Oklahoma has experienced some of the worst natural disasters the past couple of weeks. Beginning with tornados and ending with severe flooding. The last week of May I spent my graduation celebration in Walt Disney World, while most of the people in my community were forced to evacuate their homes.
I walked in 100-degree weather riding park rides, enjoying the resort pool, and eating plenty of good food at the local restaurants. While my community was visiting the dam and praying for the rain to stop. My family woke up in Florida watching The Weather Channel hoping none of our houses were next. Occasionally I would scroll through Facebook as people from across my flyover state could only see the rooftops of their homes. While families in El Reno were cleaning up the damage from the tornado that claimed two lives.
As a state, we craved the attention of national coverage over these drastic terms, and finally, people's prayers were answered. President Trump declared a major disaster in Oklahoma via Twitter on June 1st and officials said six people died from severe weather this spring. Vice President Mike Pence made his Tulsa debut on Tuesday June 4th, following the footsteps of presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke and actor Matt Damon.
"Heartbreaking to survey the damage in Oklahoma, but our Administration is with the people impacted," Pence wrote on Twitter. Pence packs canned food into a meal box at Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma during his visit to Tulsa.
But is packing boxes and saying some kind words enough? The major disaster declaration will provide federal funding for individuals in counties of Muskogee, Tulsa, and Wagoner to assist with temporary housing, house repairs, and other property loss recovery, according to a White House press release. Those regions have suffered from record-breaking flooding since May 7th.
After visiting the Community Food Bank, surveying the damage in Tulsa, and hugging the necks of suffering community members he tweeted about his Oklahoma trip and the help being offered one last time.
Twitter- Mike Pence
