The president makes the case for his infrastructure proposals and says the challenge transcends the politics of a deeply divided nation because of the threats posed by the storms and fires.
WASHINGTON — President Biden on Thursday pledged robust federal help for the Northeastern and Gulf 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,” 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 $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 president said. Scientists say climate change increases the frequency of extreme weather events – such as large tropical storms, and the droughts and heatwaves that create conditions for vast wildfires. U.S. weather officials recently reported that July 2021 was the hottest month ever recorded in 142 years of record-keeping. Ida was the fifth-most powerful storm to strike the U.S. 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 25 people and causing significant disruption to major population centers. More than 1 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.
