President Joe Biden said Tuesday as he toured damage in New York and New Jersey following Hurricane Ida that the world was facing a “code red” for the threat of climate change.
Biden spoke after walking the streets of New Jersey and then Queens, New York City, and meeting people whose homes were damaged, or damaged, by the Ida storm.
President Biden says he believes that the damage everyone is seeing-from wildfires in the West to hurricane devastation in the South and Northeast-will turn climate-change skeptics into believers, but years of overlooked warnings by scientists, economists, and others means that the time for action is running out.
“The threat is here. It is not getting any better,”Joe Biden
‘The threat is there, it’ s not becoming any better,’ Biden said in New York.
“I think we’re at one of those inflection points where we’re going to act or we’re going to be in real, real trouble. Our kids are going to be in real trouble.” Ida hit the Gulf Coast in the Category 4 hurricane that brought severe flooding and power outages to much of the densely populated region or oil hub.
Biden didn’t look in their direction, instead concentrating on the families in need.
Grateful @POTUS took swift action unlocking millions of federal aid to deal with the ongoing emergency from #Ida. Hoping he will soon fulfill the request @SenBooker and I led for even more aid to rebuild and repair the damage.
— Senator Bob Menendez (@SenatorMenendez) September 3, 2021
Thank you @JoeBiden for coming to see the destruction in New Jersey fro Ida firsthand. Our state's recovery is only possible with federal, state, and local agencies working together. https://t.co/nfe9t0Dt79
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) September 8, 2021
My parents were actually on the news talking with Biden when he visited today.
Also, the head of FEMA and Cory Booker were also there, and after the head of FEMA gave my parents help with getting FEMA stuff situated, Biden literally told her to make my family a priority. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/dEyFUPQiyv
— Dan Donnelly (@HeadBodyMaster) September 8, 2021
Update: Booker made sure the kid met President Biden and gave him the handwritten note. Looks like the president signed it. https://t.co/M1gyhpC804 pic.twitter.com/jQgPYdwS3Y
— Eugene Daniels (@EugeneDaniels2) September 7, 2021
While President Biden was touring NJ today an adorable child handed Corey Booker a note that he asked if President Biden would sign.
The child said it reads "I bet your parents are proud of you, Joe." ❤️
h/t Geoff Bennett pic.twitter.com/GlkG42YUfh
— Tris (@TrisResists) September 7, 2021