A scheduled trip to Alabama by first lady Jill Biden on Friday was cancelled Thursday evening after deadly tornadoes swept through the state.
Biden was to have been accompanied on her visit to Birmingham and Jasper, Alabama, by actress Jennifer Garner. A statement from the East Wing said the trip was being postponed “due to severe weather across the South and tragic loss of life in the state of Alabama.”
“Thinking of everyone in Alabama and all of those impacted by the severe weather across the South tonight. My prayers are with the grieving families. Please stay safe,” the first lady said in a tweet.
Thinking of everyone in Alabama and all of those impacted by the severe weather across the South tonight. My prayers are with the grieving families. Please stay safe. 💕
— Jill Biden (@FLOTUS) March 26, 2021
According to a statement, Biden and Garner were slated to talk up the American Rescue Plan as part of the administration’s ongoing “Help is Here” tour, with a specific focus in Alabama on issues associated with childhood poverty from the East Wing.
This would have been Biden’s third solo trip as part of the tour, having already held events in New Jersey and New Hampshire.
At least five deaths and multiple injuries have been reported in Calhoun County, Alabama, after a tornado passed through Thursday afternoon, Calhoun County Sheriff Matthew Wade told CNN.
According to the National Weather Service, seven tornadoes have been reported in Alabama, and authorities have reported extensive damage in the Birmingham metro area.
