After barreling through Florida, the downgraded Tropical Storm Idalia lashed Georgia and South Carolina, inundating coastal towns and leaving 300,000 customers without power across all three states as of early this morning. As Idalia moves offshore and up the Atlantic, North Carolina residents are bracing themselves for more heavy downpours and possible tornadoes. Officials warned dangerous storm surges are still possible. Two people died in Florida in car crashes linked to the extreme weather. In Florida’s Big Bend region on the Gulf of Mexico, some evacuated residents returned to utterly destroyed homes, including this mother and daughter in Horseshoe Beach.

Daughter: “What matters is what I’m holding right here, OK?”

Mother: “I know. But it’s” —

Daughter: “It’s just material stuff.”

Mother: “I know. But this is our retirement” —

Daughter: “I know.”

Mother: — “our whole life. Twenty-three years.”

Daughter: “It’s material. We’re going to rebuild.”

Mother: “Twenty-three years.”

Daughter: “It’s going to be good. It’s going to be good. It’s going to be fine.”

President Biden spoke at the White House on the federal response to the storm and other climate disasters.

President Joe Biden: “I don’t think anybody can deny the impact of the climate crisis anymore. Just look around. Historic floods — I mean historic floods — more intense droughts, extreme heat, significant wildfires have caused significant damage like we’ve never seen before.”