Rain Muddies Tennessee Tornado Cleanup

Heavy rain on Saturday added to the misery of people trying to clear away the wreckage left by tornadoes that bounced across the state last week.

A flash flood watch was posted for 80 of Tennessee’s 95 counties Saturday and no letup in the rain was likely before Monday, said Jim Cannon, spokesman for the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

“You can’t clean up in a torrential downpour, so this is definitely going to slow down recovery,” Cannon said.

Thursday’s tornadoes killed six people in Tennessee and damaged or destroyed more than 1,600 homes and businesses. The second round of tornadoes to hit the South in eight days also killed three people in Kentucky and two in Arkansas.

President Clinton said Saturday that no one should have to struggle alone to cope with the aftermath of natural disasters like the tornadoes.

Clinton, offering his support from Santiago, Chile, where he is attending the Summit of the Americas, promised in his weekly radio address that the government would be there to help those affected by the storms.

Recent natural disasters, he said, have “reminded us of the enduring power of the American people to overcome calamity and the commitment of our national community to help people rebuild their communities.”

“There are some challenges no individual--indeed, no community--can handle alone,” he said. “When faced with them, all of us have a responsibility to act through our national government.”