SURFSIDE, Fla. – President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will travel to Surfside on Thursday, the White House confirmed.
Asked by a reporter Tuesday morning as he walked to Marine One if he was considering a trip to the site of the tragic condo collapse, Biden said, “Hopefully as early as Thursday.”
The White House sent an advisory shortly thereafter confirming the trip and saying further details would follow.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said Biden would be spending time with the impacted families and with first responders.
“The response and support we have received from federal, state and other partners over the last six days has been unprecedented — this is the single largest non-hurricane emergency operation the state of Florida has ever seen,” Levine Cava said in a statement. “We are deeply grateful for the support we’ve received from President Biden and the federal administration since day one, and thankful he will be visiting the site of this tragedy to spend time with the impacted families and first responders.
“For the families and our entire Miami-Dade community, this is an important reminder that our county, our state and our nation are giving everything we have to search for the victims of this tragedy and support the families in this incredibly devastating time.”
Biden is headed to La Crosse, Wisconsin, on Tuesday to visit a local transit authority and deliver remarks on the bipartisan infrastructure framework.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked Monday if the president planned to come to South Florida and she said that they wanted to be sure not to divert any resources away from the search and rescue efforts.
As of Tuesday afternoon, 11 people were confirmed dead and 150 people remained unaccounted for after part of the Champlain Towers South building collapsed early Thursday morning.
A team of national scientists and engineers plans to visit the collapse site to determine if the National Institute of Standards and Technology will open a full investigation that could eventually change building codes.
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ALSO SEE: State, White House offer help after partial building collapse in Surfside