Photo: LUKMAN VURAL ELIBOL/AA/PICTURE ALLIANCE / Deutsche Welle
The president of the United States, Joe Biden approved this Sunday (03.26.2023) the declaration of emergency for the state of Mississippi after a tornado struck the region, killing at least 25 people there and another in Alabama. Biden ordered federal aid to supplement state and local efforts in affected areas, a White House statement said.
The measure provides funding for those affected in Carroll, Humphreys, Monroe and Sharkey counties, according to the statement. Federal aid includes grants for temporary shelters, home repairs, and low-rate loans to cover losses from uninsured property. In a previous statement, the president maintained that he saw “heartbreaking” images and stressed that his government will do “everything possible to help” for as long as “it is necessary.” Meanwhile, the state of Mississippi, in the southern United States, is preparing for new storms.
“This is a tragedy,” Governor Tate Reeves tweeted, speaking of the “devastating damage” caused Friday night by tornadoes. that hit more than 150 km of the state of Mississippi from west to east. The balance includes, in addition to those deceased, dozens of injured, according to the state emergency services (MSEMA). Four people who had been reported missing have been found and rescue teams continue to search for victims.
The administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Deanne Criswell is scheduled to visit the state today to assess the destruction. Agency coordinator John Boyle has been appointed to oversee federal operations. The tornado leveled entire city blocks, flattening homes, ripping off a church steeple and toppling a municipal water tower.
“I don’t know how there could have been survivors,” Rodney Porter summed up in surprise to the AP agency. He lives 20 miles south of Rolling Fork and during the storm Friday night he came to help where he could. He was met with “total devastation” and the smell of natural gas, he explains, and he heard people screaming for help in the dark. “The houses are gone, they are stacked on top of each other with vehicles on top of everything,” he sums up.
Pope Francis offered a special prayer for the people of Mississippi “hit by a devastating tornado” during her weekly Sunday blessing from St. Peter’s Square in Rome.
Keep reading:
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• The death toll from tornadoes in Mississippi and Alabama rises to 26
• Intense storm moving away from California after leaving at least five dead and severe damage