Officials from storm-ravaged states across the South have been begging President Donald Trump to send federal assistance after storms and tornadoes killed at least 20 people in the past week.
Storms Leave A ‘Warzone’ Behind
Roughly 50 unconfirmed tornadoes were reported between Thursday and Sunday, as four devastating storms stretched from Georgia to Mississippi and into parts of Florida.
The worst of the damage occurred in Georgia, where a local mayor described the scene as a “warzone.” Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, a Republican, more than doubled the state of emergency from seven counties to 16 on Monday, and extended the order through January 30.
Dougherty County, Georgia, was the site of four deaths. County commission Chairman Chris Cohilas says the area “looks like a nuclear bomb went off.” He also said that he has been “begging FEMA for boots on the ground,” continuing:
“I’m asking President Trump to cut through the red tape and get people on the damned ground here.”
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant said that he has dispatched a letter to President Trump asking for help after four people were killed in his state. Additionally, the storms destroyed over 1,000 homes in Hattiesburg and the surrounding Forrest County alone.
Toddler missing in Georgia after storms kill 20 across the south https://t.co/0rBV7IWVlK pic.twitter.com/TcpwnMw2E5
— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 25, 2017
Begging For Federal Assistance
In the wake of this destruction, state officials are pleading with the Trump administration to send help. There is no time for the new administration to drag their feet or delay assembling a federal effort. Thousands of people are displaced from their homes with nowhere to go. Cohilas said Sunday:
“The damage that we’ve suffered in our community is immeasurable. Our people are suffering. They have no food, no home, no warmth, no hope.”
Watch the video below to see Georgia officials describing the devastation caused by these storms.
Featured image: screengrab Via Twitter
