'We've got your back': Obama vows to help tornado-stricken Oklahoma rebuild as he tours flattened suburb of Moore
- Obama visited affected families and thanked first responders during a tour of tornado-stricken Moore, Oklahoma, today
- He shed tears as he embraced the principal of Plaza Towers Elementary School, where seven children were killed by the monstrous EF5 tornado that barreled through Oklahoma last Monday
- He also committed federal resources to help the 12,000 families whose homes were destroyed or damaged rebuild
- Twenty-four people, including 10 children, were killed in the fierce twister
By Daily Mail Reporter
PUBLISHED: 18:30 GMT, 26 May 2013 | UPDATED: 20:25 GMT, 26 May 2013
President Barack Obama wiped away
tears during a tour of tornado-ravaged Moore, Oklahoma today, as he
witnessed the sheer devastation for himself and embraced survivors, many
of whom have lost everything.
'We've got your back,' he told residents as he committed federal resources to help the still-reeling community rebuild. Standing with Governor Mary Fallin and
other state and federal officials amid the rubble he said the job will be enormous but he insisted 'we're going to be with
you all the way.'
Twenty-four people, including 10 children, were killed when a monstrous EF5 tornado barreled through the Oklahoma City suburb with little notice last Monday afternoon.
'Our hearts go out to you,' Obama said, before
he urged the American people to pitch in and help, saying that in
instances such as this, the president serves as a 'messenger' for all
citizens, bringing words of condolence, promises of government
assistance and pleas for private contributions.
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Support: US President Barack Obama is greeted as he tours a tornado affected area on May 26, 2013 in Moore, Oklahoma
School: U.S. President Barack Obama speaks following a tour of the tornado affected Plaza Towers Elementary School
Sad: President Barack Obama tries to comfort
Plaza Towers Elementary School principal Amy Simpson as he views the
devastation of the school
Comfort: U.S. President Barack Obama walks with
Plaza Tower Elementary School Principal Amy Simpson in Moore, Oklahoma,
May 26, 2013
View: A trio of men perch in a tree in the hopes
of seeing US President Barack Obama tour the devastation caused by a
tornado in Moore, Oklahoma. The three were asked to get down by the
Secret Service
Obama comforted emotional Plaza Towers
Elementary School principal Amy Simpson and wiped away tears of his own
as they stood among the wreckage of her school, where the lives of seven
of her students were tragically cut shot during the terrifying storm.
The one-story building was turned into a heap of bricks, broken concrete and twisted metal.
'(The damage is) pretty hard to comprehend,' Obama said.
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He also visited with families whose homes were among some 1,200 destroyed and 12,000 damaged.
'This is a strong community with strong character,' he said. 'There's no doubt they will bounce back. But they need help.'
Obama
walked along Eagle Drive, with the demolished school on his left and on
his right, homes reduced as far as the eye could see to piles of
rubble. Vehicles were turned upside down and toys like doll carriages
and children's books were strewn with furniture and ripped out wall
insulation.
'I know this is tough,' he told one school official.
He
met the Lewis family, who lost their home behind the school, telling
them the important thing is they survived and could replace their
things.
Tour: Obama is in the Oklahoma City area to survey damage from the tornado which struck a week ago
Tears: Obama wipes away tears after hugging Plaza Tower Elementary School Principal Amy Simpson in Moore, Oklahoma, May 26, 2013
Survivors: U.S. President Barack Obama greets
tornado survivors Julie Lewis, her husband Scott and son Zack, on the
grounds of Plaza Towers Elementary School
Brave teachers: U.S. President Barack Obama greets teachers on the scene of tornado damage
'You've got some story to tell,' Obama told the boy. 'This is something you'll remember all your life.'
Obama later met privately with victims' families at a Moore Fire Department Station, which has turned into a command center with dozens of first responders sitting at folding tables where fire trucks are normally parked. Obama marveled that they saved so many lives 'given the devastation.'
The president's motorcade passed past grassy fields strewn with scattered debris. He saw devastation so awesome that it appeared as if garbage had literally rained from the sky.
Obama flew from Washington into Tinker Air Force Base and shook hands with personnel whose homes off base were lost or damaged.
Fallin, the first to greet the president as he got off the plane, said Sunday that her message to Obama is that she appreciates the visit, but the state also needs quick action from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help the ravaged town of 41,000 people.
School: Obama speaks at the tornado affected Plaza Towers Elementary School on May 26, 2013 in Moore, Oklahoma
Funding: Obama said the government would help the suburb rebuild
Clean up: President Barack Obama tours the devastation caused by a tornado in Moore, Oklahoma
American flag: U.S. President Barack Obama tours a tornado affected area on Sunday as an American flag flies amidst rubble
Ruins: President Barack Obama views the
devastation of Moore, Oklahoma, with Mayor Glenn Lewis, second from left
in black shirt, and Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, right
The
Republican governor said so far, the agency has done a great job of
speeding relief and cash assistance to affected families, but she's
concerned about the long run.
'There's
going to come a time when there's going to be a tremendous amount of
need once we begin the debris clearing, which we already have, but
really get it cleared off to where we need to start rebuilding these
homes, rebuilding these businesses,' she said on CBS' 'Face the Nation.'
'And we know at different times in the past, money hasn't come always as quickly as it should.'
Obama
offered prayers for residents from the White House in recent days and
has promised to support the rebuilding for as long as it takes. 'They
have suffered mightily this week,' Obama said Wednesday. 'And while the
road ahead will be long, their country will be with them every single
step of the way.'
White
House spokesman Josh Earnest, speaking to reporters accompanying the
presidential party on Air Force One, said Obama wanted to make the trip
to offer condolences and reiterate his and the nation's commitment to
rebuild.
Together: US President Barack Obama is greeted
by Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin upon arrival at Tinker Air Force Base
in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on May 26, 2013
Ravaged: The tornado on Monday destroyed 1,200 homes and damaged some 12,000
Emotional: U.S. President Barack Obama, center, hugs teachers and first responders at Plaza Towers Elementary in Moore
We've got you: Obama talks with Plaza Towers Elementary School Principal Amy Simpson who lost seven students last Monday
'This is the greatest nation on
Earth, and we're going to dedicate this nation's time, attention,
resources and expertise to help our people in their time of urgent
crisis,' the spokesman said.
Earnest touted the federal
contributions so far, including Obama's signing of a disaster
declaration within hours of the storm to speed aid from the Federal
Emergency Management Agency.
Earnest said that 450 FEMA personnel were
working on the ground in Oklahoma and have delivered 43,000 meals,
150,000 liters of water and thousands of cots, blankets and tarps. He
said 4,200 people have applied for disaster assistance, and $3.4 million
in payments have been approved.
Fallin
said the money is particularly vital for the victims. 'A lot of people
lose their checkbooks, they lose their credit cards, they lose their
driver's license, their birth certificates, their insurance papers, they
lose everything, and they have no cash.
'And some of the banks were even
hit, the ATM machines, so people need cash to get immediate needs,' she
said on CBS.
Rebuild: US President Barack Obama vowed to help residents of Moore rebuild after the tornado
Devastation: U.S. President Barack Obama,
center, walks with Plaza Tower Elementary School Principal Amy Simpson,
left, on a tour of the destroyed school in Moore, Oklahoma
Firefighters: US President Barack Obama greets firefighters during a visit to Moore Fire Department Station
Damage: Obama acknowledged the rebuilding job was 'enormous' but said the country was behind Moore
Reduced to rubble: President Barack Obama tries
to comfort Plaza Towers Elementary School principal Amy Simpson as he
views the devastation of the school
Earnest also said that forecasters from
the National Weather Service had worked ahead of the storm to prepare
communities that it threatened. He said they issued a warning 36 minutes
before the tornado entered Moore, earlier than the 12-minute average
warning. Twenty-four people perished in the tornado, including 10
children.
'These
advancements, made by government scientists in the field of weather
forecasting at these agencies are dramatic and they're saving lives,'
Earnest said.
He said
Sunday wasn't a day for a partisan political debate, adding that 'it is
evident to any impartial observer here what an important role the
federal government can play in providing assistance to our people at
their time of urgent need.'
Among
the tornado victims were 10 children, including two sisters pulled by
the strong winds out of their mother's grasp, an infant who died along
with his mother trying to ride out the storm in a convenience store and
seven students at Plaza Towers. Many students were pulled from the
rubble after the school was destroyed.
Too much: Julie Lewis gives way to tears near
the destroyed Plaza Towers Elementary School with her son Zack and
husband, Scott Lewis, after talking with President Barack Obama
School: U.S. President Barack Obama surveys damage with Plaza Tower Elementary School Principal Amy Simpson
Heroes: U.S. President Barack Obama greets emergency workers at Fire Station #1 in Moore, Oklahoma, May 26, 2013
Smiles: U.S. President Barack Obama stops for pictures after thanking emergency workers in Moore, Oklahoma, May 26, 2013
Fallin noted that some 100 other schools in Oklahoma have safe rooms for children to seek shelter in tornadoes.
'Schools
that have been lost in the past, many of them have rebuilt rooms of
some sort as a safe room in their school, and we're certainly going to
encourage that,' she said.
'Any
death is very unfortunate, but it's truly incredible that we had only
24 deaths at this site, because if you look at all the debris field and
how wide it is, I don't know how anybody survived this tornado,' she
said on CBS.
The
White House said that FEMA has already provided $57 million in rebates
and incentives to help build about 12,000 storm shelters in Oklahoma.
'These storm shelters can be the difference between life and death,'
Earnest said.
Click here to help those affected by the Oklahoma tornadoes by donating through the American Red Cross.
Security: Secret Service agents scan the rubble
as U.S. President Barack Obama tours tornado damage in Moore, Oklahoma,
May 26, 2013
Hug: U.S. President Barack Obama hugs Plaza Tower Elementary School Principal Amy Simpson in Moore, Oklahoma, May 26, 2013
Lost everything: Julie Lewis watches with her
husband Scott Lewis, and their son Zack, as President Barack Obama moves
on with his tour of the devastation of Moore, Oklahoma
Guardsmen: A line of National Guardsmen stand
near the motorcade of U.S. President Barack Obama as he tours tornado
damage in Moore, Oklahoma
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