Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty
PresidentJoe Bidentraveled to Kentucky on Wednesday to speak to local leaders and residents and to see the wreckage left in the wake of weekend storms that Gov. Andy Beshear called the"deadliest tornado event" in the history of the commonwealth.
At least 88 people were killed in the storms, including 74 in Kentucky, where more than 100 are still missing. Thousands of survivors, some who are now homeless, continue to sort through wreckage and face power, heat and water outages.
Upon arrival, Beshear, First Lady Britainy Beshear and former Gov. Steve Beshear, father of the current governor, greeted the president and his entourage, which included Kentucky Republican Rep. James Comer, Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and other top advisers.
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After a helicopter tour over hard-hit Mayfield — where Biden saw splintered trees, homes without roofs or windows and piles of debris where neighborhoods once stood — the president met with officials on the ground, said, “I’m here to listen,” and promised more aid from the federal government.
Mayfield is where 110employees at a candle factory were caught in the storm. Eight died and eight were still missing on Tuesday.
Damage from the tornadoes in Kentucky.Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty
Biden’s next stop was Dawson Springs, the hometown of former Gov. Beshear and the site ofcatastrophic tornado damage.
“As a people we are not alone,” he said, acknowledging the love, support and donations that have poured into his state since the storms hit. “As a state, we are also not alone. President Biden and the federal government have offered more aid and acted faster than we have ever seen in the history of the United States of America.”
Standing at a podium in front of piles of debris, the president introduced a pair of cousins, a young boy and a young woman who he said will graduate from the University of Kentucky on Friday.
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“We’re going to figure out something special for her graduation day,” Biden said.
The president then said he and his administration will do “whatever it takes — as long as it takes — to support your state and your local leaders as you recover and rebuild.”
The scope and scale of the destruction, Biden said, “is almost beyond belief … these tornadoes devoured everything in their path.”
He also shared comforting words with families whose loved ones died the storms. “There are no words for the pain of losing someone. A lot of us know it. A lot of us understand it, especially around the holidays when everything is supposed to be happy and joyful.”
Biden also committed to federal aid that will cover “100 percent of the cost for the first 30 days for all the emergency work,” he said. He encouraged residents to visitdisasterassistance.govor to call 1-800-621-3362 to find out what help is available to them.
Biden also acknowledged First Lady Beshear’s efforts to gather toys for kids in the state. More than 20,000 gifts have been donated so far, she said.
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“No kid is going to go to sleep … without a gift,” the president said.
“Keep the faith,” he said at the end of his remarks. “We’re going to get this done. I promise you …. No one is walking away. We’re in this for the long haul.”
According to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, Biden has deployed the National Guard and activated FEMA, which “has sent dozens of generators to Kentucky, along with 135,000 liters of water, 74,000 meals, and thousands of cots, blankets, infant toddler kits, and pandemic shelter kits to support the people of Kentucky.”
“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers personnel are providing debris removal, infrastructure assessment, and power restoration support,” Psaki also said Tuesday.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who is typically a harsh Republican critic of the Democratic president expressed his gratitude and support for Biden’s response to the severe weather in the state he represents.
“President Biden cut through the red tape to approve our request at an accelerated pace providing the rapid support we need to recover,” McConnell said.
Since taking office less than a year ago, Biden has traveled extensively to survey damage from various natural disasters. Hevisited Texas in Februaryafter a historic winter storm there; in Idaho, California and Colorado, Biden observed thewrath of wildfiresover the summer; in September he wasin Louisianaand in New York and New Jersey after Hurricane Ida.
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The president’s infrastructure bill, which he signed into law November, includes funding to make “communities safer and our infrastructure more resilient to the impacts of climate change” and includes more than “$50 billion to protect against droughts, heat, floods and wildfires, in addition to a major investment in weatherization,“according to the White House.
source: people.com
