Biden cancels visit to Italy amid California wildfires
Press Hub UCapital
Share:
The outgoing US President was scheduled to meet Italian Prime Minister Meloni, President Mattarella and Pope Francis.
Change of priorities
White House spokeswomen Karine Jean-Pierre announced overnight that President Biden had decided to cancel his final institutional visit to Italy in order to focus on the federal response to the wildfire emergency happening in California.
Planned schedule for the Italian visit
Originally scheduled for today, Friday, January 10th, through Sunday, Biden’s visit included an audience with Pope Francis and meetings with the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Biden was in Los Angeles for family reasons and was expected to attend today’s ceremony in honor of the former US President Jimmy Carter, who died on December 29 last year.
California wildfire: the current state of devastation
The outgoing President declared a state of calamity and lifted the evacuation order for Hollywood Hills, issued earlier. Efforts to extinguish fires proved impossible due to strong winds. Pacific Palisades and Sylmar were among the most damaged neighborhoods, while Altadena was completely destroyed. As of the moment, there are 5 deaths and damages are estimated around $8-10 billion.
The wildfire, dubbed Sunset Fire, had threatened iconic buildings such as the Dolby Theater, from which the Oscars are broadcast, the Chinese Theater, and the headquarters of Capital Records.
Change of priorities
White House spokeswomen Karine Jean-Pierre announced overnight that President Biden had decided to cancel his final institutional visit to Italy in order to focus on the federal response to the wildfire emergency happening in California.
Planned schedule for the Italian visit
Originally scheduled for today, Friday, January 10th, through Sunday, Biden’s visit included an audience with Pope Francis and meetings with the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Biden was in Los Angeles for family reasons and was expected to attend today’s ceremony in honor of the former US President Jimmy Carter, who died on December 29 last year.
California wildfire: the current state of devastation
The outgoing President declared a state of calamity and lifted the evacuation order for Hollywood Hills, issued earlier. Efforts to extinguish fires proved impossible due to strong winds. Pacific Palisades and Sylmar were among the most damaged neighborhoods, while Altadena was completely destroyed. As of the moment, there are 5 deaths and damages are estimated around $8-10 billion.
The wildfire, dubbed Sunset Fire, had threatened iconic buildings such as the Dolby Theater, from which the Oscars are broadcast, the Chinese Theater, and the headquarters of Capital Records.