Washington
US President Joe Biden suddenly canceled the last foreign tour of his presidential term. Biden was to leave for Rome and the Vatican, where he was to meet Pope Francis and Italian President Sergio Mattarella as well as Prime Minister Georgia Meloni. The reason for Biden’s decision is being said to be the massive fire spreading in California. The President decided that he would remain in Washington to monitor the crisis and review relief efforts.
Before canceling his trip, Biden met his first great-granddaughter, who was born on Wednesday, in Los Angeles. Along with this, he met the local fire department officials and took stock of the fire situation. “After returning from Los Angeles, the President decided to cancel his upcoming trip to Italy and will review the California crisis response in the coming days,” White House press secretary Carine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. ” This massive fire in California has caused massive destruction. Biden approved a ‘Major Disaster Declaration’ for Los Angeles County for this disaster, clearing the way for federal funding for relief efforts. Now the affected people will be able to get loans at low interest rates for temporary accommodation, repair of houses and compensation for uninsured losses.
“We are prepared to do anything and everything to help stop the fires and rebuild Southern California,” Biden said on Twitter. But we know it will go a long way.”
At least five people died and at least 1,100 buildings were damaged in a forest fire in Los Angeles County, California, Xinhua news agency reported. California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Tuesday as thousands of people were ordered to evacuate as a wildfire spread rapidly across Southern California.
