Biden on Friday to visit Mississippi town devastated by tornado

[March 30, 2023]  WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will visit Rolling Fork, Mississippi, on Friday after the town was devastated by a tornado last week that killed 26 people, the White House said.  

U.S. President Joe Biden walks after getting off Marine One to board Air Force One, after surveying storm-damaged areas of California's central coast, in Moffett Federal Airfield, Santa Clara County, California, U.S., January 19, 2023. REUTERS/Leah Millis

The Bidens will meet with first responders, state and local officials and people impacted by the recent storms, and survey recovery efforts, the White House said in a statement.

The powerful tornado ripped through the town of 1,900 on Friday night, destroying many of the community's 400 homes.

On Saturday, Biden ordered federal aid to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts in the affected areas.

(Reporting by Eric Beech; editing by Costas Pitas and Sonali Paul)

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