President Biden arrives in Eastern Kentucky, will tour flooded areas

(LEX 18) — President Joe Biden plans to visit communities in Eastern Kentucky that were severely impacted by flooding on Monday.

President Biden arrived in Lexington shortly after 10:30 a.m. Monday.

The president is joined by First Lady Jill Biden as well as Gov. Andy Beshear and his wife, Britainy. The president plans to visit with families affected by the flooding and survey recovery efforts at a FEMA disaster recovery center.

Biden will participate in a briefing at 12:30 Monday afternoon at Marie Roberts Elementary School in Lost Creek. He's also expected to speak around 2:00 p.m. Monday in an Eastern Kentucky neighborhood.

The president's visit comes as flooding remains a threat in Eastern Kentucky with storms on the forecast for much of the week.

37 people have died as a result of the flooding and thousands of Kentuckians are without homes. Several roads are still impassable, making it difficult for people to get the supplies they need.

Last week, President Biden declared a major disaster exists in Kentucky and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides beginning July 26 and continuing.

Federal funding is available to Kentucky, eligible local governments, and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency protective measures in several counties. The counties include Breathitt, Clay, Floyd, Johnson, Knott, Leslie, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin, Owsley, Perry, Pike, and Wolfe.

This will mark the president's second visit to Kentucky following a natural disaster. He visited western portions of the state following last December's massive tornadoes.