Joe Biden visits California, Idaho to assess damages caused by wildfires

US President Joe Biden visited Idaho and California to assess the damage caused by the recent wildfire on Monday.  The President took stock of the situation starting in Idaho and later travelled to California. After getting a briefing from officials, Biden took an aerial tour of land affected by the Caldor Fire in California. US President surveyed some of the damage of the Caldor fire, which, in less than a month, has wiped out more than 200,000 acres. 

After conducting the aerial tour of the Caldor fire, Biden said, "These fires are blinking code red for our nation". He added that the fire incidents are gaining "frequency and ferocity". With stops in Idaho and California, Biden tries to gain support for his rebuilding plans. He insisted that every dollar spent on "resilience" would help in saving $6 in future costs. Furthermore, he asserted that rebuilding should ensure people can withstand such a crisis situation rather than just restoring the damaged system. Biden appreciated the firefighters for taking life-threatening risks in order to control the blazes. 

Biden surveys wildfire damages in California and Idaho

In the two-day visit, Biden is trying to explain the link between the increase in wildfire incidents and extreme weather events in the country and the need to invest billions in fighting the climate crisis, according to AP. Biden in his remarks described climate change as being responsible for the rise in extreme weather events in recent years which costs the US billions of dollars each year. He pointed out that scientists have been warning about extreme weather conditions. He noted that extreme weather will cost the US more than $99 billion this year. Biden's day will end with an election day event with California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, who faces a recall vote on Tuesday. It is pertinent to mention here that Biden's trip follows his previous visit to Louisiana, New York and New Jersey, where he surveyed the damage caused by Hurricane Ida. 

 "Extreme weather in the United States cost the United States of America a total of $99 billion", Biden said in his remarks.
 
And this year, unfortunately, we’re going to break that record.  It’s a devastating loss to our economy and for so many communities", he added.

Image: AP

Inputs from AP