Biden pledges to cover 100 per cent of Kentucky tornado emergency costs as death toll rises to 89

‘We’re not going to leave. I promise you, the federal government is going to be involved until this gets rebuilt,’ president tells Kentuckians

President Joe Biden announced the federal government will cover 100 per cent of tornado emergency costs for 30 days as he visited Kentucky to survey the carnage wrought last weekend.

His visit came as the death toll from the devastating tornado outbreak climbed to 89 across Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee, including at least 13 children.

Seventy-five people have been confirmed dead in Kentucky alone after a massive twister roared across the landscape for at least 320km (200 miles).

Kentucky governor Andy Beshear said the death toll will “undoubtedly” rise as more than 100 people remained unaccounted for in the central and south regions as of midday on Wednesday.

The state’s fatality list grew by one on Wednesday as authorities announced the death of 67-year-old Terry Martin Jayne, who had a heart attack while sifting through debris at his daughter’s home in Bowling Green.

The city in Wayne County sustained some of the worst damage in the state, with 16 fatalities confirmed so far. Eleven of those – including seven children – were reported on a single street.

During his tour, Mr Biden stopped by two other hard-hit towns, Mayfield and Dawson Springs, to speak with people struggling to pick up the pieces from the storm.

The president made remarks at a briefing in Mayfield, telling Kentuckians: “I’m here to listen.”

He also praised their resilience in the face of the disaster, saying: ​​“People just come out of nowhere to help as a community, and that’s what it’s supposed to be, that’s what America’s supposed to be.

“There’s no red tornadoes or blue tornadoes, there’s no red states or blue states when this stuff starts to happen. And I think, at least in my experience, it either brings people together or really knocks them apart, and moving together here.”

Addressing local leaders, Mr Biden said: “I’ve instructed my team to make you all aware of everything that is available from a federal level.

“Don’t hesitate to ask for anything.”

Joe Biden introduces two tornado survivors at a press conference in Dawson Springs, Kentucky, on December 15 2021 (14 News)

He reiterated that message later while touring Mayfield.

“A lot of people are going through a God-awful mess now. And right now, they’re just recovering from the shock of it all. But in a month, in two months, in three months, when things are going to get really – they’re going to get really worried because they’re not – it’s not – can’t all be done that quickly,” he said.

“But we’re not leaving. We’re not going to leave. I promise you, the federal government is going to be involved until this gets rebuilt, this whole – not just here, but particularly here, but also the other states as well.”

Mr Biden concluded his tour with a stop in Dawson Springs, where he opened remarks to the press by introducing two young residents he’d been speaking with moments earlier.

He then gave a quick overview of everything he saw throughout the day, saying: “The scope and scale of the destruction is beyond belief.”

Mr Biden compared the tornado tragedy to the deaths of his first wife and infant daughter in 1972, saying he is confident the communities affected will pull through.

“It’s incredible how y’all step up,” he told Kentuckians. “I’m going to make sure the federal government steps up.”

He went on to announce that the federal government will cover 100 per cent of emergency response costs incurred in the first 30 days after the tornadoes struck.

It comes as some of the thousands of Kentuckians who lost their homes in the storms are calling for the government to address a shortage of temporary housing across the state.

“People need places to go,” one man said in a video shared by The Weather Channel. “We need housing. We need food. We need clothes.”

Another man said: “We have no power, we have no water. I woke up this morning at three o’clock and thought I was frost-bit.”

Mr Beshear has said state agencies are working tirelessly with federal officials to coordinate aid and promised that anyone who needs housing will get it.