President Donald Trump approved a major disaster declaration for Florida on Sunday as Hurricane Irma blasted state with life-threatening storm surges and dangerous winds, The Hill reports.
The declaration will provide individuals in Florida with assistance after the storm passes, in addition to assisting the state and local authorities with rebuilding and repairing infrastructure.
The document comes just hours after a request from Florida Governor Rick Scott. Senators Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson wrote a letter to Trump, supporting Scott’s request. Trump announced on Sunday he would be visiting south Florida as soon as possible.
“We’re going to Florida very soon. It’s going to play out over the next five or six hours. I’m going in now for meetings, but it’s all about coordination. I think we’re really well coordinated, as well as you can possibly be.” Trump said.
A record 6.3 million people were evacuated from Florida’s low-lying, coastal and southern areas over the past week. Over one million people have been left without power in the state as the storm has moved north.
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