"COMMUNITY WILL COME BACK STRONGER"
President George W. Bush flew over tornado ravaged areas of Macon County Friday morning, before landing at the local airport and taking a motor tour of some of the worst hit areas.
Before he left Nashville, Bush spoke personally with Wilson County First Responder David Harmon, hailed as a hero for finding 11 month-old Kyson Stowell alive in a ditch in Castalian Springs, not far from his dead mother, Keri Stowell. The baby boy is the great grandson of Jimmy and Mildred Cox of Lafayette.
Accompanied by Governor Bredesen, Sen. Lamar Alexander, Sen. Bob Corker, and Congressman Bart Gordon, the president first visited the Lafayette Fire Hall where he spoke with FEMA and local officials and was appraised of the damage to the area.
Then the presidential motorcade traveled out the Akersville Road to the Williams Community, where the dignitaries and press corps waded through mud and storm debris to visit with residents cleaning up after the devastating storm.
Bush said, "there are a lot of people who care about you. Total strangers showing up here in the community to help you get back on your feet. And the government has got a role to play," attempting to assure residents that the federal government is ready to help them re-build the community.
The president stopped to talk with Paulette and G.W. Warner, who, with family help, were looking for salvageable items in the rubble of a garage next to the six-unit apartment building they owned at Williams.
The roof and half of the upstairs of the apartments had been ripped away, and a family of six had survived by huddling in a small upstairs closet until the storm passed.
Piles of rubble were the only thing left of neighbors' homes nearby.
The president signed a presidential photo for Paulette Warner, who said "He's my hero; I knew he'd come."
The president assured families and rescue and clean-up crews that they were "going to find you have a lot more friends now," asking people if they were "doing all right?" and repeatedly saying "God bless you."
County Mayor Shelvy Linville said he'd had an opportunity to speak at length with the president, and told him that while he (Bush) would only be in Macon County for a couple of hours, to "not forget about us. We've got a lot of people hurting, and we need help."
Linville said he believed the presidential visit had been a positive thing for the area, and the national attention that the tragedy focused on our community.
[Look to our Weekly Updates for a list of agencies and contact numbers for relief and assistance being offered to storm victims].
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