Vice President Mike Pence visited Greensboro today to fundraise for Republican Representative Mark Walker. But he also took time for something not originally on his schedule.
Pence was supposed to stop at a luncheon in Greensboro, and then head to Charlotte for a panel discussion on tax reform.
But shortly before noon, he briefly toured some of the damage caused by Sunday's deadly tornado.
In an interview with WXII, Pence said he's proud of the local recovery effort so far.
“We grieve for the family that lost a loved one,” he said. “When you think about the magnitude of the storm, I just, I'm very impressed with the first responders and very impressed with the judgment of the citizens who saw to it that it wasn't worse.”
Pence also said the administration will back the recovery effort.
“We're here now, and we'll continue to be here,” he added. “We'll work closely with Gov. Cooper and with your leadership in Congress to see to it that whatever federal resources that can be made available to the families to recover will be made available.”
The visit comes on the same day that Governor Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency for Guilford and Rockingham Counties, both of which suffered heavy damage on Sunday.
Such a declaration paves the way for federal money to make its way to local leaders to help with recovery and reimbursement for storm cleanup.
In a statement, Cooper emphasized he hopes the region can bounce back quickly with the government's help.
“People in Guilford and Rockingham counties were hit hard by this storm, and we know many of them will need assistance to recover,” said Cooper said. “We are working quickly to complete the damage assessment process, so help can get to those who need it.”
While county leaders have already released initial damage assessments, the governor says inspectors from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be on the ground starting Friday.