WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden says he’s doubling U.S. emergency spending to help communities prepare for hurricanes and other extreme weather events. Biden traveled to FEMA headquarters in Washington on Monday to get an update on preparations for the hurricane season. The $1 billion in U.S. emergency spending is a small fraction of what the U.S. spends on weather-related disasters. Last year, disasters, including wildfires, hurricanes and snowstorms, had a cumulative price tag of nearly $100 billion. 2021 has already had significant storms that caused a deadly blackout in Texas and other states and underscore the damage caused by climate change.
Photo: President Joe Biden participates in a briefing on the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season, at FEMA headquarters, Monday, May 24, 2021, in Washington. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is left. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
