President Joe Biden traveled to Louisiana Friday to tour the damage caused by Hurricane Ida — a storm that was among the strongest ever to make landfall in the state.
"I know you're hurting," Biden told people in LaPlace, Louisiana.
Biden stressed that the federal government will do everything it can to help with an equitable recovery.
He said FEMA is helping with housing, and he directed the Department of Transportation to allow truck drivers to drive longer hours so they can get supplies to the state.
Biden also said 25,000 linemen are working to restore power in the state.
"It's dangerous work," he said, adding that two linemen died in the process.
Nearly five days after the storm came ashore, almost a million customers in Louisiana and Mississippi are still without electricity — and officials warn that some may be without power for several weeks.
Many areas without power aren't accessible by road due to fallen trees and debris, meaning cleanup efforts will need to occur ahead of electrical work.
Thousands in the region are also without water and plumbing. Earlier this week, officials urged those who had evacuated the storm to stay away until officials could restore essential services.
Ida's impacts were also felt thousands of miles away in the northeastern U.S., where the storm's remnants dumped record rains on the New York metro area and spawned tornadoes in the greater Philadelphia area. As of Thursday morning, approximately people were confirmed to have been killed in the region, mostly by flash floods.
Biden said the country needs to prepare for the next major story. He touted his Build Back Better plan, which would provide investments in infrastructure.
