President Biden praised aid workers for doing ‘God’s work’ during their visit to Houston on Friday following the deadly winter storm over Valentine’s Day weekend in which tens of thousands of residents are still without safe water.
Biden’s trip to Texas was his first to a major disaster area since he entered service last month.
At the Harris County Emergency Operations Center, the president was briefed by acting FEMA administrator Bob Fenton and state and local emergency management officials.
‘Hell, an operation here. It is probably the best in the country, ”Biden told staff members.
“You save people’s lives. As my mother would say, you are doing God’s work. ”
Greg Abbott and Senator John Cornyn, both Republicans, celebrate Democratic members of Congress in Houston and Sylvester Turner, Mayor of Houston, and Judge Lina Hidalgo in Harris County.
The other Lone Star State senator – Republican Ted Cruz, who caused outrage during the storm by flying to Cancun, Mexico – skipped the opportunity to attend the Conservative political action conference in Orlando, Florida.
Biden also toured through the giant Houston Food Bank, where first lady Jill Biden helped pack boxes of instant oats and canned peaches.
“We’re here to help, so we’re at work!” she said after she arrived.
Texas is a solid Republican, and a man with a Trump flag was among the spectators near the Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base when the Bidens disembarked from Air Force One around 12:20 local time.
At the height of the storm – which killed at least 40 people – more than 1.4 million residents were without power and 3.5 million were below boiling water notices in Harris County, the third largest in the country.
Mark Sloan, the province’s emergency management coordinator, said “57,000 residents still need to boil their water” for safety.
With Post threads