‘We’re not going to leave’: Biden pledges robust federal help to Western KY after tornadoes
President Joe Biden told Kentucky communities Wednesday that the federal government would be providing assistance until they recover from tornadoes that damaged or destroyed more than a thousand homes and buildings in the state.
“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,” Biden said in Mayfield after he surveyed storm damage. “Not just here, but particularly here, but also the other states as well.”
Biden told residents of Dawson Springs later in the day: “We’re going to get every single thing you need.”
Mayfield was the president’s first stop in Kentucky after arriving at Fort Campbell. Hundreds of people came downtown to witness Biden’s visit, most standing in solemn silence and many with their phones out to capture a glimpse of the president.
In Dawson Springs, Biden viewed another hard-hit neighborhood and told the community, “You’re going to heal. We’re going to recover.”
“And to all families here: keep the faith. We’re going to get this done. I promise you,” Biden pledged. “No one’s walking away. We’re in this for the long haul.”
While on his walking tour of Mayfield, Biden joined Graves County Judge-Executive Jesse Perry on Broadway, where many of the buildings were eviscerated by the tornado. Perry pointed out piles of brick that used to be a law office, an accounting office, a local church and more.
One woman asked Biden what he thought about private, faith-based groups helping Mayfield.
“I say thank you,” Biden replied. “You’re doing God’s work.”
After turning the corner onto 7th Street, where the Graves County Courthouse stands decimated, Biden stopped to link hands and pray with Perry, Mayfield Mayor Kathy Stewart O’Nan and President of the Council of Bishops of the African Methodist Episcopal Church Anne Henning-Byfield.
Biden stopped in front of a downtown mural that reads “Mayfield: More than a memory,” where O’Nan gestured toward the historic courthouse, whose clock tower was torn off by the tornado.
Hemming-Byfield led the prayer, and told the Herald-Leader that she prayed for “restoration” in the community.
In front of what used to be a popular clothing business downtown, Biden met several local families affected by the storm. He promised that the federal government would “stay until this gets finished and totally reconstructed.”
He warned that it could take longer to rebuild than the community may expect. “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,” Biden said.
Biden said as he received a briefing at Mayfield Graves County Airport that he had not seen that level of destruction from a tornado before and told local officials that the way the community pulled together after the tornadoes left an impression on him and his team.
“And that’s what we’re supposed to be doing. That’s what America is supposed to be,” he said. “There is no red tornadoes and blue tornadoes. There’s no red states or blue states when this stuff starts to happen.”
But at one point in the Mayfield tour, as Biden exited the car at the corner of Broadway and 8th Street, two men in the crowd there blurted out “Let’s Go Brandon,” which is understood to be code for swearing at Biden. A similar chant could be heard as Biden drove through Dawson Springs later.
In the town’s main square, some wore hats and t-shirts in support of former President Donald Trump. A“let’s go Brandon” sign had been set in the window of a local storefront.
Some residents and volunteers said they were concerned that Biden’s arrival was making it harder for people to carry on with their recovery operations Wednesday. The town’s streets were blocked off by law enforcement.
“I’m glad he’s taking concern enough to be here, but things still need to happen,” said Jo Adamson, a Kentucky resident who lived outside Dawson Springs but came to volunteer daily. “They need to work. … People are trying to save their stuff.”
The death toll rose to 75 on Wednesday, with 122 people unaccounted for in Kentucky.
“I’m here to listen. I tell you, this is one of those things where I think the vast majority of Americans know what you’ve been through just looking on the television. It has been incredible,” Biden said at the Mayfield briefing.
Biden was accompanied on the trip by his emergency response team, which includes FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and Kentucky Rep. James Comer, a Republican from Tompkinsville, and the only lawmaker from Kentucky’s congressional delegation to fly with Biden on Air Force One for the trip.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, and his wife Britainy, and former Gov. Steve Beshear met Biden at Fort Campbell and traveled with him to Mayfield and Dawson Springs. Lieutenant Gov. Jacqueline Coleman and Mayor O’Nan also joined Biden at the Mayfield briefing.
Beshear said in Dawson Springs that towns had been wiped out almost entirely and the state’s landscape had been left almost unrecognizable.
“You might think that we are broken, but we are not,” he said. “We open our homes to those in need, not just today, but every day. And we will repair our homes, our businesses, and we will repair our lives. We will do all of that together.”
Tearing up, Beshear said he wished the circumstances of Biden’s visit were different but that he was honored to have the opportunity to introduce the president in his father’s home town.
“This town is part of who I am. I spent Christmases on a porch, that thank God is still standing, not too far from here,” Beshear said. “I buried my kin right here in town just down the road. To me this was always a safe place. Bad things did not happen here – until Saturday.”
Biden told the Beshears and gathered officials, including Dawson Springs Mayor Chris Smiley, that it has to be “an emotional moment” for them and that his administration wants to “help the entire town heal.”
“The scope and scale of this destruction is almost beyond belief,” Biden said. “These tornadoes devoured everything in their path.”
The president drew on his own experience with grief around the holidays, talking about the death of his wife and daughter in a car accident just after his election to the Senate in the weeks before Christmas.
“But my mother, God love her, used to always say, out of everything terrible, something good will happen,” Biden said. “Something good has to happen out of this. It just can’t be all bad. We’ve got to make it better.”
He brought with him to the podium Dane Maddox, 7, and Abby Parker, 21, a cousin of Maddox’s, for the beginning of his remarks. The president said Parker is graduating from the University of Kentucky this weekend.
“You’ve got to remember me when you’re president, right?” Biden told Parker, putting his hand to her shoulder. Parker smiled and said she would.
Biden administration officials repeatedly promised during the disaster tour that the federal government would provide support throughout the recovery process.
“It’s just remarkable to see individuals who are disaster survivors themselves come to the rescue of others,” Mayorkas said in Mayfield. “And I think it speaks volumes to what the president said at the outset about the people here that in the time of need, there are no strangers. Everyone comes together, everyone is a neighbor of one another, and it’s like a big family.”
White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Air Force One that FEMA has provided 61 generators to Kentucky to help supply power where it is out. FEMA has also provided 144,000 liters of water, 74,000 meals, 18,500 blankets, 5,100 cots and 1,500 tarps, she said. A wireless emergency communication center has also been activated at the Mayfield candle factory site.
Biden said in Mayfield that other federal help may be available for children, businesses and Kentuckians who have lost family members that they may not be aware of.
“Don’t hesitate to ask for anything,” Biden said.
While the president was in Kentucky, the White House announced that Biden had directed FEMA to cover 100% of total eligible costs for debris removal and emergency protective measures in the state for 30 days.
The federal government is operating disaster recovery centers in Mayfield and Dawson Springs, and Criswell said disaster survivor assistance teams are in communities helping to register families for assistance and make them aware of other federal resources.
“So if you see somebody in a FEMA shirt walking around your community, please stop them and ask them for assistance if you need additional help,” Criswell said.
Gov. Beshear said that more than 1,800 families had applied for assistance online as of Monday afternoon.
Roughly 600 members of the National Guard have also been deployed in 18 counties to help with search and rescue efforts, verify information on survivors and help with debris removal, Beshear said at the Mayfield briefing.
“We’re here for anything you need, at all, at any time, and if we’ve never done it before, we will figure out how to get it done,” Beshear said. “We love you all, and we’re with you.”
Herald-Leader reporter Jeremy Chisenhall contributed to this report.
This story was originally published December 15, 2021 at 12:05 PM.
