Biden to visit Mississippi on Friday after deadly tornado

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Rolling Fork, Miss., on Friday, the White House announced on Wednesday, following the deadly tornado that ripped through the Mississippi Delta last week.

The storm left 25 dead and dozens injured after it tore through several towns in one of the poorest regions in the U.S. On Sunday, the White House issued an emergency declaration for the state, making federal funding available to the counties hit hardest by the storm.

On Friday, Biden will meet with first responders and state and local officials in Rolling Fork, a town of 2,000 that saw homes and buildings reduced to rubble. The will demonstrate Biden’s “commitment to supporting the people of Mississippi as long as it takes,” the White House said in a statement announcing the trip.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell visited the state on Sunday, two days after the tornado struck.