Kentucky tornado - latest: Biden takes aerial tour of wreckage as survivors plead for more temporary housing

‘It’s incredible how y’all step up,’ Biden told Kentuckians on Wednesday. ‘I’m going to make sure the federal government steps up.’

Watch live as Biden travels to Kentucky to survey tornado damage

President Joe Biden traveled to Kentucky on Wednesday to survey wreckage left in the wake of the tornadoes that wrought havoc in six states last weekend.

The death toll from the devastating tornado outbreak stands at 89 across Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee, including 13 children.

Seventy-five people have been confirmed dead in Kentucky alone after a massive twister roared across the landscape for at least 200 miles. Bowling Green sustained some of the worst damage, with 17 fatalities confirmed so far. Eleven of those - including seven children - were reported on a single street.

Governor Andy Beshear has said the death toll will “undoubtedly” rise as more than 100 people remain missing.

After touring the hard-hit towns of Mayfield and Dawson Springs, Mr Biden announced the federal government will cover 100 per cent of emergency costs for 30 days. “It’s incredible how y’all step up,” he told survivors. “I’m going to make sure the federal government steps up.”

It comes as some of the thousands of Kentuckians who lost their homes in the storms raised alarm about a shortage of temporary housing across the state, with one lamenting: “We need places to go.”

Key Points

• Biden praises community response to tragedy
• Kentucky death toll rises by one to 75
• What we know about the victims
• More tornadoes possible this week

[15 December 2021 21:04 · Megan Sheets]

Biden to speak to press in Dawson Springs

President Biden is slated to address reporters in Dawson Springs, Kentucky, in a few minutes as he concludes his tour of the state’s tornado damage.

Earlier in the day he told the press pool: “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.

“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.”

[15 December 2021 21:16 · Megan Sheets]

Biden calls damage ‘beyond belief'

President Biden opened his remarks in Dawson Springs 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.

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

[15 December 2021 21:42 · Megan Sheets]

Signing off

Thanks for reading our rolling coverage of President Biden’s tour of Kentucky’s tornado wreckage.

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