Washington, Mar 26 (EFE).- US President Joe Biden declared this Sunday as a “great disaster” area the counties affected by the tornadoes that occurred in the state of Mississippi (southern United States) last Friday, which ended with the lives of at least 25 people.
Biden thus made federal funds available to those affected in Carroll, Humphreys, Monroe and Sharkey counties, the hardest hit, where devastating destruction took place that wiped out entire towns and infrastructure, in addition to leaving thousands homeless. of people.
The national Weather Service warned that there is an elevated risk of severe storms Sunday in portions of eastern Louisiana, southern Mississippi and southern Alabama, where there was also one death.
The forecast indicates that the greatest threat will be hail, although it does not rule out that there may be strong winds and tornadoes, however, according to the Mississippi Weather Service, tornadoes are not expected to occur in the same area, but rather there could be in the southern part of the state.
With his statement, Biden ordered federal aid to supplement recovery efforts, with assistance that may include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and homeowners. business to recover from the effects of the disaster.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is the agency designated to coordinate federal recovery operations in affected areas, Biden explained, while damage assessment efforts continue in other areas and more could be appointed. counties as aid recipients when the aid is completed.
The governor of Mississippi, the Republican Tate Reeves, who visited the affected area this Saturday and declared a natural disaster alert, thanked Biden this Sunday for the federal support and for “acknowledging the scale of the damage” and approving “quickly our declaration of disaster”.
According to the latest update from the state’s emergency services (MSEMA), there have been 25 deaths in Mississippi so far and dozens of injuries from the “devastating deadly tornadoes” that swept through the state on Friday night.
The Mississippi Department of Public Safety announced today that donations are being accepted and items such as bottled water, canned food and paper products are greatly appreciated.
