President Biden promised a long-term federal response to the aftermath of Hurricane Ian after surveying damage in Florida on Wednesday.

"I'm sure it's much worse on the ground, but you can see a whole hell of a lot of damage from the air," Biden said, linking the storm’s strength to climate change and noting the slew of natural disasters, notably the wildfires in the Western US, that have unfolded since he took office. 

"Jill and I have had you all in our prayers and I mean that sincerely. And we're here today because we wanted to tell you in person that we're thinking of you and we're not leaving, we're not leaving until this gets done. I promise you that," he added. "It's gonna take years for everything to get squared away in the state of Florida, to fully recover and rebuild." 

The President also ticked through the federal resources available to the people of Florida, pointing to the more than 4,000 federal personnel on the ground and millions of meals and water provided by FEMA, adding that three more federal disaster recovery centers will be opening in the state by tomorrow with more to be set up in the days ahead, directing the Small Business Administration to speed up the processing of low-interest disaster loans, and touting the federal government's commitment to cover 100% of clean-up costs.  

“We have a long road ahead of us, rebuilding entire communities from the ground up," Biden said. "I want the people of Florida to know — you have my commitment and America's commitment that we're not going to leave.”