oklahoma tornado

President Obama Pledges Support for Tornado-Ravaged Town

President Obama spent part of Sunday in the demolished town of Moore, Oklahoma, where he surveyed the damage from the May 20 tornado there. His first stop was the Plaza Towers Elementary School, where seven children died in the storm. In a scene that has become all too familiar, Obama toured the rubble and ruin, which Reuters described as,: “Cars with their bodies dented and windows smashed lay under debris or twisted on their sides. Rising above the wasteland were at least three American flags that had been attached to the rubble, waving in the wind.”

Pledging federal support, the president told community members:

I’m just a messenger here letting everybody know that you are not alone. We know Moore is going to come back stronger from this. Your mayor [Glenn Lewis, who was on hand with Governor Mary Fallin] said you’re already printing new street signs and I want folks affected throughout Oklahoma to know that we’re going to be with you every step of the way.”

Back aboard Air Force One, White House spokesman Josh Earnest recalled efforts in Tuscaloosa, Joplin, and across the tri-state area following Hurricane Sandy for reporters when he added, “The president’s message is that support is not winding down … we’ll be standing with the people of these resilient communities as they come back stronger than ever.”

The GOP has yet to get mad about something related to this post-disaster visit (it is a holiday weekend) but since this situation has been called “totally different,” maybe Obama will catch a break just this once.

Obama Visits Oklahoma, Pledges Support