ST PETE BEACH, Florida/WASHINGTON — After surveying battered communities and debris-filled streets in Florida, President Joe Biden vowed on Sunday (Oct 13) to continue supporting the state's recovery from Hurricane Milton, the second major storm to pummel the region in recent weeks.

Rising floodwaters, fuel shortages and power outages are hindering cleanup efforts after Milton, which made landfall as a Category Three hurricane. The devastation was compounded by the earlier Hurricane Helene. Recovery is expected to take a long time with the two storms hitting within two weeks of each other.

Residents of hard-hit St Pete Beach are "heartbroken and exhausted and their expenses are piling up," Biden said after touring the barrier island.

A photo album, mattresses, siding, couches and busted kitchen cabinets were scattered on roads, some still covered in large patches of sand, as Biden walked through with emergency responders. The smell of mould hung in the air.

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