Mobile Mayor Sam Jones requests aid for tornadoes

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Some spots around midtown Mobile look relatively unchanged since two tornadoes touched down in late December.

State officials have been pessimistic about qualifying for federal aid, but Mobile Mayor Sam Jones is giving it one last shot.

Some homes along Carlen Street could be considered historical relics.

William Nolen-Schmidt motioned toward his damaged home and said, "It was 100 years old last year...almost as old as I am."

And many spots here are frozen in time, weeks after two tornadoes hit midtown Mobile within days of each other. Debris and limbs remain littered across yards.

"It’s shocking,” said Nolen-Schmidt.

One neighbor said, "It’s kind of a ghost town everywhere else down this street."

And it's a cleanup bill the city may have to pay for unless Mobile can qualify for federal disaster aid.

Mayor Jones said, "If you asked, you might get a declaration. If you don't you surely won't get one."

Mobile Mayor Sam Jones sent this letter to Governor Robert Bentley. It's requesting that FEMA consider the city of Mobile for a disaster declaration.

Around 875 homes were damaged, there are tremendous cleanup costs, and Jones says the repairs to Murphy High School could rack up millions.

The Mayor frankly doesn't know if the City of Mobile will qualify for federal disaster aid, but he said he has to at least try.

Jones said, "We have to do the best that we can to get some assistance to our citizens. And if somebody higher than us turns us down, then we'll deal with that at that point, but we cannot be on record not making a request."

Mayor Jones is concerned about tapping into city reserve money set aside for hurricane damage.

He also said if the city is approved for federal aid, it could take some time for the money to come in.

In the meantime, work continues to rebuild roofs and throw away debris. Life must go on, whether there's federal aid or not.