President Joe Biden is sending a message to families missing relatives following the collapse of a 12-story condo in Florida.
During remarks in Florida on Thursday, Biden said, “Jill and I wanted them to know that we’re with them. The country is with them. Our message today is that we’re here for you, as one nation. As one nation. And that’s the message we communicated.”
Watch the video below:
President Joe Biden in Surfside, Florida, to families with missing loved ones: "Jill and I wanted them to know that we're with them. The country is with them. Our message today is that we're here for you, as one nation. As one nation. And that's the message we communicated." pic.twitter.com/YdnX1LorCC
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) July 1, 2021
He went on to say the federal government will cover “100% of the search and rescue costs for the first 30 days” after the collapse of the condo. He also said the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will “provide temporary housing and other urgent needs for the survivors.”
Biden’s comments come a week after a 12-story condo in Surfside, Florida collapsed, leaving at least 18 people dead and 145 unaccounted for.
The president told relatives who are missing love ones to “never give up hope.”
At an earlier event with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), Biden touted cooperation between officials as he said, “You know what’s good about this? The way you’re cooperating. We’re letting the nation know we can cooperate. It’s really important…this is life and death.”
“I just got back from 12 days in Europe. They wonder whether we can do this. And we’re doing it. I mean, just the simple act of everybody doing whatever needs to be done,” he added.
DeSantis also hailed Biden as he said, “You recognized the severity of this tragedy from day one and you’ve been very supportive.”
