Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday urged Americans threatened or affected by recent tropical storm systems to seek and trust help from local officials and federal agencies.
I cannot stress enough to all the folks in Florida in the Tampa area: Please listen to evacuation orders. Please listen to your local officials," Harris said. "I know a lot of folks out there have survived these hurricanes before. This one is going to be very, very serious."
"Listen to the orders you're getting from your local officials. They know what they're telling you and they know what Milton is about to be," she said.
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Harris also addressed persistent rumors about the availability of support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which devastated parts of the Southeast less than two weeks ago.
"People are entitled to these resources and it is critically important that people apply for the help that is there to support. All of those resources were created for just these kinds of moments in an emergency situation," she said.
"Listen to your sheriffs around the places that have been impacted by Helene, listen to your local sheriff who's going to tell you straight about what's available to you," Harris said. "There are no conditions attached to the relief that's available to you."
RELATED STORY | Category 5 Hurricane Milton brings 180mph winds, prompts coastal warnings in Florida
On Monday, President Joe Biden spoke with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over the phone about Florida's recovery from Helene and its preparations for Milton, the White House said.
President Biden asked Gov. DeSantis to call him directly if he can help coordinate federal response efforts to the storms.
On Monday Hurricane Milton was a strong Category 5 storm in the south-central Gulf of Mexico. The National Hurricane Center measured its top sustained winds at 180 miles per hour. It was forecast to lose some strength and make landfall on the western coast of the Florida peninsula as early as Wednesday.
Hurricane Helene came ashore in Florida's Big Bend region on September 26 and caused life-threatening flash and urban flooding in communities across the Southern Appalachians, including in Asheville, North Carolina.
