by Saul Loeb with Sebastian Smith in Washington
Agence France Presse
Ponce, Puerto Rico (AFP) — President Joe Biden toured hurricane-devastated areas of Puerto Rico on Monday, promising the sometimes overlooked US territory that this time, “America’s with you.”
The president and First Lady Jill Biden — who on Wednesday will also visit the devastation caused by Hurricane Ian in Florida where dozens have died — headed to Ponce, on the south coast of Puerto Rico, pounded by Hurricane Fiona last month.
“We came here in person to show we’re with you –- all of America’s with you,” he said in televised remarks. “I am committed to this island.”
Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre described Ponce as “the hardest hit area of Puerto Rico” and “an area where people have lost almost everything.”
More than two weeks after Hurricane Fiona passed over, thousands of people on the island, which is American but not a state, remain without power. Officials said at least seven percent of customers are still without electricity and five percent without water.
Biden announced $60 million to strengthen storm defenses, including flood barricades and warning systems — all on top of hundreds of millions of dollars in new budgeting made possible by the huge infrastructure spending bill passed by the Democratic-led Congress last year.
To Puerto Ricans skeptical of the sometimes distant federal government, Biden insisted: “We’re going to make sure you get every single dollar promised.”
Not everyone on the ground was buying the pitch.