White House Sending Jill Biden to Comfort Kentucky Tornado Survivors
First Lady Jill Biden will travel to Kentucky on Thursday alongside federal officials to meet and comfort those most impacted by the deadly tornadoes that tore through the state last month.
“First Lady Jill Biden and Deputy FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] Administrator Erik Hooks will travel to Bowling Green, Kentucky where they will join Governor Andy Beshear (D) and First Lady Britainy Beshear to survey recovery efforts following the devastation from recent tornadoes,” the White House said in a statement.
“The First Lady will highlight the partnership between federal and local agencies that ensures Kentuckians are receiving the aid and relief they need,” the statement added, the Hill reports.
As Breitbart News reported, the tornadoes left catastrophic destruction in their wake when they hit last month.
In the days that followed, President Joe Biden flew to the devastated areas to offer his support only to be met by an indifferent welcome from locals.
As Biden exited his motorcade upon arrival in Mayfield, Kentucky, two people shouted “Let’s go, Brandon!” according to reporters on the scene.
"Let's Go, Brandon!" Biden's Warm Welcome As He Surveys Tornado Damage pic.twitter.com/NGWwZwUKgi
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) December 15, 2021
Biden also spoke at a briefing from local leaders in Kentucky about the storm damage.
He pulled his coronavirus mask under his chin to speak, reminding leaders of the importance to come together to help the community rebuild.
“There’s not red tornadoes or blue tornadoes,” he said. “There’s no red states or blue states when this stuff starts to happen.”
Now Jill Biden will have her turn to follow in her husband’s footsteps and offer comforting words to those still trying to put their lives back together after the weather bomb.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to the press after touring areas damaged a tornado on December 15, 2021 in Dawson Springs, Kentucky. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
At minimum 30 tornadoes were reported in “Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi and Tennessee,” in the event. In Kentucky alone, Beshear at least 50 were killed, ABC News reports.
According to an estimate from AccuWeather, the damage from the storms could total $18 billion, basing the cost off of “all direct and indirect impacts of the tornadoes.”
