President Joe Biden arrived in tornado-stricken Kentucky on Wednesday morning to survey areas hardest hit by one of the deadliest twisters in US history, that left at least 74 dead in the state.
More than 30 tornadoes tore through over 200 miles of the state over the weekend, killing 88 people, damaging homes and businesses, some beyond repair, and leaving tens of thousands without power.
Seventy-four people have been confirmed dead in the state of Kentucky alone—among those are at least 12 children and eight people who were working at a candle factory when the tornado plowed through.
At least 100 people were still unaccounted for following the storm as of Tuesday.
In the late morning, Biden visited the town of Mayfield, which was devastated by the storms. There he will be briefed by local officials, visit hard hit neighborhoods and meet victims.
Later in the day Biden plans to tour Governor Andy Beshear’s hometown of Dawson Springs, a small town affected by the weekend’s storms. The democratic governor will join the president, who will then give remarks on his administration’s response to the storms.
The Biden Administration continues to say it will do whatever it takes to provide support needed for Kentucky to recover from the devastating tornadoes.
Speaking to reporters yesterday, Biden said, ‘I want you to know that this administration has made it clear to every governor: whatever they need, when they need it. When they need it, make it known to me and we’ll get it to them as rapidly as we can.’
Biden’s first year in office has been marked with a notable increase in extreme weather driven by climate change. The president has made several similar trips since taking office.
One month into office he visited Houston following a brutal winter storm. He also flew to Idaho, Colorado and California to survey wildfire damage in the summer, and following Hurricane Ida in September, Biden visited Louisiana, New York and New Jersey.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Tuesday that while in Kentucky, the president, ‘will be surveying the storm damage firsthand, making sure that we’re doing everything to deliver assistance as quickly as possible to impacted areas to support recovery efforts.’
Outside of Kentucky’s massive death toll, the tornadoes killed over a dozen others in neighboring states. In Edwardsville, Illinois, where the Amazon distribution center was hit, six people died. Four people died in Tennessee and two in Missouri. In Arkansas two were killed in a nursing home, where workers shielded elderly residents with their own bodies to provide protection during the devastating storms.
The president signed two federal disaster declarations for Kentucky over the weekend, providing federal aid for search and rescue and cleanup operations, as well as aid for temporary housing and to help individuals and businesses recover.
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