President Trump said he would travel to Tennessee on Friday to tour damage and offer Uncle Sam’s help after tornadoes ripped through the state early Tuesday, killing at least 19 people across four counties.
“We send our love and our prayers of the nation to every family that was affected,” Trump said Tuesday during a speech at the National Association of Counties Legislative Conference. “We will get there, and we will recover, and we will rebuild, and we will help them.”
Earlier Tuesday, Trump tweeted that the federal government “is with you all of the way during this difficult time.”
“Prayers for all of those affected by the devastating tornadoes in Tennessee. We will continue to monitor the developments,” the president wrote on Twitter. “The Federal Government is with you all of the way during this difficult time.”
His posting linked to a message from Tennessee GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn thanking first responders for “their tireless efforts” to help people in Tennessee get to safety.
A series of twisters tore through central Tennessee, including Nashville, leaving a path of destruction that included downed trees, roofs sheared off homes and businesses, collapsed buildings and tangled power lines.
The state Capitol, courts, schools, an airport and transit lines were shut down.
Nashville streets were littered with fallen trees and debris.
About 50,000 people were without power.
A man views damage in an alley behind Woodland Street after a tornado touched down in Nashville, Tennessee.REUTERSGov. Bill Lee said the death toll could rise because many people were still unaccounted for.
“It is heartbreaking. We have had loss of life all across the state,” he said. “There are folks missing.”
With Post wires
