President Joe Biden said he is postponing a planned trip to Germany and Angola to remain at the White House to monitor Hurricane Milton, which is bearing down on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
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00:00Thanks for your patience.
00:03As you know, I put out a statement this morning
00:04I'm canceling my trip to Germany and Africa.
00:08I just don't think I can be out of the country at this time.
00:12Number one. Number two, we're going to stay focused
00:19on what's ahead of us right now.
00:22I've been briefed by senior leaders of this administration
00:29and who are driving our preparedness
00:30for Hurricane Milton,
00:32which could be one of the worst storms in 100 years in Florida,
00:37and continued efforts on Hurricane Helene.
00:41I directed this team to do everything you can
00:43to save lives and our communities,
00:46help our communities before, during,
00:48and after these extreme weather events,
00:51and that's being done.
00:53That's being done.
00:54I've spoken to all the political leaders in the region,
00:57some of them more than once,
00:59and I've told them anything they ask for, they can get.
01:04They've been given, and we've got an overwhelming response,
01:07a positive response from everyone
01:09from the governors of Florida up to North Carolina.
01:14You know, I've been in constant contact
01:17with our director of the National Weather Service,
01:20Ken Graham, who's kept me informed
01:23the last several days of what to anticipate.
01:25You never know until it happens,
01:26but they're very, very engaged.
01:29He made clear to me just how dangerous this storm is,
01:32indicating that winds had reached up to 180 miles an hour.
01:37180.
01:38That's not guaranteed it's going to hit the shore at 180 miles,
01:41but they've reached up to 180 miles an hour.
01:44And a possible storm surge,
01:46as it hits the coast of Florida, of 15 feet,
01:50which can be devastating.
01:52The current path of the storm is expected to the Tampa Bay area
01:55and cut directly across the state, east to west,
01:57all the way across the state,
01:59with the potential for this storm
02:01to both enter Florida as a hurricane
02:04and leave Florida as a hurricane on the Atlantic coast.
02:08This could be the worst storm to hit Florida in over a century.
02:12And God willing, it won't be,
02:13but that's what it's looking like right now.
02:16Most importantly, I've urged everyone,
02:18everyone currently located in Hurricane Milton's path
02:21to listen to local officials
02:23and follow safety instructions.
02:25You all have been reporting on the highways,
02:27shoulders being opened, everybody's heading out.
02:30And if you're under evacuation orders,
02:33you should evacuate now, now, now.
02:35You should have already evacuated.
02:37It's a matter of life and death, and that's not hyperbole.
02:40It's a matter of life and death.
02:42So let me add that FEMA has provided 300 ambulances
02:47to move people who can't move themselves
02:49out of healthcare facilities.
02:51And while we prepare for Hurricane Milton,
02:53we're still surging resources in North Carolina,
02:55Georgia, South Carolina, Florida,
02:57Tennessee to respond to Hurricane Elena.
02:59What's the risk of political figures
03:02sharing misinformation during this time?
03:08Those who do it, do it to try to damage the administration.
03:13Well, that's we can take care of ourselves.
03:16But it misleads people.
03:17It puts people in circumstances where they panic,
03:20where they're really, really, really worried.
03:22They think, no, we're not being taken care of.
03:25And it really is, it's going to sound,
03:27I'm using an old phrase, it's un-American.
03:29It really is.
03:31People are scared to death.
03:33People know their lives are at stake.
03:36All that they've worked for, all that they own,
03:38all that they value.
03:40And it's just, it's just, anyway.