Biden directs $1 billion for extreme weather

The United States will double its spending to $1 billion on preparations for extreme weather and other natural disasters as part of the battle against climate change, the White House said on Monday.

This report produced by Yahaira Jacquez.

Bracing for a new season of hurricanes, floods and wildfires, U.S. President Joe Biden said on Monday he will increase U.S. spending to $1 billion on preparations for extreme weather and other natural disasters as part of the battle against climate change.

Biden: "That's double the funding available from last year and it's going to help communities too often overlooked.

It’s going to invest in resilience to better protect themselves to serve other climate events they’re going to be facing." Biden made the remarks on a visit to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, where he was briefed on the 2021 hurricane season, which is expected to be above-normal along the Atlantic coast.

It comes after a record-shattering 30-named storms last year, which brought destructive storms that pounded Central America, the U.S. Gulf Coast and beyond.

The $1 billion will help communities prepare for hurricanes, floods and wildfires, with a portion allotted specifically to disadvantaged communities.

The White House said the United States had 22 separate weather- and climate-related disasters in 2020 costing a total of nearly $100 billion in losses.

The administration also said it would develop and deploy "next generation climate data systems" through NASA to help track the impact of climate change and help forecast and monitor natural disasters to help prepare for them.