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President's Visit AMERICUS — President Bush traveled across the tornado-ravaged South on Saturday, meeting with storm victims and promising federal help. At noon, Bush flew to this South Georgia city of 18,000, which was still trying to put the pieces back together after a Thursday night twister tore a huge gash across the eastern side of town. Two people died in Americus and seven died in rural areas in nearby counties. "I'm glad he's here, but I'm not sure how much he can do for us," said Jeryl Pinnell, who had reopened his Clinic Drug Store on the town's Forsyth Street just across from where the president toured the devastation. "This will take many months, maybe a year, to get everything back like it was." Pinnell's store was running on generator power, parts of the roof were missing and the word "OPEN" was crudely painted on a piece of plywood where a plate glass window was blown out. His store is just down the road from the Sumter Regional Hospital, which was heavily damaged in the storm and was forced to transfer all of its patients to other area hospitals. State Sen. George Hooks (D-Americus), whose insurance company insures the hospital, said structural damages and lost wages at the hospital could bring losses to $100 million, just at that one facility. Dozens of other doctor's offices and medical support facilities near the hospital were also heavily damaged or destroyed. "We're basically without major medical care in this area right now," Hooks said. The hospital, he said, employs about 600 people and serves eight rural counties. The tornado tore a 1-mile-wide, 6-mile-long hole across the eastern side of the city. Huge pine trees were sheared off at 20 feet. Many residents described the area as resembling a war zone. Especially hard-hit were homes in the town's large historic district and businesses and homes along Forsyth and Lamar streets. Hundreds of power company workers from states cross the South were in the city by Saturday trying to repair downed power lines. A host of federal agencies had established a command post near what had been the Winn-Dixie Marketplace shopping center, which lay in ruins. Mayor Barry Blount extended a dawn-to-dusk curfew, though police reported few crime problems |
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| Phoebe Sumter Medical Center, 126 Hwy. 280 West, Americus, GA 31719 (229) 924-6011 | ||||||||||||
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