Obama declares emergency in AL, providing federal aid - WBRC FOX6 News - Birmingham, AL

Obama declares emergency in AL, providing federal aid

By Melynda Schauer, Digital Content Producer
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Downtown Cordova was only one community damaged in Wednesday's tornadoes. Downtown Cordova was only one community damaged in Wednesday's tornadoes.
Destruction in Pratt City Destruction in Pratt City
Damage in Pleasant Grove Damage in Pleasant Grove

President Obama has declared a state of emergency in Alabama and has ordered federal aid to supplement the state's local response efforts, according to a release from the White House.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), along with the Department of Homeland Security, has been authorized to coordinate disaster relief efforts for the state, which suffered from tornadoes, severe storms and extremely high straight-line winds on April 27.

The federal agencies will provide relief with "the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures," according to the release. FEMA will provide equipment and resources to help alleviate the devastation of the storms.

Joe Girot has been named the Federal Coordinating Officer for the recovery operations in affected areas of Alabama.

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