- The Bidens will assess the damage caused by last month’s flooding in Kentucky.
- At least 37 people have died from the deluge, which dumped 8 to 10.5 inches of rain in 48 hours.
- The National Weather Service is forecasting more thunderstorms through Thursday.
President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden arrived in Kentucky on Monday to meet with families and assess the damage caused by storms that caused the worst flooding in Kentucky’s history.
Since last month’s deluge, which dumped 8 to 10.5 inches of rain in 48 hours, at least 37 people have died.
Flooding remains a threat, according to the National Weather Service, which is forecasting more thunderstorms through Thursday.
Gov. Andy Beshear and his wife, Britainy, will join the Bidens for a briefing on the flooding’s impact with first responders and recovery specialists at Marie Roberts Elementary School in Lost Creek. They will then visit a hard-hit community in the state and meet with those who have been affected.
“They will receive an update on the disaster response, thank those on the front lines and share in the community’s grief,” said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
Biden’s visit to the state on Monday is his second since taking office last year. He had previously visited in December, following tornadoes that ripped through Kentucky, killing 77 people and leaving a path of devastation.
“I wish I could tell you why we keep getting hit here in Kentucky,” Beshear said recently. “I wish I could tell you why areas where people may not have much continue to get hit and lose everything. I can’t give you the why, but I know what we do in response to it. And the answer is everything we can. These are our people. Let’s make sure we help them out.”
Biden has expanded federal disaster assistance to Kentucky, ensuring that the federal government will pay for all debris removal and other emergency measures.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to Jean-Pierre, has provided more than $3.1 million in relief funds, and hundreds of rescue personnel have been deployed to assist.
“The floods in Kentucky and extreme weather all around the country are yet another reminder of the intensifying and accelerating impact of climate change and the urgent need to invest in making our communities more resilient to it,” she said.
The flooding occurred just one month after Beshear visited Mayfield to celebrate the completion of the first fully constructed houses since a tornado nearly destroyed the town. Three families were given keys to their new homes that day, and the governor mentioned a visit he made shortly afterwards in his remarks.
“I pledged on that day that while we had been knocked down, we were not knocked out,” Beshear said. “That we would get back up again, and we would move forward. And six months to the day, we’re not just up, we’re not just standing on our feet, we are moving forward.”
More natural disasters are now putting the state to the test. Beshear has visited eastern Kentucky as many times as the weather has allowed since the flooding began. He has held daily news conferences lasting an hour to provide details, including a full range of assistance for victims. Beshear, like after the tornadoes, established relief funds that go directly to people in the affected areas.
Beshear, a Democrat, narrowly defeated a Republican incumbent in 2019, and he is running for reelection in 2023.
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