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Biden to visit Mississippi following deadly storms

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will visit Rolling Fork, Miss., which was hard hit by severe weather and tornadoes over the weekend. Photo courtesy of Mississippi Highway Patrol/Twitter
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will visit Rolling Fork, Miss., which was hard hit by severe weather and tornadoes over the weekend. Photo courtesy of Mississippi Highway Patrol/Twitter

March 29 (UPI) -- President Joe Biden will travel to Rolling Fork, Miss., on Friday to survey the damage caused by a series of deadly storms that tore through the state and left a path of destruction over the weekend.

Biden, with first lady Jill Biden, on Friday will visit with first responders, community members impacted by the storm and state and local officials, the White House said Wednesday in a statement, adding that the pair will also "reaffirm their commitment to supporting the people of Mississippi as long as it takes."

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Mississippi and Alabama were hit Friday by tornadoes and severe weather that officials say could take months to even years to recover from. At least 25 people were killed by the storms in Mississippi. One person died in Alabama.

Among those regions most affected by the storms is Rolling Fork, home to fewer than 1,900, which was hit by an EF4 tornado on Friday. Preliminary information from the National Weather Service in Jackson, Miss., says the tornado lasted more than an hour and traveled some 59 miles.

The president spoke with Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, Rep. Bennie Thompson and Sens. Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith Biden on Saturday, expressing his commitment to deliver federal assistance as quickly as possible, a readout of the call from the White House said.

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On Sunday, Biden approved the governor's request for a disaster declaration for the state.

The announcement of the president's visit comes a day after Biden told reporters from Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina that he was planning to travel to Mississippi, though he did not divulge any details of the trip.

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