President Joe Biden Tuesday toured storm damage in New Jersey and New York. The remnants of Hurricane Ida spawned tornadoes and left behind major flooding in the Northeast last week.
Eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, the New York City metro area, and Connecticut were targets of the tropical depression last Wednesday and Thursday.
In Queens, New York, Biden said the storm is a reminder of the urgent need to address climate change.
"We got to listen to the scientists," Biden said. He added that the world is in a "code red" situation.
Biden said his administration will work at the local and international levels to reduce carbon emissions.
"Even the climate skeptics are seeing that this really does matter," he said.
Ida led to the deaths of 50 people across six eastern states, with most of those deaths caused by flash floods. In New York City, water rushed into basement apartments, killing residents inside. Elsewhere, roads quickly turned to rivers, overtaking cars and sweeping away those who were forced to exit their vehicles.
Biden has already approved disaster declarations in both New York and New Jersey, freeing up federal funds to assist in relief efforts in the state.
Tuesday's trip marked Biden's second trip to visit damage caused by Hurricane Ida. On Friday, he flew into Louisiana, where Ida made landfall as a major hurricane early last week. The storm's 150 mph winds caused more damage to Louisiana's power grid than any other storm in state history.
Biden warned that the U.S. could face more catastrophic storms like Ida in the future, noting that the hurricane was "yet another reminder that these extreme storms from climate change are here."
