Remarks by President Biden After a Briefing on the Federal Response to the Severe Weather that Impacted Several U.S. States
DECEMBER 13, 2021
Location: Not determined

12:18 P.M. EST
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Well, folks, as you can see, I just met with my team here.  And Secretary Mayorkas of Homeland Security and — and my — my FEMA Administrator, Criswell, they were on the ground in Kentucky yesterday.  And I asked for a detailed briefing on what they were able to see, what they found. 
 
And they shared with me what they learned.  And we discussed how we can do — do more, especially when so many people are facing immense, immense loss.  And we talked about how we can accelerate and expand federal assistance to those in desperate need. 
 
And you saw — I mean, some of you have been there and you’ve seen — you’ve been reporting on television, you know, the devastation, you know, before and after. 
 
(Holds up photographs.)  And this is Mayfield, Kentucky.  I mean it’s just — it’s just devastating. 
 
And we’ve already improved an emergency declaration and a major disaster declaration for Kentucky.  I’ve spoken with the governor several times thus far.  And this gives me the tools to provide everything that we can in the federal — from the federal level, from expert search-and-rescue teams to immediate- and longer-term help with housing, and clean-up — a whole range of things. 
 
And I stand ready to do the same for the governors of other states.  As a matter of fact, I’m about to sign a — an emergency request from this — from Illinois, the governor of Illinois, when — literally, when I finish, I’ll get up and sign that. 
 
And, you know, we also asked FEMA and the key departments to surge federal resources.  The thing they most need are power, water, communication systems to get back to some sense of being able to communicate with one another as rapidly as they possibly can. 
 
And I — as I said, I intend to travel to Kentucky on Wednesday.  And with each passing day, the human impact of this devastation is just — the depth of the losses are becoming more and more apparent. 
 
This is a town with a relatively low average income of under $20,000 a year.  It’s a town that has been wiped out.  But it’s not the only town.  It’s not the only town.  That path you see, it moves all the way up; it’s well over 100 miles.  There’s more than one route it goes.
 
And so, you know, we — we’re also seeing destruction met with a lot of compassion, I’m told.  Everywhere they’ve gone, they have people volunteering, talking, asking for — not only to get help, but how they can give some help.  And so, we continue to pray for everyone in Kentucky and the other states who were affected.
 
And particularly, my heart goes out to the governor of Kentucky, who’s lost family himself.  It’s pretty rough stuff. 
 
And — but we’re going to get this done.  We’re going to be there as long as it takes to help.  And the combination of state, federal, and volunteer organizations will do everything from, eventually, not only clear the debris, but provide the necessary means to move, get schools reopened, and making sure that homes are able to be rebuilt, et cetera. 
 
So, there’s a lot, a lot that needs to be done.  And it’s been mostly Kentucky here, but not only Kentucky.  And so that’s — I just want to let you know, that’s what I was doing. 
 
I haven’t decided where I’m going yet.  We’re working out — what I indicated to the governor, when we talked about this two days ago was that I don’t want to be in the way.  There’s a lot going on.  And the — when the President shows up, there’s a long tail to follow with an awful lot of folks.  And I just don’t want to do anything other than be value added. 
 
But I want you to know that this administration has made it clear to every governor: whatever they need, when they need it.  When they need it, make it known to me and we’ll get it to them as rapidly — as rapidly as we can.  And that’s what we’re doing here in Kentucky. 
 
We’re going to have to go beyond what is available through the federal government.  For example, if we’re able to — FEMA can come up with up to $35,000 in housing restoration.  Well, there’s not a lot of 35,000-dollar homes.  In the meantime, we can provide everything from hotel rooms and places where folks can live in the meantime. 
 
But there’s a lot to be done, and we’re just getting it underway.  But we’re going to work with all the governors to make sure that we can.
 
Yes.