The toll continues to rise in Florida after the passage of Hurricane Ian, which caused at least 44 deaths in this southern state of the United States and which should dissipate during the night of Sunday, October 2. 

"Today is about America uniting" behind Florida, devastated by Hurricane Ian, said Wednesday, October 5 Joe Biden, visiting the lands of Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, one of its most virulent political opponents.

"You have my promise, and America's promise, that we won't let you down. We'll be with you through this process and it's going to take a hell of a long time," the 79-year-old Democrat told reporters. people of Florida, while the governor stood encamped behind him, the mine closed.

01:23

 "We are grateful for the work done together at various levels of administration," Ron DeSantis, 44, told him.

A figure of the hard right, he is often announced as a presidential candidate for 2024, and therefore a potential rival of Joe Biden, who officially intends to run again.

Category 4

The White House, which had declared a state of emergency before Category 4 Hurricane Ian hit a week ago, promised, among other things, to fully fund two months for the removal of debris and the urgent work of consolidation.

Ron DeSantis and his wife Casey DeSantis greeted Joe and Jill Biden with quick handshakes as they arrived at the fishing port of Fort Myers, one of the hardest-hit communities.

The presidential couple had already flown by helicopter over the disaster areas.

He strolled with his hosts, each keeping their distance somewhat, in this very tested district.

Nearby, a construction machine was finishing clearing the debris of a house knocked down by the wind, while workers were trying to repair a power line.

Joe Biden, true to his empathetic nature, distributed handshakes and occasionally hugged his interlocutors.

Florida is still counting its dead and assessing the considerable damage caused by one of the most violent storms in recent American history.

93 dead

The official death toll was 93 on Wednesday (89 in Florida and 4 in North Carolina) but the American media count more than a hundred deaths.

In Fort Myers, the presidential visit did not appeal to everyone.

Tina, owner of a bar-restaurant where running water has not been restored, told AFP of her frustration: "They started clearing today because they knew he was coming. ."

"Why doesn't he come with a plane full of generators and water tanks? Rather than just showing up for the cameras," the 50-year-old gets carried away.

Hundreds of thousands of Florida residents were still without power on Tuesday and authorities said it would take months and $50 billion or more to rebuild.

Tracey Gore, a 51-year-old Fort Myers resident, however, was happy to see Joe Biden and Ron DeSantis combine their efforts: "That's the most important thing. It's not about politics right now, it's about human lives."

Speaking to reporters on site, the Democratic president said: "We have very different policy approaches but we have worked hand in hand."

With AFP

The summary of the

France 24 week invites you to come back to the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news everywhere with you!

Download the France 24 app