All flags will be placed at half-staff for the remainder of the work week at state government and university buildings.
State officials say the gesture is a tribute to the tornadoes' 21 victims and emergency responders who worked around the clock over the weekend. Federal Emergency Management Agency officials have spread out across the state to determine the extent of the damage. They joined many state lawmakers, who stayed in their home counties yesterday to touch base with local officials and residents. Others, like Democratic Representative Marvin Lucas of Cumberland County shared what they had seen in their districts.
Marvin Lucas: "Last count there were at least one hundred sixty seven houses, personal homes, that were totally flattened. This does not include hundreds of other homes that received some minor and some major damage."
If the federal government declares the affected counties disaster areas and sends federal funds, the state will have to match about ten percent of that money.