Today, Monday, United States President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in Florida, to facilitate the dispatch of federal aid before the arrival of Tropical Storm Adalia, which may turn into a hurricane before reaching the continent.
White House spokeswoman Karen Jean-Pierre said that in addition to signing the emergency declaration, the US president also spoke by phone on Monday with Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis to inform him of this approval. at a press conference.
Florida residents are already preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, a tropical storm that is expected to make landfall on Wednesday as a major hurricane on the west coast of this state, near where Hurricane Ian hit just under a year ago, leaving many dead and injured. destruction in its wake.
According to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), this storm, which currently has winds of 100 kilometers per hour and is located about 90 miles (150 kilometers) southwest of far Cuba, will become a hurricane and will continue through Tuesday around the clock. Southeast waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
NHC meteorologists expect the center of Idalia to make landfall as a “significant, dangerous hurricane” Wednesday morning off Florida’s west coast, hitting a site stretching from Tampa Bay to Indian Pass in the state’s northwest.
Biden has a tense relationship with DeSantis, who has pursued policies that contradict the US president’s vision in several areas, including immigration, abortion and gay rights.
In addition, DeSantis faces other members of his party, such as former President Donald Trump (2017-2021), to win the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential election, in which Biden is running for the Democrats.