As of today, local sheriff’s officials say that all the missing have been accounted for.
The families of those lost will not have to worry about paying for their loved one’s funerals; coroner Bill Harris told News 3 that he was approached by two large corporations. They will pay for the 23 casualties’ funeral expenses, he said.
“I received the two phone calls today from two large corporations within thirty minutes of each other offering to pay for the funerals for the 23 victims,” Harris said. “This will be a huge relief for the families especially for those who have multiple victims they need to bury. This will ease a huge expense as these families continue to mourn.”
Poarch Band of Creek Indians has committed $50,000 to help the victims. The other company wishes to remain anonymous.
The details are still being worked out between the coroner and the two companies. East Alabama Medical Foundation will distribute the funds and disbursements, but there will be no administrative charges.
Harris will to work together with those corporations, he says, to easy the families’ worries as they lay their loved ones to rest.
While the death toll stands at 23, several wounded still remain in hospital with four in critical condition.
The massive destruction was described by Lee County sheriff Jay Jones as “a giant knife” scraping the ground. The number of homes destroyed is still not fully known, said the sheriff. For now, though, power has been restored for those whose is still working, says Mike Jordan with Alabama Power. Meanwhile, there are 116 residences whose is still down.
