BEAUREGARD, Ala. – President Donald Trump toured tornado-ravaged Alabama on Friday nearly a week after storms ripped through a small town, killing 23 people. The president…
BEAUREGARD, Ala. – President Donald Trump toured tornado-ravaged Alabama on Friday nearly a week after storms ripped through a small town, killing 23 people.
The president touched down in Lee County near where a massive tornado spun winds as high as 170 mph on Sunday. Trump had signed a major disaster declaration for the county earlier this week, freeing federal assistance to the region.
The president and first lady Melania Trump viewed the damage caused by the storm as they flew aboard Marine One. The president also met victims in Opelika, Alabama, and received a briefing from the Lee County Emergency Management Agency.
More: Sunday storms, tornadoes cause widespread damage in Florida, Alabama, Georgia
As his motorcade wound through the county, Trump passed through entire neighborhoods that were destroyed, passing by empty lots with broken pieces of metal, wood and what appeared to be scattered clothing.
Trump, alongside Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, surveyed the destruction wreaked across Beauregard on foot before meeting with victims’ families.
“I saw this. And it’s hard to believe,” Trump said. “You saw things that you wouldn’t believe.”
More: Woman who survived Hurricane Michael dies in Alabama tornado
At one stop, Trump visited with the family of Sheila Creech and Marshall Lynn Grimes, who were killed in the storm. Trump hugged their survivors, and one member of the family showed him Grimes’s motorcycle vest and Bible.
