Government Increases Efforts To Help Victims Of 2nd Deadliest U.S. Tornado Outbreak
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At least 350 deaths have been reported in six southern states, though that figure is expected to rise.
The deadliest tornado outbreak, which killed 747, occurred in the Midwest states of Illinois, Indiana and Missouri in 1925.
Alabama, which was hit the hardest by the storms, has reported at least 249 deaths as of Saturday. More than 1,700 people in the state were injured by the storm. "Our thoughts and prayers are with all the people of this state," Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley told reporters on Saturday. Bentley declared Sunday as a day of prayer across Alabama.
President Obama, who surveyed the damage from the violent weather in Alabama on Friday, will send senior officials from his administration to the disaster area this weekend in an effort to increase government assistance.
Obama has signed major disaster declarations for Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia.
This week's extreme weather in the South left a path of destruction in its way, knocking down homes and businesses and wiping out entire neighborhood. "It's not an exaggeration to say that whole communities were wiped out," Yasamie August, a spokeswoman for the Alabama Emergency Management Agency, said.
It is estimated that 10,000 homes and buildings have been destroyed. One disaster risk modeler is forecasting losses of between $2 and $5 billion worth of insured properties.
Reuters reported: "Recovery could cost billions of dollars and even with federal disaster aid it could complicate efforts by affected states to bounce back from recession."
Many are still without power and have been left without clean drinking water. ABC News reported:
The storms have destroyed or damaged power plants, power lines, gas stations and water supplies, leaving more than 1 million people without electricity. Thousands are homeless or without fuel or safe drinking water. Three nuclear power plants have shut down and are offline.
President Obama and the first lady toured the disaster area Friday in hard-hit Tuscaloosa, Ala., where 36 or more are dead. Eastern Tuscaloosa is running out of water. The mayor's office has ordered residents to conserve and to boil their tap water before drinking it until the city's water pressure can be fully restored.
According to FEMA, top Obama Administration officials who are scheduled to visit Alabama and Mississippi on Sunday include Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan and FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate.
Some 211 tornadoes have been estimated to have hit the region within a span of hours on Wednesday afternoon, including one in Smithville, Mississippi that has been preliminarily categorized as an EF-5. An EF-5 tornado is the highest classification for a tornado, and the one that went through Smithville is estimated to have packed winds peeds of over 200 miles per hour.
"It is capable of completely sweeping away one- and two-story houses, leaving nothing left but the basement itself," said James LaDue a meteorologist at the Warning Decision Training Branch. "It's also capable of turning vehicles into missiles."
LaDue said that EF-5 tornados are worse than hurricanes and can cause as much damage as the tsunami that struck Japan in March.
Comments
The government is quick to say they will provide funds to the victims of the devastation from this natural disaster, but beware people because the government has yet to make good on those same promises of aid that were made in 2010 to the flood victims in Illinois and Missouri! I know this to be afact because I was one of the victims! The July 2010 flood destroyed parts of the building and surrounding areas that I used to create my small business and the government agencies such as SEMA and FEMA promised funds to help repair the damage and those funds will never arrive because the agengies have decided to hide behind political rhetoric instead. There was an issue about ownership of the damaged areas and responsibility of who should pay so noone pays. The city had done all type of repairs and upkeep on the property and yet because there is no documentation of responsibility the government refuses to pay! The problem is the damage should have allowed for replacement of a retaining wall to prevent future problems and noone is willing to fix the problem. So when the next flood comes through and pushes the back of my building into the city land I will be charged the amounts to fix the wall and the damages to my building. This is wrong! I implore you please be careful of the promises because they can and likely will go unfulfilled!