(NewsNation) — President Joe Biden, in remarks made during his trip Friday to Baltimore, Maryland, told those affected by the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse that the “nation has your back.”
Earlier that day, he had taken a look at efforts to clean up the wreckage. Officials said more than 50 salvage divers and 12 crans are helping to cut out sections of the bridge and remove them from the waterway.
“The damage is devastating and our hearts are still breaking,” Biden said.
Eight workers had been filling potholes on the bridge last month when it was hit by a cargo ship. Two men were rescued, while six died. Of those who were killed, only two bodies have been recovered.
The workers had been immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
“Most were immigrants, but all were Marylanders. Hard-working, strong and selfless,” he said.
After the collapse, Biden vowed that the federal government would pay for the entire cost of reconstructing the bridge. So far, the Federal Highway Administration has allocated $60 million in emergency funding to the project. In addition, Biden announced Friday, it is planning to give over $8 million in grant funds to make infrastructure improvements at Sparrow’s Point.
On Friday, the White House said it is asking Congress to allow the federal government to cover 100% of the bridge cleanup and reconstruction costs, instead of getting the money through a separate supplemental funding request. Biden reiterated the need for this at the Friday press conference.
Officials have repeatedly warned that the recovery and reconstruction efforts won’t be easy. During a Thursday appearance on “CUOMO,” Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said that recovery operations are “remarkably complex.”
“We have 27,000 tons of bridge debris that’s also now sitting pancaked at the bottom of the river,” Moore said. “And there are four souls that are still unaccounted for.”
Moore said he can’t overstate the level of devastation the collapse has had on Baltimore.
“It’s really unprecedented when you have a ship that is literally the size of the Eiffel Tower and the weight of the Washington Monument that is now sitting trapped in the middle of the Patapsco River,” Moore said.
Along with the turmoil for the victims’ families, there are concerns about how the bridge collapse will affect Baltimore’s economy as the port’s main shipping channel was destroyed.
To help workers, Gov. Wes Moore said the state is launching the “Maryland Tough, Baltimore Strong” Alliance, which is made of philanthropic, business and community leaders. Members of the alliance have committed a combined $15 million to support workers.
Amazon, Home Depot and Domino Sugar, among other businesses, committed to keeping their employees on the payroll until the port is opened again, Biden said.
As much as $200 million in cargo moves through Baltimore’s port a day, making it the leading hub for importing and exporting vehicles.
There have been two temporary channels created to allow a limited amount of marine traffic through, and there’s been work on getting a third one open as well, the Associated Press wrote.
By the end of April, Biden said, a third channel will be opened for some commercial traffic, including car carriers, Biden said. By the end of May, the full channel will be cleared.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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