MOORE, Okla. — President Barack Obama flew to tornado-ravaged Oklahoma Sunday, offering moral and monetary support to people still reeling from lost lives and shattered neighborhoods. He told survivors, "You've got folks behind you" across America.
Standing with Gov. Mary Fallin and other state and federal officials amid the devastation wrought by a monstrous EF5 tornado, Obama said, "A picture's worth a thousand words." He said rebuilding job will be enormous and "we're going to be with you all the way."
"Our hearts go out to you," Obama said, noting the loss of life and some 1,200 homes. 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.
Twenty-four people, including 10 children, died when the nearly tornado hit with little notice last Monday afternoon.
The White House said before his arrival Sunday that Obama wanted a firsthand look at the destruction and recovery efforts.
Shortly after his arrival on a partly cloudy day, Obama road in his motorcade past grassy fields strewn with scattered debris, witnessing devastation so awesome that it appeared as if garbage had literally rained from the sky. His first stop was the demolished site of the Plaza Towers Elementary School, where seven students were killed when the tornado turned the one-story building into a heap of bricks, broken concrete and twisted metal.
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.
"What a mess," he told their son Zack, a third grader at the shattered school. Zack's father, Scott, ran into the school just before the storm hit and ran with his terrified son back to their home's storm shelter.
"You've got some story to tell," Obama told the boy. "This is something you'll remember all your life."
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 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.
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."