Biden has approved $1.8 billion for hurricane relief so far

By Trevor Hunnicutt

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Biden administration has approved more than $1.8 billion for recovery efforts following hurricanes Helene and Milton, the White House said on Wednesday.

The spending comes as states across the southeastern U.S. work to recover from the back-to-back hurricanes which caused widespread devastation.

Recovery is expected to take a long time. Two storms hit within two weeks of each other, putting strain on federal resources in addition to the tens of billions of insured losses.

Biden has approved federal aid to help residents and local governments cover expenses, including temporary shelter and water, removing debris and restoring power. Some 8,000 federal personnel are currently on the ground to assist the recovery.

The Democratic president has called for U.S. lawmakers — on recess until after the Nov. 5 presidential election — to return to Washington to approve more disaster relief money.

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; writing by Jasper Ward; Editing by David Gregorio)