ST. PETE BEACH – President Joe Biden is returning to Florida, a state that has recently suffered from consecutive hurricanes. He is scheduled to arrive on Sunday to evaluate the destruction caused by a significant storm and to support federal recovery resources that will likely require years and cost billions.

Just ten days ago, Biden visited Florida to review the damage inflicted by Hurricane Helene, which struck the Big Bend area as a Category 4 storm before moving northward and causing havoc in Georgia, North Carolina, and other states.

Now, the president is returning following Hurricane Milton, which landed on Siesta Key on October 9 as a Category 3 storm, delivering another harsh blow.

Biden is set to arrive at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, where he will gather with local and state leaders and assess the damage in St. Pete Beach.

The areas affected include much of Florida’s West Coast, from the smaller coastal towns of Steinhatchee and Cedar Key to the populous Tampa Bay region, including Sarasota and further south, all of which have suffered significant storm damage.

Hurricane Milton also impacted parts of Central Florida and the East Coast. As of Saturday, over one million Floridians were still without power, and many areas faced issues with water supply and gasoline availability.

Coastal regions experienced devastating storm surge flooding, while substantial wind damage, including numerous tornadoes generated by Milton, and flooding from heavy rains, further complicated recovery efforts.

The hurricanes have not only caused physical destruction but also sparked political debates, with Republicans, led by former President Donald Trump, claiming that the Biden administration has fallen short in assisting storm victims. This has led to strong responses from the president as Election Day approaches in three weeks.

Before Biden’s Sunday visit, the White House released a statement outlining numerous federal actions taken before and after both hurricanes to assist impacted communities.

The president is expected to announce additional assistance on Sunday, including $614 million in federal grants to support community efforts to enhance their electric grids, with $94 million allocated specifically for Florida.

Paul Giardina, a seasonal resident of St. Pete Beach, expressed his gratitude for Biden’s presence, hoping it will accelerate recovery efforts. Giardina resides in a one-story condo near the location where the president planned to give his speech, in front of a house that was destroyed. His own property suffered relatively minor damages from both storms.

Following Hurricane Helene, water entered the building, damaging belongings. Hurricane Milton caused some roof damage. However, Giardina feels fortunate compared to others, noting that a house behind him lost its roof, and a neighboring condo had flooding exceeding three feet.

“We were the lucky ones,” he remarked.

Giardina typically spends summers in Lenox, Massachusetts, where he owns an excavation business. For the last six winters, he shares the St. Pete Beach condo with family and friends who purchased it together.

He arrived in Florida just after Hurricane Helene, even hiring a teenager to take him on a jet ski to check on his property. While his place fared relatively well during both storms, the broader community faced extensive damage.

“It’s pretty horrifying,” Giardina said. “It looks like a war zone within two blocks of the beach.”

Debris was scattered across St. Pete Beach, and most businesses were either closed or boarded up on Sunday.

St. Pete Beach resides in Pinellas County, where Cathi Perkins serves as the emergency management director. She reported that about half of the county remains without electricity due to Hurricane Milton as she walked towards the site where Biden was set to address the community on Sunday.

Despite feeling exhausted and frustrated, Perkins said there’s a sense of optimism knowing assistance is on the horizon.

“We’re very thankful for the support from both the state and federal governments,” Perkins said. “It means a lot to our community to see that we are not alone.”