Stanley Gordon walks in front of what is left of his insurance agency in Vilonia, Ark., Thursday, May 1, 2014. Obama announced that he will be visiting the areas affected.(Photo: Danny Johnston AP)
President Obama will travel to Arkansas Wednesday to visit communities devastated by the recent deadly tornadoes, Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor announced Saturday.
The storms tore through large swaths of central Arkansas Sunday, killing 15 and injuring more than 150. More than 260 homes were destroyed and numerous businesses damaged.
"We have disaster relief funding headed our way, but there's more we can do to give Arkansans the help they need," Pryor said in a statement. "I'm pleased the president is headed to Arkansas and can see the devastation firsthand."
Obama has already declared Arkansas' hardest hit county to be a major disaster area, making Faulkner County eligible for federal assistance.
Sunday night's twister was a category EF4, with winds of at least 180 mph. One of the tornadoes was so strong it picked up a truck from Mayflower, Ark., and hurled it 27 miles to Vilonia, Ark.
The storm system triggered more tornadoes from Oklahoma to Alabama and dumped record rainfall on parts of the Gulf Coast. It brought heavy rain to much of the Eastern Seaboard as well, causing ground and roads to collapse in Baltimore and Yonkers, N.Y.
Source: Top Stories - Google News - http://ift.tt/1mp3mGl
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