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President Barack Obama has visited the tornado-ravaged town of Moore in Oklahoma to comfort its victims saying that they “are not alone”.
Surveying the devastation, Barack Obama said it was “hard to comprehend”, adding: “Everywhere, fellow Americans are praying with you.”
The president visited the site of the school where seven children died.
The tornado ravaged the Oklahoma City suburb last Monday, killing 24 people and destroying some 1,200 homes.
About 33,000 people were affected and the damage has been estimated at $2 billion.
Some 377 people were also injured in the tornado, which was ranked an EF5 – at the top of the enhanced Fujita scale.
Barack Obama, alongside Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, said: “This is a strong community with strong character. There’s no doubt they will bounce back. But they need help.”
Standing on a block surrounded by debris, Barack Obama said: “Obviously the damage here is pretty hard to comprehend.”
Barack Obama has visited the tornado-ravaged town of Moore in Oklahoma to comfort its victims
“Whenever I come to an area that has been devastated by some natural disaster like this, I want to make sure that everyone understands that I am speaking on behalf of the entire country,” the president said.
In the past year Barack Obama has consoled the families of victims of Superstorm Sandy, the Newtown, Connecticut school shooting and the Boston Marathon bombings.
He said: “Everywhere, fellow Americans are praying with you, they’re thinking about you and they want to help. And I’m just a messenger here letting you know that you are not alone.”
Barack Obama’s first stop was the Plaza Towers Elementary School, where seven of the 10 children who died lost their lives.
In front of the wreckage and surveying piles of rubble and upturned cars, he told one school official: “I know this is tough.”
Three makeshift American flags flew in the wind, attached to parts of the debris.
Caleb Sloan, 24, who lost his home, told Reuters: “[The president] has no choice but to live by his word. I hope and pray and think he will keep his promises.”
Barack Obama has signed a disaster declaration that quickens federal aid.
Some 450 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) personnel are in Moore, with some $3.4 million in payments so far approved for 4,200 applicants for disaster assistance.
Governor Mary Fallin said: “We’re resilient. There’s already a big path of debris that’s been moved around. People are gathering their stuff.
“It’s been truly remarkable to see how our people have responded and how strong they are.”
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At least 51 people have been killed after a huge tornado tore through Oklahoma City suburbs, with the death toll likely to rise.
Worst hit was Moore, south of Oklahoma City, where neighborhoods were flattened and schools were destroyed by winds of up to 200mph.
About 120 people, including 70 children, are being treated in hospitals for their injuries.
Search and rescue efforts are continuing throughout the night.
Monday’s twister hit Moore, a suburb of about 55,000 people, and remained on the ground for about 45 minutes.
The Oklahoma chief medical examiner’s office said children were among the 51 dead.
At least two schools were devastated by the high winds, and there are reports that children are still unaccounted for.
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin said it was a “tragic” day, and that President Barack Obama had called her to offer assistance.
At least 51 people have been killed after a huge tornado tore through Oklahoma City suburbs
More than 200 Oklahoma National Guardsmen as well as out-of-state personnel have been called in to assist the search-and-rescue effort.
Shocked survivors spoke of the tornado’s power.
“We locked the cellar door once we saw it coming, it got louder and next thing you know is you see the latch coming undone,” survivor Ricky Stover said.
“We couldn’t reach for it and it ripped open the door and just glass and debris started slamming on us and we thought we were dead, to be honest.”
Melissa Newton said: “There’s shingles and pieces of sheet rock and wood in our yard and all across our neighborhood. Some homes are completely gone. It’s devastating.”
James Rushing said he had rushed to the Plaza Towers Elementary School, where his foster son Aiden was a pupil, to see it destroyed by the storm.
“About two minutes after I got there, the school started coming apart,” he told the Associated Press news agency.
The National Weather Service (NWS) said Monday’s tornado had generated winds of up to 200 mph.
“It’s certainly the most powerful tornado that I’ve ever dealt with in my 20 years with the weather service,” said NWS meteorologist Rick Smith in Norman, Oklahoma.
The town of Moore was hit by a severe tornado in May 1999, which had the highest winds ever recorded on Earth.
But Betsy Randolph of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol told local news station Skynews 9 that the damage on Monday appeared to exceed that of the last devastating tornado.
Tornadoes, hail and high winds also hit Iowa and Kansas, part of a storm system stretching from Texas to Minnesota.
On Sunday, a tornado smashed a trailer park on Highway 102 near Shawnee, Oklahoma. Oklahoma’s state medical examiner confirmed on Monday that two people had been killed in the area.
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At least one person is reported dead and at least 21 others injured in a series of tornadoes that have torn through Oklahoma and Kansas.
The worst damage was caused by a tornado near the town of Shawnee, 35 miles from Oklahoma City, local media report.
A mobile home park near Shawnee is said to have been leveled to the ground.
Twisters have been reported in other states, including Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas and Illinois.
The National Weather Service (NWS) warned of a dangerous tornado approaching the city of Wichita, Kansas. It had earlier issued urgent appeals for people in parts of Oklahoma to take cover.
In Oklahoma, local TV stations said at least one person was killed and several others hurt when a trailer park on Highway 102 near Shawnee was hit.
A Fox25 reporter in Shawnee said trees had been shredded and homes destroyed. Downed power lines were lying on roads, she said.
One resident, Amber Ash, said her home was hit by a tornado as she waited in a storm shelter.
At least one person is reported dead and at least 21 others injured in a series of tornadoes that have torn through Oklahoma and Kansas.
“Once it passed, we got out and saw the devastation. Everything I had was destroyed.”
There was also serious damage in the town of Edmond but no injuries were reported.
Thousands of residents in the affected areas have been left without power.
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin said a state of emergency had been declared in 16 counties to enable help to get to the worst-hit parts of Oklahoma.
At least four tornadoes ravaged the state on Sunday, part of a storm system that was moving north-east across the Midwestern states and Texas.
“Right now we’re in a rescue and recovery stage,” Mary Fallin said.
“We’re still not in the clear yet.”
The massive storm system prompted the NWS to issue a blunt warning to residents in the affected states.
The agency said: “You could be killed if not underground or in a tornado shelter. Complete destruction of neighborhoods, businesses and vehicles will occur. Flying debris will be deadly to people and animals.”
Meteorologists warn that the extreme weather is expected to continue on Monday.
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