U.S. President George W. Bush visited sites in Alabama and Georgia on Saturday where tornadoes killed 19 people Thursday, including Enterprise High School, where eight students died when a concrete roof collapsed.

The trip, quickly put together Friday, was intended to highlight his administration’s stepped-up efforts, through the Federal Emergency Agency in particular, to help disaster victims. The White House came under withering criticism for its sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The President also visited Americus, about 190 kilometers south of Atlanta, where storms killed two people and destroyed dozens of homes and businesses.

Of nine people confirmed dead in Georgia, six lived in mobile homes in rural Baker County, southwest of Albany. They were obliterated as a twister mowed through houses, cars and pine trees in a 11-kilometer path.

Bush designated Coffee County of Alabama and Baker County of Georgia as disaster areas, releasing federal dollars for recovery and individual assistance. His disaster relief chief accompanied him for a firsthand look at the damage so he could make quick recommendations to the White House on requests for help from Washington.

In Enterprise, residents weren’t sure what kind of federal assistance to expect, recalling the federal government’s fitful response to Hurricane Katrina. Neighbors with chain saws cut fallen trees for friends. Church groups and other volunteer agencies swarmed into town to help clear debris and offer hope amid the devastation.

(SD-Agencies)