President Joe Biden touched down in New Orleans Friday afternoon to tour the lasting damage from Hurricane Ida, which slammed the Gulf Coast last Sunday before bringing even more devastation to the Northeastern United States. 

What You Need To Know

  • President Joe Biden is visiting Louisiana on Friday to tour damage from Hurricane Ida, which was the fifth most powerful storm to strike the U.S. when it hit the state on Sunday 

  • Biden met with Louisiana’s Democratic governor, John Bel Edwards, and other local officials to tour a neighborhood in LaPlace, which was inundated by storm surge flooding 

  • The storm has killed at least 45 people in the Northeastern U.S. and at least 13 in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama

  • Biden is grappling with the persistent threat posed by climate change and the prospect that disaster zone visits may become a more regular feature of the presidency

The devastation was clear as Air Force One approached New Orleans, with uprooted trees and blue tarps covering shredded houses coming into focus ahead of landing. The path to nearby LaPlace, where Biden was briefed by local officials, was dotted with wood poles that held power lines jutting from the ground at odd angles.

Biden was greeted by a bipartisan group of lawmakers at the airport, including Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards and Republican Sens. Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy, who also participated in a briefing with the president to discuss the devastation caused by the hurricane. 

Biden thanked his “Republican friends” for joining during a briefing from St. John Parish Emergency Operations Center, saying to all Louisianans: “I promise we’re going to have your back.”

During Friday’s briefing with local officials, Biden also insisted the infrastructure bill and an even more expansive measure would more effectively prepare the country for challenges similar to the devastation caused by Ida.

“It seems to me we can save a whole lot of money, a whole lot of pain for our constituents, if we build back, rebuild it back in a better way,” Biden said. “I realize I’m selling as I’m talking.”

Ida caused sweeping devastation across states both in the South and Northeast. The storm was the fifth most powerful storm to strike the U.S. when it hit Louisiana on Sunday with maximum winds of 150 mph, likely causing tens of billions of dollars in flood, wind and other damage, including to the electrical grid.

"Hurricane Ida is another reminder that we need to be prepared for the next hurricane,” Biden later said. “And superstorms are gonna come, and they'll come more frequently and more ferociously."

Biden went on to tour a neighborhood in LaPlace, a community between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain that suffered catastrophic wind and water damage and was left with sheared-off roofs and flooded homes. He also planned a flyover tour of hard-hit communities including Lafitte, Grand Isle, Port Fourchon and Lafourche Parish, where Parish President Archie Chaisson said 25% of the homes in his community of 100,000 people were gone or had catastrophic damage.

In a similar tone to his speech on Thursday, Biden on Friday called out insurance companies who may not approve payments for individuals whose homes were not under mandatory evacuation orders. 

“We know all the parishes that issued strong — yet voluntary — evacuation orders first, and many didn't have enough time to make that order mandatory, as a storm moves so fast,” Biden said after surveying the damage in LaPlace. 

“I'm calling on private insurance companies: Don't hide behind the fine print and the technicality, pay what you owe your customers,” he continued. “Cover temporary housing costs and national disasters, and help those in need. That's what we should all be doing now, and that's what we are doing.” 

The federal government has already provided $100 million in direct critical assistance to Louisianans, and at least two major insurance companies have reportedly agreed to cover the housing and relocation costs for customers who evacuated, whether mandatory or not, per a report from CNBC.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.