Joe Biden pledges federal assistance in Hurricane Ida relief efforts

In the midst of the Afghanistan withdrawal, two states in the US have suffered a natural calamity in the form of hurricane Ida. Speaking with the governors of the states affected, US President Joe Biden has pledged federal assistance for the states to recover from the hurricane.

Biden spoke with the governors of the states of Louisiana and Mississippi Monday regarding Hurricane Ida. The US leader told the governors that the federal government will do everything it can to help in the rescue efforts of residents in those states and recover from the aftermath brought on by Hurricane Ida. The hurricane made landfall Sunday and was classified as a Category 4 storm, with over two million residents from the two states losing power.

There was one fatality that was reported by Monday. Democratic Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards told MSNBC that he expects the number of casualties to rise from the calamity. Biden said that 5,000 National Guardsmen have already been deployed to assist while over 25,000 electrical crews and linemen from 30 states are coming in to help the two states recover from the hurricane.

Biden also said that he instructed the Federal Aviation Administration to coordinate with power companies to dispatch surveillance drones in the affected areas. The US leader also said he has directed the Defense and Homeland Security Departments to provide satellite imagery to further assess the damage. The Federal Communications Commission will also be launching a cooperative framework among wireless carriers for people to use roaming services of any telecom company.

In other news, Progressive Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, or AOC has called on Biden to replace the chair of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Power as part of an effort to overhaul the personnel of the US Central Bank. AOC, along with fellow Democratic Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley, Mondaire Jones, and Chuy Garcia. Powell’s term as chair of the Federal Reserve expires in February of 2022.

“As news of possible reappointment of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell circulates, we urge President Biden to re-imagine a Federal Reserve focused on eliminating climate risk and advancing racial and economic justice,” they said in a statement.