WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama pledged urgent government help for Oklahoma on Tuesday in the wake of “one of the most destructive” storms in the nation’s history.
“In an instant, neighborhoods were destroyed, dozens of people lost their lives, many more were injured,” Obama said from the White House State Dining Room. “Among the victims were young children trying to take shelter in the safest place they knew - their school.”
The president added that the town of Moore, Okla., “needs to get everything it needs right away.”
The White House said it had no announcement yet of a presidential trip to Oklahoma, only that Obama wants to make sure any travel he makes to the disaster area doesn’t interfere with recovery efforts. Presidential spokesman Jay Carney said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano would travel to the state today to make sure state officials are getting the federal assistance they need.
Obama spoke on the disaster after a meeting with his disaster-response team, including Napolitano and top White House officials. On Monday, he spoke with Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin and Republican Rep. Tom Cole, whose home is in the heavily damaged town of Moore, a suburb of Oklahoma City.
The president also has declared a major disaster in Oklahoma, ordering federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts.
Carney said the Federal Emergency Management Agency has enough funds at this time to pay for recovery efforts, but did not rule out an additional request for money from Congress in the future.
Front Section, Pages 5 on 05/22/2013