LONE GROVE, OK - Officials from the State Emergency Management Office, the Small Business Administration, and FEMA got a firsthand look at the damage done to parts of Johnston and Carter County by Monday's storms, putting the counties one step closer to qualifying for federal assistance.

On Monday state and federal officials visited 27 homes affected by the May 10th storms to ask questions and take pictures of the damage. Homeowner Kenneth Robinson says the EF-3 tornado that touched down in Central Carter County severely damaged his roof and uprooted dozens of trees.

"It pretty much tore up all the trees and the house, took the roof off, cracked the sheet rock inside, water damage, just things like that. It tore up everything, just about," Robinson says.

Officials from FEMA, the OEM and the SBA will combine the data collected Monday into one preliminary damage report to assess how much damage was done throughout the entire county.

"You can't replace these trees and stuff. Some of them were a hundred years old, probably, so it's stuff like that you can't replace, but we're still alive, so that's what matters," Robinson says.

FEMA Public Information Officer H.R. Holdman says while the extent of the damage done to each residence plays a role in the final assessment total, other factors, like the number of residents who had homeowners' insurance, will also help determine the final amount of damages.

"We don't know that there will be a declaration, but if there is a declaration it's based on that that individuals can apply for assistance through FEMA and the Small Business Administration," Holdman says.

Holdman says residents will have to wait and see if the President does issue a state of emergency declaration for the 56 affected counties. Until then Robinson says he'll continue the cleanup effort on his own.

"I'll just do like I've been doing. I've got good neighbors, and they've all chipped in and been helping me so we'll get by."

Holdman says the three agencies will continue to tour affected areas throughout the week, and will then send their findings to the Governor to be sent to the President.