Biden and first lady to visit Florida and Puerto Rico after Hurricane Ian devastation

Biden and DeSantis have put aside their political differences to respond to the hurricane

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will visit Florida and Puerto Rico to assess the scope of the damage caused by Hurricane Ian.

Mr Biden will visit Puerto Rico on Monday, and Florida on Wednesday. The White House announced the trip late on Saturday.

Hurricane Ian has killed at least 67 in Florida and four in North Carolina.

According to Dr Joel Myers, AccuWeather’s founder and CEO, Hurricane Ian could total between $100bn and $120bn in damages.

Though the president and Governor Ron DeSantis have had icy relations in the past, Politico reports that the men have put aside their political differences to discuss how to best rebuild in the wake of the hurricane. They have spoken by phone on several occasions. The White House did not announce any meetings between the president and local officials, though it’s customary for the president to meet the governor of a state suffering a disaster on this scale.

“I made it clear to the governor and the mayors that the federal government is ready to help in every single way possible,” Mr Biden said Wednesday. “We’ll be there every step of the way.”

Mr DeSantis has largely been appreciative of Mr Biden's help, and even offering rare praise on Fox News.

“It’s my sense the administration wants to help,”Mr DeSantis said Tuesday night on Fox News. “They realize this is a very significant storm.”