President Biden witnessed firsthand the destruction in New Jersey caused by Tropical Storm Ida with Gov. Phil Murphy and other leaders on Tuesday. The storm killed at least 50 people in the Northeast, claiming the lives of 27 New Jersey residents and four remain missing. Most of the victims drowned, unable to escape their homes or trapped in submerged cars on flooded roadways.
Biden toured hard-hit Manville, meeting with families and first responders who recounted the harrowing events of the storm. Residents and business owners — all too familiar with the struggle to rebuild since Hurricane Floyd in 1999 — pleaded with the president for help.
“The losses we witnessed today are profound, dozens of lost lives, homes destroyed in Manville including by gas leaks triggered by the flooding, damaged infrastructure including the rail system,” said Biden, adding that his “thoughts are with all those families affected by the storm and those families who lost someone they love.”
Biden pledged his commitment and full support of the federal government, as he touted his “Build Back Better” agenda, in which Congress would allocate billions of dollars in infrastructure spending, part of which would set up resiliency against the effects of climate change.
“Whatever damage was done in New Jersey, you can’t build back and restore to what it was before because another tornado, another 10 inches of rain’s going to produce the same kind of results,” said Biden. “We’re at one of those inflection points where we either act or we’re going to be in real, real trouble and our kids are going to be in real trouble.”
