WASHINGTON, December 12. /TASS/. US President Joe Biden called the tornadoes that hit a number of US regions to be "one of the largest" in the US history, adding that he is ready to approve the state of emergency in several states, should the governors request it.

"This is likely to be one of the largest tornado outbreaks in our history," Biden said, adding that he spoke with the governors of the affected states - Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee. "It's a tragedy. And we still don't know how many lives are lost or the full extent of the damage. I want to emphasize what I told all the governors, the federal government will do everything, everything it can possibly do to help.

The US President informed that he ordered to deploy emergency and rescue services on the affected territories, as well as provide supply of water and essential goods. He noted that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is working in each state, assessing damage and providing support where necessary.

He disclosed that he has approved the declaration of emergency for Kentucky, adding that he will order the FEMA to provide additional federal resources to the states that will also request a state of emergency.

According to CNN, at least 79 people died in the recent tornadoes, 70 of them in Kentucky, which was hit the hardest. The power outages, caused by the tornado, affected over 200,000 people in Tennessee and Kentucky.