As of Wednesday morning, FEMA had more than 400 personnel on the ground supporting the response to the tornado that swept through Moore, Okla., earlier this week and claimed at least 24 lives, including those of nine children, while injuring more than 230.
Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano will travel to the affected area Wednesday morning to meet with local officials and observe ongoing response efforts, according to a White House official. FEMA administrator Craig Fugate will be on the ground again after arriving Tuesday to ensure federal resources were effectively supporting the response efforts.
“As of 2 a.m. this morning, more than 1,000 individuals affected by the tornadoes and severe weather in Oklahoma had registered for assistance with FEMA,” the official said. “The president will receive a briefing this morning by his team and will continue to be updated on the response throughout the day.”
President Obama continued to receive updates overnight on the response. Following a morning call yesterday with Glenn Lewis, the mayor of Moore, he spoke again to Gov. Mary Fallin “expressing his concern for those who had been impacted and to reiterate that he had directed his administration to provide all available resources to support the response led by the governor and her team.”
“Last night, the president also spoke with Senator James Inhofe to make clear that FEMA stood ready to continue to support the people of Oklahoma through the immediate response phase as well as the recovery, and to let the senator know that Oklahomans remained in his thoughts and prayers,” the official said.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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