Biden to visit hurricane damage in New Orleans

Twin sisters Bridget and Rosalie Serigny, 66, hold their cat Frost as they pose for a photograph after returning to their damaged home in Louisiana. PHOTO: REUTERS

WASHINGTON (AFP) - President Joe Biden will visit the hurricane damaged southern state of Louisiana on Friday, the White House said.

"The president will travel to New Orleans, Louisiana to survey storm damage from Hurricane Ida and meet with state and local leaders from impacted communities," the administration announced on Wednesday (Sept 1).

This will be Biden's first trip out of the Washington area since Afghanistan plunged into crisis two weeks ago with a Taliban victory over the US-supported Afghan government and a hectic US evacuation.

Louisiana and Mississippi took the brunt of Hurricane Ida, which has killed four people.

New Orleans was especially hard-hit.

However, the region fared far better than during Hurricane Katrina, which struck Louisiana exactly 16 years ago and killed more than 1,800 people.

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