Instead of making it easier for people to evacuate from what became an unprecedented spate of tornadoes such as this spawned by Hurricane Milton, airlines and hotels exploited a horrific situation to charge astronomical prices. Fearing that Floridians will fall prey to scams while trying to rebuild their lives, state congressional leaders including U.S. Reps. Frederica Wilson and Sheila Cherilus-McCormick are urging that House Speaker Mike Johnson convene Congress to address hurricane assistance, scams. PHOTO COURTESY OF YOUTUBE.COM

Miami – In the wake of two back-toback powerful hurricanes that left Floridians scrambling for solace and caused billions of dollars in damages, state congressional leaders are urging Speaker of the House Mike Johnson to bring Congress back in session before the Nov. 5 election to pass hurricane relief and price-gouging ban legislation.

Hurricanes Helene and Milton devastated much of the Gulf Coast of Florida, leaving communities in dire need of additional and comprehensive disaster relief funding.

Florida congressional leaders including U.S. Reps. Frederica Wilson from Miami, and Sheila Cherilus-McCormick whose district covers portions of Broward and Palm Beach counties, both Democrats, fired off a missive to Johnson, a Republican U.S. Rep. from Louisiana.

They urged him to call Congress back in session to approve funding that will empower the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FRMA) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) to fulfill their disaster relief missions.

“Right now, Floridians are preparing for what could become one of the state’s worst storms in a century," their letter states. "Authorities are telling families in the Tampa area that they will die if they don’t leave their homes. But instead of making it easier for people to evacuate, airlines and hotels are exploiting a horrific situation to charge astronomical fares only the rich can afford, from over $600 for a single night in a Hampton Inn to over $1,000 for flights that usually cost around $100. Exploiting vulnerable people fleeing a deadly storm for higher profits is a new low."

According to Fox News, Johnson did not commit to calling Congress back into session before the election after President Joe Biden pressed congressional leaders about potential funding shortfalls in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

In his letter, the president urged Congress to restore funding to the SBA’s disaster loan program, which was facing potential funding shortfalls even before Hurricane Helene devastated parts of the Southeast.

The president noted that the White House requested more funding for the program as Congress prepared a short-term funding bill that passed last month to avert a government shutdown.

Johnson told the media outlet that Congress will be back in session immediately after the election.

“That’s 30 days from now. The thing about these hurricanes and disasters of this magnitude is it takes a while to calculate the actual damages, and the states are going to need some time to do that,” Johnson said, adding that determining “specific needs and requests based upon the actual damages” from natural disasters takes time."

Biden traveled to the hurricanes-ravaged Florida areas Sunday and announced $162 million in federal projects to strengthen the electrical grid, according to a White House press release.

But Florida’s congressional leaders said Congress needs to act fast by passing legislation to further help millions of people impacted by Helene and Milton and stop airline and hotel price-gouging.

Joining Wilson and Cherfilus McCormick were Florida U.S. Reps. Maxwell Frost (FL-10), and Congressman Darren Soto (FL-09), whose districts were severely impacted by Helene and Milton.

“Further action is still needed from the federal government to stop the corporate exploitation that impacts all areas of American life, whether at the grocery store or gas station," the letter states. "We need a federal ban on price gouging, more stringent antitrust laws and enforcement, and for Congress to reassert its role and governing power in this space, something (the Congressional Progressive Caucus) is deeply committed to and actively engaged in.”

The congressional leaders said they fear Floridians will fall prey to scams while trying to rebuild their lives as in North Carolina and Georgia.

“In North Carolina and Georgia, while families try to recover and rebuild from the devastating impacts of Helene, there have been hundreds of similar incidents of bad actors pricegouging residents on everything from groceries to gas to hotel rooms," the letter states. "This egregious price-gouging hampers evacuations and undermines recovery efforts, while putting vulnerable residents in serious jeopardy."

Both violent windstorms left about 3.6 million people without power when they made landfall.

According to reports, Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 storm which reached maximum winds of 185 mph, left three people dead, one million people without power and a storm surge of 20 feet in Florida’s Big Bend region in late September.

Helene also left an estimated $25 billion in damages.

Hurricane Milton, which made landfall last week as a Category 3 storm on the west coast and parts of Central Florida last week, caused $180 billion in damages and the death toll rose to 17 with winds reaching as high as 175 mph and spawned three tornadoes.

South Florida was impacted by a tropical storm as Milton made landfall on the Gulf Coast with a storm surge that left the streets flooded.

The inclement weather also caused flooding in homes in Broward County.

Martin County was among the hardest hit with vehicles and boats capsized and a storm surge of over 20 feet. The streets reportedly looked like rivers. Residents could be seen surveying the damages to their homes after Milton; their roofs and walls blown were off.

"It just took my roof and I stayed in the bathroom until it was over," one resident told reporters. "I have lived in Florida for 34 years and been in other hurricanes but this one was the worst."