Gore, Pledging Aid to Tornado Area, Praises Preachers’ ‘Grace’

Carrying a promise of federal help to the tornado-swept Southeast, Vice President Al Gore stood in the ruins of a country church Wednesday and called the preacher couple whose daughter died in the rubble “a lesson in grace.”

The series of tornadoes Sunday that killed at least 43 people in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina, left the darkest mark at Goshen United Methodist Church, headed by the Rev. Kelly Clem. Twenty worshipers, including Clem’s 4-year-old daughter, died when the roof collapsed during services.

President Clinton, vacationing in Southern California, declared Alabama a major disaster area Wednesday, making federal financing available to affected individuals and local governments.

“I’m in awe of the strength and grace you’ve shown through this,” Gore said, grasping Kelly Clem’s hand during a quiet moment on the grounds of the ruined church.

Her husband, the Rev. Dale Clem, said he recalled how Gore rearranged his life around his family after his son, Albert, nearly died in a car wreck.

“That has been an inspiration to me,” Dale Clem told Gore, explaining how he is coping with the death of his daughter, Hannah. Dale Clem heads a youth ministry at Jacksonville State University.

Visibly moved, Gore paused and said, “That really changes your perspective.”

The couple took Gore on a brief tour, stepping over a large sheet of foam rubber, twigs, balls of paper and bits and pieces of the church. Kelly Clem’s eyes were swollen and her forehead was bruised from injuries sustained in the tornado.

“There was no warning,” she told Gore, pointing to the roof, now spread flat on the ground.

Kelly Clem cried later as Gore commended the couple in brief remarks to reporters. “On behalf of the country, I want to thank you for this lesson in grace,” he said.

Gore told reporters he would announce today a proposal to improve severe weather forecasting in rural areas. Without elaborating, Gore said, “One of the lessons our nation must learn from this tragedy is we must do a better job of providing severe weather warnings to communities.”