Joplin (Missouri), May 30 (AFP) President Barack Obama today called last week's tornado that claimed scores of lives here "a national tragedy," ahead of a memorial service for the dead.
"This is not just your tragedy. It is a national tragedy and there will be a national response," Obama said in Joplin, Missouri.
The massive tornado, which killed 142 people in this town of 50,000, was one of the worst ever in the United States. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon said today that 44 people remain missing.
"We're going to be here long after the cameras are gone," Obama said. "We're not going to stop until Joplin jumps back on its feet."
The President's motorcade drove through some of the hardest-hit areas, stopping along with Nixon to talk to residents, many of whose homes were destroyed by the 300 kilometre per hour winds.