Obama visits victims, promises rebuild
Moore, Oklahoma – President Barack Obama flew to tornado- stricken Oklahoma today to offer both moral and monetary support to a community facing an enormous reconstruction challenge while still reeling from the loss of lives, property and neighbourhoods.
The White House said Obama wanted a firsthand look at recovery efforts from the monstrous tornado that barrelled through last Tuesday. The president was visiting with affected families and thanking first responders in the devastated town of Moore, about 16 kilometres from Oklahoma City. Twenty- four people perished in the tornado, including 10 children.
The extraordinarily powerful twister that struck Moore was known as an EF5, ranking it at the
‘‘ They have suffered mightily this week. And while the road ahead will be long, their country will be with them every single step of the way.’’ Barack Obama United States president
top of the enhanced Fujita scale used to measure tornado strength.
Obama’s motorcade passed grassy fields strewn with scattered debris. He saw devastation so awesome that it appeared as if garbage had literally rained from the sky. The president’s first stop was the demolished site of the Plaza Towers Elementary School, where seven students were killed when the tornado turned the one- storey building into a heap of bricks, broken concrete and twisted metal.
Obama flew from Washington into Tinker Air Force Base and shook hands with personnel whose homes were lost or damaged. Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, the first to greet the president as he got off the plane, said her message to Obama was that she appreciated the visit, but the state also needed quick action from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help the ravaged town of 41,000 people.
The Republican governor said so far the emergency agency had done a great job of speeding relief and cash assistance to affected families, but she was long run.
‘‘ There’s going to come a time when there’s going to be a tremendous amount of need . . . rebuilding these homes, rebuilding these businesses,’’ she said on CBS television’s Face the Nation. ‘‘ And we know at different times in the past, money hasn’t come always as quickly as it should.’’
Obama has promised to support the rebuilding for as long as it takes. ‘‘ They have suffered mightily this week,’’ Obama said on Thursday. ‘‘ 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 said Obama wanted to make the trip to offer condolences and reiterate his and the nation’s commit-
concerned
about
the ment to rebuild. 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 had delivered 43,000 meals, 150,000 litres of water and thousands of cots, blankets and tarps. He said 4200 people had applied for disaster assistance, and $ 3.4 million in payments had been approved.
Fallin said the money was particularly vital. ‘‘ A lot of people lose their chequebooks, they lose their credit cards, they lose their driver’s licence, their birth certificates, their insurance papers, they lose everything, and they have no cash.’’