- The Washington Times - Thursday, May 23, 2013

As of Wednesday night, more than 2,200 individuals impacted by the tornadoes in Oklahoma had registered with FEMA for direct assistance available through the major disaster declaration provided Monday night, a White House official said.

Federal officials, including Secretary of Homeland Security Janet A. Napolitano, were on the scene Wednesday, and President Obama is expected to visit the state Sunday to see the damage, visit with impacted families and thank first responders. More than 400 federal personnel are still on the ground in Oklahoma assisting with tornado recovery efforts.

FEMA and federal partners have established an Incident Support Base to stage commodities; more than 127,000 liters of water and nearly 30,000 meals have been delivered to the state to support response efforts, the official said.

Since Monday night, the national Urban Search and Rescue teams completed searches of more than 1,200 structures in the affected area. The tornado that blew through Moore, Okla., killed at least 24 people, including nine children, and injured hundreds.

• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.

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