Biden already has the resources to respond to Hurricane Milton

As Hurricane Milton strengthens into a massive Category 5 hurricane, the White House is ready to reallocate resources to Milton, which is expected to hit.

Here's what's already been invested, according to a White House fact sheet.

P:Redeployment of resources and personnel
Â:
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration deploys hurricane hunters into current storms to collect data for models and help predict the path and timing of the storm.
Â:
FEMA has pre-staged personnel and resources in Florida and the region, including 6 FEMA Incident Management Support Teams, five FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Teams, US Coast Guard Swift Water Rescue Teams, four Health System Assessment Teams, two US Army Corps. Engineers (USACE) ad hoc power teams, USACE trash experts, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and wastewater experts, 300 ambulances and 30 high-water trucks on the Department of Defense ladder.
Â:
In addition, FEMA has two incident staging bases with supplies including food and water. Right now, FEMA has 20 million meals and 40 million liters of water in the pipeline for use as needed for the ongoing Helen and Milton response efforts, with the ability to expand as needed.
Â:
Currently, a total of about 900 employees are already supporting recovery efforts based out of the Joint Field Office in Tallahassee and operating in the designated areas for Hurricanes Helen, Debbie and Idalia. This includes more than 440 helping with Hurricane Helen recovery, more than 300 with Hurricane Debbie recovery and more than 100 with Hurricane Idalia recovery.
Â:
Speeding up debris removal in Florida
Â:
Debris from Hurricane Helen's impact poses an additional threat to life and livelihoods should another storm strike. FEMA is assisting the state of Florida by expediting Hurricane Helen debris removal in the Tampa area before Hurricane Milton makes landfall.
Â:
FEMA is providing flexibility for debris removal reimbursements to help the state take any action required to expedite debris removal before Milton makes landfall. To that end, FEMA is assisting Florida in adding additional resources to the Tampa area to collect as much debris as possible. State waste management sites are open 24 hours, and contract trucks can deliver waste to these sites around the clock.
Florida's governor has additionally activated 4,000 state-based National Guardsmen, many of whom will assist in debris removal.

Helen's continued reaction to the pre-fall prep add-on
Â:
The administration continues to mobilize a whole-of-government response to the impacts of Hurricane Helen. Yesterday, President Biden ordered 500 more active duty troops to deploy to Western North Carolina with advanced technology to support response and recovery efforts. With just 1,500 military personnel now complementing the robust effort on the ground – including more than 6,100 National Guard and more than 7,000 federal personnel – the administration is sparing no resources to support families as they begin their road to rebuilding. .
Â:
The administration has already helped thousands of Hurricane Helen survivors begin their recovery with more than $210 million in federal aid, and more is on the way. Over the past few days, the administration has reached out to nearly 450 state, city and county officials in the affected states to make sure they have the support and resources they need. To date, FEMA has delivered more than 15.6 million meals, more than 13.9 million liters of water, more than 505,000 tarps to the region and installed 157 generators at critical facilities such as hospitals and water treatment plants.

As president, Trump tried to deny the disaster to help places that didn't vote for him. Biden and the Democrats understand that being in office means representing all voters, not just those who voted for you.

Ron DeSantis declined to speak with Vice President Harrisbut dwelling on petty partisan politics hasn't hindered Milton's preparations, which continue as the region recovers from Hurricane Helen.

With the conspiracy theories and misinformation being spread by the right, it's important to know what the federal government is actually doing to protect and support the American people during this devastating hurricane season.

Join us to comment on this story Reddit:

Jason is the managing editor. She is also the White House Press Center and Congressional Correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a BA in Political Science. Her graduate work focused on public policy, specializing in social reform movements.

Awards and professional memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Political Science Association