Tallahassee state Sen. Corey Simon on tornado recovery: 'We're in this for the long haul'

A steady line of cars filed through J. Lewis Hall Sr. Woodville Park and Recreation Complex Tuesday afternoon.

Volunteers and representatives from state agencies packed boxes of meals, diapers and water into open trunks and waved drivers through.

"There's a real need," said GOP state Sen. Corey Simon, whose sprawling Florida Senate district includes Leon County. "Long after the newspapers and everybody are gone, we're still going to have work to be done."

In front of the Florida Department of Children and Families' Hope Bus, Simon was loading white cardboard boxes of meals ready to eat (MREs) and speaking to residents to see how they fared after Friday's storm.

While it's been five days since three tornadoes devastated Tallahassee and surrounding areas, thousands of customers who receive utilities through the City of Tallahassee were still without electricity, according to the local outage map.

That's the biggest need he's heard from residents, he said: "Being able to get power back in your homes, get a hot shower, make yourself a hot meal, little things that we take for granted."

Simon, in his first term as a state senator, said he and Democratic state Rep. Allison Tant of Tallahassee, have already discussed policies they hope to enact to help the families affected by the tornadoes.

"We're in this for the long haul," he said.

Email reporter Ana Goñi-Lessan at agonilessan@tallahassee.com.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: After tornadoes, Corey Simon says he's committed to recovery efforts