Amid mounting criticism in the media, the White House announced Friday afternoon that President Obama would visit flood-ravaged Louisiana next Tuesday.

The president has been vacationing with his family in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, and will complete his scheduled stay there through August 21 before traveling south.

A statement from White House press secretary Josh Earnest reads:

While in Martha's Vineyard, the President has received updates on the situation in Louisiana, including from the DHS Secretary and the FEMA Administrator, who took separate trips there. The President today directed his team to coordinate with Louisiana officials to determine an appropriate time for him to visit, and together they have determined that the President will visit Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Tuesday, August 23rd. Additional details will be announced in the coming days. The President is mindful of the impact that his travel has on first responders and wants to ensure that his presence does not interfere with ongoing recovery efforts. He is also eager to get a first-hand look at the impact of the devastating floods, hear from more officials about the response, including how the federal government can assist and tell the people of Louisiana that the American people will be with them as they rebuild their community and come back stronger than ever.

The Baton Rouge-based Advocate newspaper, Louisiana's largest, published an editorial Wednesday evening asking Obama to leave Massachusetts to tour the state, whose recent flooding is the worst natural disaster to hit the United States since Hurricane Sandy, according to the Red Cross.

"Sometimes, presidential visits can get in the way of emergency response, doing more harm than good," the editorial read. "But we don't see that as a factor now that flood waters are subsiding, even if at an agonizing pace. It's past time for the president to pay a personal visit, showing his solidarity with suffering Americans."

The state's Democratic governor, John Bel Edwards, had defended Obama for not visiting, citing logistical concerns.