President Joe Biden will visit Texas on Friday after a
fierce winter storm hammered the southern US state, the White House announced
on Tuesday.

Biden and his wife, Jill, will visit the city of Houston and
meet with local leaders there to discuss relief and recovery efforts, White
House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

Biden will also visit a COVID-19 vaccination centre while in
Texas, Psaki said.

Millions of Texans lost power and suffered water shortages
after the state was gripped by a spell of unusually cold weather last week.

Biden issued a major-disaster declaration for much of the
state on Saturday, providing badly needed financial and administrative aid.

Michael McCaul, a Republican congressman from Texas, said
the financial impact of the winter storm could equal that of Hurricane Harvey,
which caused an estimated $125 billion in damage in 2017.