Biden will survey deadly tornado damage in Kentucky on Wednesday

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) said Monday that the state's death toll following a deadly tornado outbreak over the weekend currently stands at a confirmed 64, though he believes that number will "undoubtedly" increase, CNN reports.
During a tearful press conference, Beshear said he thinks the total count will "certainly be above 70, maybe even 80." There are currently 105 Kentuckians unaccounted for, he added.
"Thousands of homes are damaged if not entirely destroyed. And it may be weeks before we have final counts on both deaths and levels of destruction," Beshear explained Monday. Of the dead, 18 are still unidentified, CNN writes.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The governor also assured those affected in Western Kentucky that "we're not going anywhere."
"We're going to be with you today, we're going to be with you tomorrow, and we're going to be there with you to rebuild. This is one state," he said.
President Biden is scheduled to visit areas impacted by the tornadoes on Wednesday, though he wants to ensure he's not complicating relief efforts in doing so.
"I haven't decided where I'm going yet. 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," Biden said Monday, per CNN and USA Today.
In any event, Biden said his administration has "made clear to every governor" that the White House will get them "whatever they need" as "rapidly as we can."
A strong string of destructive tornadoes tore through at least six states between Friday night and Saturday morning, though the "epicenter of destruction" was in Western Kentucky. As of Monday morning, the windstorms had also killed at least four in Tennessee, two in Arkansas, two in Missouri, and at least six workers at an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
The state of Britain's Armed Forces
The Explainer Geopolitical unrest and the unreliability of the Trump administration have led to a frantic re-evaluation of the UK's military capabilities
By The Week UK
-
Anti-anxiety drug has a not-too-surprising effect on fish
Under the radar The fish act bolder and riskier
By Devika Rao, The Week US
-
Crossword: April 21, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff
-
Judge threatens Trump team with criminal contempt
Speed Read James Boasberg attempts to hold the White House accountable for disregarding court orders over El Salvador deportation flights
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Biden slams Trump's Social Security cuts
Speed Read In his first major public address since leaving office, Biden criticized the Trump administration's 'damage' and 'destruction'
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
El Salvador refuses to return US deportee
Speed Read President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador said he would not send back the unlawfully deported Kilmar Ábrego García
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Trump says electronics tariff break won't last
Speed Read The tariff exemptions on smartphones, laptops and other electronic devices are temporary, the administration says
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Man charged in arson attack on Pennsylvania's Shapiro
Speed Read Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were sleeping when someone set fire to his Harrisburg mansion
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
White House pushes for oversight of Columbia University
Speed Read The Trump administration is considering placing the school under a consent decree
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Supreme Court backs wrongly deported migrant
Speed Read The Trump administration must 'facilitate' the return of wrongfully deported migrant Kilmar Ábrego García from El Salvador, Supreme Court says
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Two judges bar war-powers deportations
Speed Read The Trump administration was blocked from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport more alleged Venezuelan gang members
By Peter Weber, The Week US