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Trump issues disaster declaration for storm-ravaged Georgia

Fallen trees sit near Zoar United Methodist Church that sustained damage to its steeple Sunday, Jan. 22, 2017, near Baxley, Georgia. The National Weather Service said Sunday that southern Georgia, northern Florida and the corner of southeastern Alabama could face "intense and long track" tornadoes, scattered damaging winds and large hail. (AP Photo/Lewis Levine)
Fallen trees sit near Zoar United Methodist Church that sustained damage to its steeple Sunday, Jan. 22, 2017, near Baxley, Georgia. The National Weather Service said Sunday that southern Georgia, northern Florida and the corner of southeastern Alabama could face "intense and long track" tornadoes, scattered damaging winds and large hail. (AP Photo/Lewis Levine) Fallen trees sit near Zoar United Methodist Church that sustained damage to its steeple Sunday, Jan. 22, 2017, near Baxley, Georgia. The National Weather Service said Sunday that southern Georgia, northern Florida and the corner of southeastern Alabama could face "intense and long track" tornadoes, scattered damaging winds and large hail. (AP Photo/Lewis Levine)

By Associated Press 1 min read

ALBANY, Ga. (AP) – President Donald Trump has declared a federal disaster in Georgia, where severe storms and tornadoes killed 15 people over the weekend.

A statement from the White House issued Wednesday says the declaration makes federal aid available to help with recovery efforts.

At least 21 twisters were confirmed by the National Weather Service to have touched down in Georgia over the weekend, when a midwinter outbreak of thunderstorms and tornadoes threatened millions from Louisiana to the Carolinas. The storms were blamed for at least 20 deaths in the Southeast: 15 in Georgia, four in Mississippi and one in Florida.