Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell lauded President Joe Biden’s administration on Monday for expediting federal help to assist with recovery efforts in the aftermath of this weekend’s catastrophic tornado outbreak.
“President Biden cut through the red tape to approve our request at an accelerated pace, providing the rapid support we need to recover,” McConnell said on the Senate floor, specifically praising Homeland Security Chief Alejandro Mayorkas and FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell. “I could not be more grateful for their swift and decisive response to this crisis.”
Since the president’s approval of a disaster declaration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has deployed two incident management teams to coordinate the response effort, an urban search and rescue team to locate potential survivors and an Army Corps of Engineers team to supply temporary power.
Federal officials have also transformed Fort Campbell, an Army installation near the Kentucky-Tennessee border, into a staging ground for relief efforts and supplies.
McConnell described the storms — which included 40 tornadoes in six different states — as the worst to hit Kentucky in his lifetime.
At least 74 Kentucky residents are confirmed dead and many still remain unaccounted for. Fifteen counties across the commonwealth have sustained considerable damage, with the western portion of the state the hardest hit. Tens of thousands remain without power.
“This was, in the words of one meteorologist, ‘the worst-case scenario for destruction,’” McConnell said. “The cheery life of Christmastime has been replaced by absolute destruction. Kentucky has been devastated. But we have not been defeated.”
Earlier Monday during a White House briefing, President Biden said he’s asked FEMA to “surge federal resources,” including power, water and communication systems to the affected areas. On Wednesday, he will visit Fort Campbell, Dawson Springs and Mayfield, likely the worst hit town in the state.
Both McConnell and Biden singled-out Mayfield, a town of about 10,000 in Graves County, in their remarks on Monday.
“This is Mayfield, Kentucky. I mean it’s just — it’s just devastating,” Biden said, holding up a photograph of the devastation. “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.“
McConnell noted that the First United Methodist Church that Mayfield was known for “is completely gone … and the town is literally leveled to the ground.” He said the Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory turned into a “scene of absolute horror” when the twister struck on Friday night.
Biden’s emergency declaration grants funds for both public and individuals and it’s far too early to determine how much Kentucky will receive in the coming months.
Daniel Kaniewski, a former deputy administrator at FEMA who is now a managing director at Marsh McLennan, said the most urgent immediate need will be short-term housing.
“Housing should be a top priority in the hours and days ahead. With all of that damage, you’re going to have many individuals whose homes were destroyed or severely damaged or uninhabitable, and they’re going to need to be in a safe space,” Kaniewski said.
FEMA provided $21 million to Kentucky in the aftermath of last winter’s ice storms, but all that money was allocated to the recovery of public institutions and infrastructure.
In this instance, certain Kentuckians from Caldwell, Fulton, Graves, Hopkins, Marshall, Muhlenberg, Taylor and Warren counties will be eligible to apply for individual assistance.
Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated areas can begin applying for assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621- 3362 or 1-800-462-7585.
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