Bush tours twister damage in Alabama
ENTERPRISE, Ala. (AP) -- President Bush got a birds-eye view Saturday of Alabama's tornado damage as his Marine One helicopter followed the deadly storm's path and flew over the battered high school where eight students died.
From the air, Bush got a panoramic look at the devastation across this town in Alabama's southeast corner. More than 30 tornadoes killed at least 20 people across the Midwest and Southeast on Thursday.
The helicopter tracked the Enterprise storm's estimated four-mile path. Bush saw trees without tops, roofs pockmarked by holes and debris strewn everywhere. Next to some wrecked homes were others untouched by the tornado.
The town's white water tower -- with the words "Enterprise, City of Progress," stood tall. But nearby, Enterprise High School looked like a wrecked ball had struck it.
Bush scheduled the trip to highlight his administration's stepped-up efforts, through the Federal Emergency Agency in particular, to help victims.
"That's the new FEMA," the agency's director, R. David Paulison, told reporters aboard Air Force One during the flight from Washington.
The White House and the disaster relief agency came under severe criticism for the government's sluggish response to the Gulf Coast hurricanes that tore through Louisiana and Mississippi in 2005.
"With the system we used in the past, we were waiting for a local community to become overwhelmed before the state steps in and waiting for the state to become overwhelmed before the federal government steps in," Paulson said. "That doesn't work. We have to go in as partners."
Paulison said he was on the telephone with state emergency officials hours after the storms hit. Agency teams have nearly completed preliminary damage assessments in Alabama and planned to begin similar work in Georgia on Saturday, he said.
Paulison said FEMA had moved in truckloads of water, ice, tarps, plastic sheeting and communications equipment to help the states take care of residents.
It was not immediately clear what areas will be eligible for federal disaster aid.
Paulson said he wanted to see the damage firsthand so he could make a quick recommendation to Bush on requests for assistance from Washington.
"That's the main priority," he said. "Is the damage significant enough that it overwhelms the local and state capabilities to handle it without federal assistance?"
Officials at the high school had planned to dismiss the 1,200 students early on Thursday because of severe weather. After learning of the approaching tornado, they decided to keep students longer. Within minutes, the tornado hit, blowing out the walls and roof of the school. The eight students died in an avalanche of concrete and metal.
School officials said they did not have time to evacuate earlier because of the approaching storm. Some said the death toll would have been greater if students had been outside or on the road when the storm arrived. Gov. Bob Riley defended administrators' actions.
More than 50 others were injured in Enterprise, a town of 22,000. Mayor Kenneth Boswell said about 370 homes were damaged or destroyed.
After touring Enterprise, Bush planned to visit Americus, Ga., about 120 miles south of Atlanta, to be briefed on the damage there and meet with some of the town's 17,000 residents. Storms in Americus killed two people and destroyed dozens of homes and businesses.
A tornado smashed into Sumter Regional Hospital, filling it with glass, dirt and debris and flooding two operating rooms with 2 inches of murky water. No one inside was hurt seriously, but the medical center was deemed unsafe for its 100 patients.
After the storms passed, hospital staff carried patients down stairs, either in wheelchairs or atop mattresses.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
