House Speaker Mike Johnson Tours Devasted Neighborhoods in Florida

SHREVEPORT, LA - House Speaker Mike Johnson visited Florida to see the damage from Hurricane Helene.

Johnson met with families impacted by the storm and first responders.

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Johnson says:

“It's just really inspiring to see how much the community is rolling up its sleeves and working together... They're undeterred. This is a very resilient community.”

House members Kat Cammack and Neal Dunn of Florida accompanied Speaker Johnson on this tour.

The delegation received an aerial and on-the-ground tour of the hurricane damage, and afterwards held a roundtable with local stakeholders to discuss ongoing recovery efforts.

During remarks to local media following the tour, Speaker Johnson and Reps. Dunn and Cammack assured the victims of Hurricane Helene that help was on the way.

“Right before we left on Wednesday, a week ago, Congress appropriated $20 billion to FEMA to cover the immediate aftermath of the storm. Of course, we knew it was headed into the coast at that time, so FEMA has the funding it needs to respond immediately. We're glad to see them on the ground here,” Speaker Johnson said. “Congress is on the ground. The representatives who represent all those districts are there with their constituents - with their people trying to help — and we will do what's necessary to make sure that Americans are taken care of.”

On recovery and relief efforts:

“I think this has been an extraordinary effort by Florida and the state and local officials. It's just really inspiring to see how well it's been covered and how much the community is rolling up its sleeves and working together. Here in this community, it would inspire the entire country to see how they're really banded together. They're undeterred. This is a very resilient community of people. That's the best of America. We have this disaster that’s now all around the country. We have people in North Carolina still stranded in their homes in the mountains and people in Georgia and a number of other states that have been terribly affected by this storm.”

On the federal response:

 “This community has been devastated the third time in a year. It's a tough thing for these communities, but they're going to rebuild again. What we'll do, the way the process works, as you know, is the state's local authorities, they band together, they assess the damage, and they send that to the federal authorities, and it's all worked through in that manner.

“And then Congress gets a request of a certain amount to cover the losses. So, it will take some time to tabulate this storm. It's one of the biggest in our history, of course. A lot of that work is being done immediately. And I think the timing of that will probably correspond when Congress is expected to return to session right after the election. And we'll be on that. I can assure you that Congresswoman Kat Cammack and Congressman Dr. Neal Dunn are going to be on the case. And so will all of our colleagues who are affected in all these areas.”

Johnson adds:

“It's devastating. I'm from Louisiana, so we know disasters, we know hurricanes. I lived through Hugo and Andrew and Katrina and a number of disasters almost of this magnitude. But this is a big one. I mean, we have whole communities that are washed away, if you know. I mean, homes just, and businesses down to the foundation. So this is a substantial storm, substantial losses.