John Kasich declares state of emergency in Ohio after tornados
Residents look over the remains of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church on March 1, 2012 in Ridgeway, Ill. The 110-year-old church was completely destroyed after it was struck by a tornado early Tuesday. According to reports, at least 13 people died as severe weather swept through the middle of the country on Tuesday. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
John Kasich, Ohio's Governor, has declared a state of emergency after severe storms killed 3 people, including a town council member, and razed homes across the state.
(GlobalPost reports: Deadly tornadoes kill at least 36 across Midwest, South)
However, Kasich — who spoke to President Barack Obama on Saturday — turned down federal disaster relief, meaning many tornado-hit towns are not eligible for potentially millions of dollars in payments and loans, Cincinatti.com reported.
The governor said Ohio can respond to the crisis without federal help: "I believe that we can handle this. We’ll have down here all the assets of the state."
Governors in Indiana and Kentucky welcomed the help, the website wrote.
The town of Moscow was the hardest-hit out of six in Ohio where tornadoes were reported on Friday, WFMJ reported.
The website wrote that residents were restricted to the outskirts of town.
Kasich and US Sen. Rob Portman toured the damaged area, with Portman calling the scene "devastating.''
Meanwhile, the death toll from a series of tornadoes that hit 10 states on Friday rose to 38 Saturday, USA Today reported.
The toll included: 19 dead in Kentucky, 14 in Indiana, three in Ohio and one each in Alabama and Georgia, with twisters also reported in Mississippi, Tennessee, Illinois, North Carolina, and Virginia.
(More from GlobalPost: Old problems plague New India)