Biden to announce federal funding for Mississippi tornado recovery on Friday

[March 31, 2023]  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden will announce on Friday that the federal government will cover for 30 days the full cost of Mississippi's emergency measures in response to last week's storm that killed 26 people, a White House official said. 

An aerial view wreckage in the town of Rolling Fork after thunderstorms spawning high straight-line winds and tornadoes ripped across the state in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, U.S. March 26, 2023. REUTERS/Cheney Orr/File Photo

Biden and his wife, Jill, will visit Rolling Rock, a town of 1,900 that a tornado swept through, destroying homes and infrastructure.

The Bidens were making the trip to "reaffirm their commitment to supporting the people of Mississippi as long as it takes," the official said.

"The president will announce that the federal government will cover the full cost of the state’s emergency measures like removing debris, operating shelters, and paying overtime to first responders for the next 30 days."

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will open disaster recovery centers in four of the state's counties on Monday, the official added.

Biden will be briefed about the response to the storm, tour the area to see the extent of the damage, and meet with survivors and first responders.

Twenty-five people were killed in Mississippi and one in Alabama as a result of the powerful storm.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason)

[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.