US President Joe Biden has said he will visit disaster-struck Kentucky this week, after a tornado cluster took dozens of lives and destroyed thousands of properties in the state. More than 100 people remain missing.
Biden had previously committed to visiting Kentucky, but only when his presence would not interrupt rescue efforts. He revealed on Monday that he had scheduled a visit to the southeastern state on Wednesday.
The president said he had been in contact with Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, who has described the tornado as the worst in his state’s history. Biden told journalists on Monday he was currently firming up the details of his trip with the governor.
He will first travel to Fort Campbell, on the Kentucky-Tennessee border, to receive a storm briefing, according to a White House statement. Biden will also visit Dawson Springs and Mayfield, which bore the brunt of the damage.
At least 64 people have been confirmed dead in Kentucky from the tornado, with the age of the deceased ranging from five months to 86 years old. At least 105 people are still unaccounted for, and thousands have been without power since Friday.
Beshear said over the weekend he expects the death toll to rise above 100.
Biden declared a state of emergency in Kentucky following the tornado, and sanctioned federal assistance for the state. When he spoke previously about a potential visit to Kentucky, the president said he wanted to wait long enough that he would not be a distraction to the search-and-rescue effort.
“I said I’d be happy to come, but I don’t want to be in the way,” he said. “When a president shows up, he shows up with an awful lot of personnel, an awful lot of vehicles … we can get in the way unintentionally.”
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