruction as dozens of people are trapped in their flooded homes and two million people are without power

The formidable hurricane made landfall with catastrophic strength on Wednesday afternoon as a Category 4 storm.

The cleanup efforts will not begin for some time as much of Florida remains under water.

Firefighters and police officers have been inundated with calls from people trapped in flooded homes. Others are posting on social media pleas for themselves or loved ones to be rescued after choosing to brave the storm at home rather than listen to evacuation orders from Governor Ron DeSantis and FEMA.

According to the GOP governor, rescue teams have so far been unable to reach those who asked for help due to the ferocity of the winds and flooding.