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President Biden Departs White House To Tour Kentucky Storm Damage
WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 15: U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to reporters as he walks to Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House December 15, 2021 in Washington, DC. President Biden is traveling to Kentucky on Wednesday, where he will visit some of the towns hit hardest by the recent deadly tornados that struck the region.
President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that the federal government would "do everything it takes" to help Kentucky recover after fatal tornadoes blasted through the state and neighboring states over the weekend.
Biden modified the major disaster designation he signed on Sunday during his trip, increasing federal money for debris removal and emergency protective measures from 75 to 100 percent of total qualifying expenditures for a 30-day period from the proclamation date.
Biden visits tornado-ravaged towns in Kentucky
Biden admitted that he wasn't sure if he had the ability to grant such a request. The governor became upset, and his voice cracked as he stated that he had never expected to introduce the president in his life and that he wished it had happened under different circumstances.
According to Biden, at least 88 people have been killed by tornadoes in Kentucky and five other states, including 74 in Kentucky alone. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is providing generators, 144,000 liters of drinking water, 74,000 meals, and thousands of cots and blankets at the request of the commonwealth.
In Kentucky, Biden reprised his familiar consoler-in-chief role, which he has taken on while visiting other areas affected by extreme weather over the past year. The president also mentioned that his first wife and daughter were killed in a car accident around the holidays, adding that the car that hit them had a Christmas tree on top, as per The Hill.
Biden also addressed the post-traumatic stress that comes with losing a home, a company, or a loved one, and he promised that those who need it would receive it. He presented a little kid and his cousin, who will graduate from the University of Kentucky on Friday, while speaking to reporters, saying they were some individuals he met during his visit.
He also praised Kentucky first lady Britainy Beshear's toy drive, which has so far raised 20,000 dollars and has three days left. Biden's first trip was in Mayfield, Ky., where he examined storm damage and spoke with local officials, as well as Beshear, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell.
Per Washington Examiner, Biden promised that the federal government would be "involved" in the rebuilding process "until this gets rebuilt, not just here, but particularly here, but also in the other states as well." His visit came as the country prepared to deal with inflation and a potential new COVID-19 wave over the Christmas holidays.
The president had earlier authorized a number of disaster designations for the states hit by fatal tornadoes, but on Wednesday afternoon, the president updated the Kentucky proclamation to include full government funding for all catastrophe cleaning activities.
The president was met with 'Let's go, Brandon!' jeers
While examining tornado damage in Kentucky on Wednesday, he was greeted with "Let's go, Brandon!" jeers. After stepping out of his motorcade in Mayfield, Biden was met with a Trump flag, and someone yelled, "Let's go, Brandon!" repeatedly, according to BBC News journalist Tara McKelvey.
After an NBC reporter at a NASCAR Xfinity Series race claimed mistakenly that spectators in the stands were yelling, the anti-Biden slogan became an online hit in October. It's now become a huge anti-Biden rallying cry, with chants heard at concerts, athletic events, and even churches.
Biden is in Kentucky after heavy storms struck sections of the Midwest and South over the weekend, killing at least 88 people, including 74 in Kentucky. When the president arrived at Fort Campbell, he talked with Governor Andy Beshear before receiving a storm briefing at a Mayfield airport.
The president, who Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas joined, advised state and municipal officials not to be afraid to seek the federal government for help. The president was given an aerial tour of the devastation in Mayfield, followed by a ground inspection of the wreckage. Later, the president was expected to inspect the devastation in Dawson Springs, Fox News reported.
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