Washington, Dec 17 (TIWN) US President Joe Biden announced that on Wednesday he would travel to Kentucky, the hardest-hit among the eight states devastated by powerful tornadoes and storms over the weekend, to survey the damage caused by the disaster.

The White House said he would visit Fort Campbell, Kentucky, for a briefing on the response operations, and then to hard-hit Mayfield and Dawson Springs to survey the damage. Biden said he was developing the itinerary in consultation with local officials to ensure that his presence doesn't distract from the ongoing emergency response.  White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that Biden is not expected to give a speech when he visits Kentucky, but will rather be focused on meeting with local officials and “trying to be a source of comfort to people who have gone through a devastating couple of days in their communities.”   “That visit is really about him receiving an update of the work that's happening on the ground, hearing directly from leaders on what they need more from the federal government, if anything, and he's going to be very responsive to that,” she said. Biden, who has already signed emergency declarations for Kentucky, said he stands ready to do the same for Illinois. He added that he has ordered his administration to make every resource available to local and state officials in Kentucky and the other states impacted by the storms.