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President Biden plans to visit Kentucky Wednesday to view storm damage

Joe Biden
Posted at 8:45 AM, Dec 13, 2021
and last updated 2021-12-13 13:22:54-05

The White House says President Joe Biden will visit Kentucky on Wednesday to tour the damage left by a series of tornadoes that blew through the state late last week.

The White House provided some details of Biden's upcoming trip in a statement released Monday.

Biden will first travel to Ft. Campbell in southwest Kentucky, where local officials will brief him on rescue and recovery efforts. Biden will then travel to both Dawson Springs and Mayfield to tour some of the damage left behind by the storms.

The White House said it would release more details about the trip later in the week.

Mayfield was among the areas hardest hit by the storms. Eight people were killed and another eight are still missing after a candle factory in the town collapsed amid the storms. More than 100 workers were in the building when the tornado rolled into the area.

Biden has already approved a disaster declaration in Kentucky, freeing up federal funds that will assist in rescue and recovery efforts. Biden was also briefed by FEMA and Homeland Security officials on Monday morning.

So far, officials in Kentucky have confirmed that 64 people were killed in Friday's tornadoes. Another 110 people in the state are still missing.

The storms killed 14 others in nearby Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri and Tennessee.