Air Force 2 lands at SW Georgia Regional Airport

Oct. 16--ALBANY -- A day after President Trump visited Hurricane Michael-damaged areas in Florida and southwest Georgia, Vice President Mike Pence landed at the Southwest Georgia Regional Airport Tuesday for a similar tour of the region.

Charles Peeler, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, U.S. Congressman Sanford Bishop, state Agriculture Secretary Gary Black, and Mayor Dorothy Hubbard accompanied Pence on the tour.

An Albany Herald reporter talked with members of the Albany-Dougherty Gang Task Force, who were part of the heavy security force at the airport early Tuesday afternoon, and they directed the reporter to Secret Service agents who were stationed in the UPS facility at the airport. A Secret Service Agent told the reporter that only media who came with the vice president to the airport are allowed to join his tour.

Then the agent kindly invited the reporter to leave the area.

"The truth is, unless you came here with the vice president, you aren't supposed to be where you are right now," he said. "So, if you would vacate, we'd appreciate it."

A small line of cars, many of them no doubt driven by commuters surprised at the sight of Air Force 2 and an accompanying U.S. Air Force transport plane at the local airport, had queued up along Newton Road to try and catch a glimpse of the vice president's motorcade as he started his tour of the area.

Peeler, who has staff offices in Macon, Columbus and Albany, praised the efforts of first responders as they've worked to restore power and bring about recovery in the region.

"My thoughts and prayers are with those people affected by Hurricane Michael," the U.S. Attorney said. "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."

The vice president visited with local farmers, their employees and families to talk about the impact of the hurricane on their crops and business, and the recovery efforts throughout the state, according to a briefing sent by Pence's office. His trip also included a visit to the Sunbelt Agricultural Expo in Moultrie.

The vice president was scheduled return to Washington Tuesday evening.

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