{"id":133418,"date":"2021-12-12T16:39:37","date_gmt":"2021-12-13T00:39:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=133418"},"modified":"2021-12-12T16:39:37","modified_gmt":"2021-12-13T00:39:37","slug":"president-biden-on-the-severe-weather-that-impacted-several-u-s-states","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=133418","title":{"rendered":"President Biden on the Severe Weather that Impacted Several U.S. States"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Wilmington, Delaware&#8230;.Good afternoon, folks.  Sorry to get you down here late on Saturday afternoon, but I want to provide an update on the deadly and devastating tornadoes that moved across several states in central United States, including touching down across 227 miles of Kentucky alone.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Z1UA3__b0-k\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m monitoring the situation very closely since early this morning.  This is likely to be one of the largest tornado outbreaks in our history.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier today, I called the governors of the states that have been \u2014 experienced severe impacts of the storms, including Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, as well as Tennessee.<\/p>\n<p>I also spoke with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. <\/p>\n<p>Governor Beshear and I started off the morning together, and he said as wa- \u2014 I was watching it on television while talking to him \u2014 like all of you have \u2014 and he \u2014 his comment was, \u201cIt looks like a war zone but worse.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jill and I pray \u2014 and I\u2019m \u2014 sincerely mean this \u2014 pray for those who have lost loved ones and for those who are uncertain of the fate of their loved ones.  And the debris that you see scattered all over the hurricane\u2019s [tornado\u2019s] path. <\/p>\n<p>They lost their homes.  They lost their businesses.  And it\u2019s a tragedy.  It\u2019s a tragedy.  And we still don\u2019t know how many lives were lost or the full extent of the damage.<\/p>\n<p>But I want to emphasize what I told all the governors: The federal government will do everything \u2014 everything it can possibly do to help.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve spoken several times today with the head of FEMA \u2014 of the \u2014 the Federal Emergency Management Agency \u2014 as well as the director of FEMA, who\u2019s already been deployed \u2014 already deployed emergency response personnel to these states, search-and-rescue teams, water and other supplies.  And FEMA is on the ground working with each of the states to assess the damages and focus on federal support where it is needed most and how we can get there most rapidly.<\/p>\n<p>I also \u2014 and, apparently, it\u2019s just been announced \u2014 but I also approved the emergency declaration that was requested a couple of hours ago by Governor Beshear of Kentucky.  That\u2019s going to accelerate federal emergency assistance for Kentucky right now, when it\u2019s urgently needed.<\/p>\n<p>And I stand ready to do the same for the governors of the other states \u2014 and I\u2019ve made it clear to them \u2014 if they request emergency declaration.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve also requested that FEMA offer additional federal resources, including help with temporary housing, where homes have been wiped out or too badly damaged to live in.<\/p>\n<p>And I also asked FEMA Director to let the states know \u2014 what they may not be aware of \u2014 what they might be entitled to, because they don\u2019t necessarily know all that\u2019s available from the federal end.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re going to continue to se- \u2014 receive \u2014 I, personally, am receiving regular updates.  And my staff is continuing to reach out to the mayors, the county officials, and other local leaders in these states affected by the tornadoes.<\/p>\n<p>And my heart goes out \u2014 I was told that, earlier this morning \u2014 that one of the \u2014 the equivalent of a county executive \u2014 one of the folks in Kentucky was lost in this tornado. <\/p>\n<p>I want folks in all these states to know: We\u2019re going to get through this.  We\u2019re going to get through this together.  And the federal government is not going to walk away.<\/p>\n<p>This is one of those times when we aren\u2019t Democrats or Republicans.  Sounds like hyperbole, but it\u2019s real.  We\u2019re all Americans.  We stand together as the United States of America.<\/p>\n<p>And so, I say to all the victims: You\u2019re in our prayers, and all those first responders, emergency personnel, and everyone helping their fellow Americans; that this is the right thing to do at the right time, and we\u2019re going to get through this.<\/p>\n<p>And I\u2019ll be happy to take a question or two, if you have any, about this.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Mr. President, does this say anything to you about climate change?  Is this \u2014 or do you conclude that these storms and the intensity has to do with climate change?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Well, all that I know is that the intensity of the weather across the board has some impact as a consequence of the warming of the planet and the climate change. <\/p>\n<p>The specific impact on these specific storms, I can\u2019t say at this point.  I\u2019m going to be asking the EPA and others to take a look at that.  But the fact is that we all know everything is more intense when the climate is warming \u2014 everything.  And, obviously, it has some impact here, but I can\u2019t give you a \u2014 a quantitative read on that. <\/p>\n<p>Q    Mr. President, do you have any plans to visit any of the affected areas this week?  And are you going to ask Congress to \u2014<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Yes, I do.  I spoke with \u2014 I started off this morning with the governor of Kentucky and offered to \u2014 I said, \u201cI\u2019ll be happy to come, but I don\u2019t want to be in the way.\u201d  When a President shows up, he shows up with an awful lot of personnel, an awful lot of vehicles, an awful lot of \u2014 we can \u2014 we can get in the way unintentionally. <\/p>\n<p>And so, what I\u2019m working with the governor of Kentucky and others who may want me to be there is I made \u2014 make sure that we are value added at the time, and we\u2019re not going to get in the way of the rescue and recovery.  But I will pla- \u2014 I do plan on going.<\/p>\n<p>Q    And are you going to ask Congress to approve any other disaster relief money to any of these states?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Well, we\u2019ll see.  Whatever is needed, I\u2019m going to ask for.  If we don\u2019t already have the wherewithal to take care of it, I\u2019m going to ask for it. <\/p>\n<p>This is the United States of America.  Our citizens are badly, badly hurt, and they\u2019re scared to death right now in terms of all those folks who they can\u2019t figure where they are.  \u201cWhere\u2019s my son, where\u2019s my daughter, my husband, my wife, my mom, my dad?\u201d  It\u2019s devastating. <\/p>\n<p>Yes, you had a question, sir.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Mr. President, is there a role for the federal government in coordinating direct, on-the-ground response, whether it be directing National Guard or federal troops that could be helpful?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  The answer is yes, if in fact the states conclude they need it.  And so, the National Guard has been called out in one state, and \u2014 but whatever is needed, it\u2019s within the authority of the President of the United States and the federal government to provide that help.  And we\u2019re going to provide whatever is needed. <\/p>\n<p>I think we\u2019ve demonstrated, since we\u2019ve been elected, that every major national disaster, we have been there early, often, and stayed until we got it finished.  And that\u2019s what we\u2019re going to do here. <\/p>\n<p>But, again, I think \u2014 what I\u2019ve found is \u2014 I\u2019ve visited these disaster areas in other circumstances, whether it was the hurricane in Louisiana or the \u2014 or the gigantic flooding in the Northeast or the wildfires in the West \u2014 is the real anxiety right now is all those poor people who are wondering, \u201cWhere is my loved one?  Where are they?  Are they going to be okay?\u201d  And I don\u2019t think it\u2019s \u2014 I don\u2019t think it\u2019s possible to exaggerate the extent of the fear and the concern. <\/p>\n<p>And we have a lot of people that are going in, doing rescue, running machines \u2014 bulldozers, forklifts, and the like.  And \u2014 and the way in which I\u2019ve watched it down in \u2014 when \u2014 when the building collapsed in Florida, I watched how \u2014 how it takes a price on \u2014 a toll on them.  \u201cGod, am I going to \u2014 am I going to lift something that\u2019s going to move something that\u2019s going to affect something?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And so, that\u2019s what \u2014 I just \u2014 my heart aches for those people right now, including the rescuers, including the burden on them and what they worry about.  That\u2019s what they talked to me about in Florida.  That\u2019s what they talked to me about afterwards. <\/p>\n<p>And so, I \u2014 I just think that we just have to keep at it.  We have to keep focused.  And this is going to be the \u2014 you know, the focus of my attention until we get this finished.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Mr. President, what\u2019s your message to the victims and their families?  And can you talk at all about how governments can be better prepared for such disasters in the future?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Well, quite frankly, I think we\u2019re as prepared as any government has ever been for dealing with the disasters. <\/p>\n<p>Now, the question is \u2014 one of the questions that\u2019s going to be raised, I\u2019m confident, is: What warning was there, and was it strong enough, and was it heeded?  That\u2019s a question that\u2019s going to \u2014 I assume is going to come \u2014 be part of the discussion in the states, as well as \u2014 as nationally.<\/p>\n<p>Because, look \u2014 as usual, you ask always the best question.  And you asked me about whether or not we were going to be able to \u2014 what we\u2019re going to do about it, how we\u2019re going to handle this.  And part of it is acknowledging that the likelihood of fewer weather catastrophes, absent a continued movement on dealing with global warming, it\u2019s just not going to happen.  Not going to happen.<\/p>\n<p>Like I said, we didn\u2019t think \u2014 and I think the best example for me has been and what struck me the most: We always had wildfires, but who in God\u2019s name thought we\u2019d see, this calendar year, more territory burned to the ground \u2014 every tree, every home, every road \u2014 you know, that \u2014 larger than the state of New Jersey, from the Hudson River down to Cape May?<\/p>\n<p>So, we have to act.  But the first and urgent piece here is we have to save anyone who\u2019s still alive.  We have to care for them if we can get them to hospitals.  And we have to take care of all those families. <\/p>\n<p>The \u2014 I mean, look, I know you all \u2014 you\u2019re all pros asking the questions.  Imagine if your home is in the path.  What do you go home to?  What do you worry about?  I mean, everything is gone, from that \u2014 that baptismal photograph to the wedding picture, to a picture of your oldest daughter in a ballet.  I mean, it\u2019s \u2014 it\u2019s profound.  It\u2019s just profound.<\/p>\n<p>And it\u2019s \u2014 but I promise you: Whatever is needed \u2014 whatever is needed, the federal government is going to find a way to supply it. <\/p>\n<p>Thank you all so very, very much.  Thank you.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Mr. President, can you talk about Ukraine?  What made you decide to take U.S. ground combat troops off the table when it comes to Ukraine?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  There never were on the table.  And are you ready to send American troops into war and go into Ukraine to fight Russians on the battlefield? <\/p>\n<p>Look, here\u2019s the deal: I\u2019ve made it absolutely clear to President Putin \u2014 this is the last thing I\u2019ll say \u2014 that if he moves on Ukraine, the economic consequences for his economy are going to be devastating \u2014 devastating \u2014 number one.<\/p>\n<p>Number two, we will find it required that we\u2019ll have to send more American and NATO troops into the eastern flank \u2014 the B9 and all those NATO countries where we have a sacred obligation \u2014 to defend them against any attack by Russia. <\/p>\n<p>And number three, the impact of all of that on Russia and its attitude \u2014 the rest of the world\u2019s view of Russia would change markedly.  He\u2019ll pay a terrible price. <\/p>\n<p>And so, it\u2019s \u2014 and we are going to continue to provide for \u2014 and we have and continue to provide for \u2014 the defense capacities for the Ukrainian people. <\/p>\n<p>Thank you so much.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wilmington, Delaware&#8230;.Good afternoon, folks. Sorry to get you down here late on Saturday afternoon, but I want to provide an update on the deadly and devastating tornadoes that moved across several states in central United States, including touching down across 227 miles of Kentucky alone. I\u2019m monitoring the situation very closely since early this morning. 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