Biden travels to Puerto Rico, battered by Hurricane Fiona

President Joe Biden and his wife Jill are traveling Monday, October 3 to Puerto Rico, devastated in September by Hurricane Fiona, to show their solidarity with this American territory whose population has complained of being neglected after natural disasters past.

The Bidens will then travel to Florida on Wednesday to assess the devastating damage caused by Hurricane Ian.

In addition to fatalities, Puerto Rico and Florida have suffered widespread power outages, dangerous flooding and extensive property damage from two recent hurricanes, Fiona and then Ian.

$60 million to strengthen the island's defenses

The president will visit Ponce, Puerto Rico's second city on the island's south coast, on Monday.

He and his wife will meet families who have suffered the ravages of the cyclone and will participate in the making of humanitarian aid packages.

Joe Biden will also be briefed on the progress of infrastructure recovery efforts in the US Caribbean territory, which uses the dollar as its official currency but whose residents are barred from voting in US national elections.

During the visit, the president will announce the release of a fund of 60 million dollars intended to strengthen the island's defenses against rising waters.

Finally, the Head of State will thank local and federal officials for their reconstruction actions.

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On Saturday, the president told a Congressional Black Caucus dinner (a group of African-American parliamentarians) that "

”.

Fiona has had at least a dozen confirmed deaths in Puerto Rico, according to the island's public health department, which is still investigating how 12 other deaths occurred.

All of Puerto Rico was left without power and around one million people were left temporarily without drinking water when Fiona, then a Category 1 hurricane, hit the island in mid-September.

Extensive damage in Florida

Joe Biden had declared a state of emergency for Puerto Rico on September 18.

Islanders -- all US citizens -- have complained of being neglected by Washington after previous disasters, including the devastating twin hurricanes, Irma and Maria, in 2017.

Florida, where Hurricane Ian hit Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane, is still assessing extensive damage, particularly on its southwest coast.

The death toll from Ian, one of the most powerful storms to ever hit the continental United States, is at least 62 - 58 in Florida and four in North Carolina - and rescuers are still searching for survivors in submerged neighborhoods.

Hundreds of thousands of Florida residents were still without power Monday and authorities said it would take months and $50 billion or more to rebuild the devastated coastal areas.

Federal, state and local governments are often judged on the effectiveness of their response to such disasters.

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After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, critics lambasted then-President George W. Bush, pictured surveying the damage while flying high.

And later, after then-President Donald Trump, visiting Puerto Rico following other storms, used a basketball-style throw to distribute rolls of paper towels, the mayor of the capital San Juan denounced an "

" and "

" gesture.