(AP) — President Joe Biden could get his first glimpse at the destruction wrought by Hurricane Ida even before he landed in Louisiana on Friday. Blue tarps covering shredded roofs of houses and uprooted trees were visible as Air Force One approached New Orleans.
In advance of his trip, the president called for greater public resolve to confront climate change and help the nation deal with the fierce storms, flooding and wildfires that have beset the country.
Biden was welcomed by Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, who says there’s no substitute “for actually being on the ground, speaking with the local officials and seeing with your own eyes the utter devastation” of his state.