Middle Georgia's U.S. Attorney Will Accompany Vice President Pence During Visit To Hurricane Damaged Communities

Albany, GA— The U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, Charles Peeler, will join Vice President Michael Pence during his visit to Southwest Georgia on Tuesday, October 16.  The Vice President is traveling to Georgia following Hurricane Michael, a historic storm that swept across the region on October 10-11.  This comes a day after President Donald Trump visited the Middle District after declaring a federal State of Emergency in Georgia on October 11, opening up direct federal aid for communities.  Both Macon and Albany, home to several key United States Department of Justice offices and courthouses serving the Middle District of Georgia, sustained varying levels of storm damage.  There remains power outages and water boil alerts in the Middle District, hundreds of homes and businesses have structural damage, and state agricultural leaders are reporting extensive crop loss.

“My thoughts and prayers are with those people affected by Hurricane Michael,” said Charles Peeler, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia.  “Southwest Georgia endured significant natural disasters in 2017, and it is another challenging road for us as we rebuild again. I am grateful to President Trump and Vice President Pence for supporting our recovery efforts quickly and decisively.”

“I want to applaud the efforts of our region’s first responders during this unprecedented hurricane. I also want to thank the line workers from various electric companies near and far that are restoring power, and a sense of normalcy, to our citizens.  We are grateful,” said Peeler.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia has staffed offices in Macon, Columbus and Albany.  Following Hurricane Michael, all three offices were shut down for storm damage assessments and employee safety.  The Macon and Columbus offices reopened Friday, October 12.  The Albany office reopened Monday, October 15.

Questions regarding the U.S. Attorney’s Office can be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603 or Melissa Hodges, Public Affairs Director (Contractor), United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 765-2362.  All questions regarding Vice President Pence should be directed to the White House Press Office.