President Joe Biden is expected to travel to Kentucky on Wednesday to survey tornado damage that struck parts of six states and killed dozens of people over the weekend.
Biden announced the upcoming trip after a briefing with homeland security and disaster response officials in the Oval Office.
“The White House said he would visit Ft. Campbell, Kentucky for a briefing on the response operations, and then to hard-hit Mayfield and Dawson Springs to survey the damage,” according to the Associated Press on Monday.
The president had previously been asked whether he planned to visit Kentucky during remarks on Saturday concerning the storm.
“I’ll be happy to come, but I don’t want to be in the way,” Biden said he told Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear.
“When a President shows up, he shows up with an awful lot of personnel, an awful lot of vehicles, an awful lot of — we can — we can get in the way unintentionally.
“And so, what I’m working with the governor of Kentucky and others who may want me to be there is I made — make sure that we are value added at the time, and we’re not going to get in the way of the rescue and recovery. But I will pla- — I do plan on going,” Biden added.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki also announced his visit during Monday’s daily briefing.
PSAKI: Biden to travel to see tornado damage in Kentucky on Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/GGBn51zlks
— Zach Purser Brown (@zachjourno) December 13, 2021
“We have been working around the clock through the weekend closely with governors of impacted states and local leaders to ensure they have everything they need to respond to and recover from this unimaginable tragedy,” Psaki said.
The Daily Wire previously reported Monday morning:
Beshear said there were “64 confirmed deaths across the state as of Monday morning, following the string of deadly tornadoes that hit Kentucky and several other states over the weekend,” according to The Washington Post.
At least 105 people remained unaccounted for as of Monday morning, the report also noted.
“Six are younger than 18,” he said during the media update. Of the 64 confirmed deaths, 18 were unidentified.
On Saturday, Beshear posted that a state of emergency had been declared following widespread tornado damage.
Gov. Beshear has declared a state of emergency based on major tornado damage in multiple Western Kentucky counties. He has activated the @kentuckyguard and the @kystatepolice. The Governor will be providing an update with @KentuckyEM officials at 5 a.m. EST in Frankfort. 1/2
— Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) December 11, 2021
The Daily Wire reported on Sunday:
On Sunday, following the devastating tornadoes that hit multiple states late last week, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” with host Jake Tapper to discuss the damage, and ongoing rescue efforts.
Tapper initially asked about the mounting death toll, which Beshear said currently stands at “over 80,” but could climb to “more than 100.”
“This is the deadliest tornado event we have ever had. I think it’s going to be the longest and deadliest tornado event in U.S. history,” Beshear said, adding that one tornado covered more than 227 miles, 200 of which were in the state of Kentucky. “I have got towns that are gone, that are just, I mean, gone.”