Joe Biden, U.S. President: “We know Hurricane Ida had the potential to cause massive, massive damage, and and that’s exactly what we saw. We already know there’s been at least one confirmed death and a number, that number is likely to grow. And I’ve got, we’ve got a million people in Louisiana without power. And for a time Ida caused the Mississippi River to literally change its direction. And some folks are still dealing with the storm surge and flash flooding. And there are roads that are impassable due to debris and downed power lines. And we need people to continue to shelter in place if it’s safe for them to do so.”

“We also know a lot of people lost their cell phone service if their particular carrier tower is down or damaged. So this morning, the Federal Communications Commission has worked with the cellular providers to initiate their cooperative framework agreement. That agreement allows customers on one line, with one provider, to go to another provider if that provider is down. So it allows customers to use roaming access carriers, any of the carriers that are up and running. And that means you should be able to get a signal no matter who your carrier was or is. The main thing I want to make clear to all of you is we’re providing any help that you’re going to need.”

“The people of Louisiana and Mississippi are resilient and but it’s in moments like these that we can certainly see the power of government to respond to the needs of the people if governments are prepared and if they respond. That’s our job, if we work together. When folks get knocked down, we’re there to help you get back on your feet. The most important element, though, is coordinating all the branches of government, state, local and federal. And that’s what we’re trying to make sure that we try to do before this hurricane hit. That’s why we began working together, we’re going to stand with you and the people of the Gulf as long as it takes for you to recover.”