Obama Tours Tornado Destruction In Alabama (PHOTOS)

President Barack Obama arrived in a devastated Alabama on Friday to tour the destruction left behind following one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks in decades.

A series of massive storms swept the South, triggering an onslaught of dozens of tornadoes late Wednesday. Nearly 300 people have been killed across six states as a result of the storms.

Obama touched down in Tuscaloosa, Alabama -- one of the hardest hit cities in the state that currently accounts for around two-thirds of the confirmed deaths.

From the AP:

After witnessing the damage in storm-wracked neighborhoods, Obama said he's "never seen devastation like this."

He promised residents: "We're going to make sure you're not forgotten."

Photos from Obama's visit can be seen below.

CLICK HERE to see how you can help relief efforts in the South. CLICK HERE for photos of the aftermath.

Comments

[sonya m]

10:57 AM on 05/07/2011

My comment on the president coming to alabama is that his tour shouldnt have stopped at tuscaloosa.What wouldve been very impressive was for him to come to the small communties and look at their loss.Tuscaloosa had an awful loss.But so did the small towns like Hackleburg and Phil Cambell,Marion county wasnt even going to be declared a disaster area if it wasnt for Bentley.My heart and my respect goes out to Bentley,Bedford,and Millican.

[absolument]

11:50 PM on 05/04/2011

Personally, I think that the thermal energy ("heat" for you conservatives, liberturdians and te@baggers, is a form of energy) trapped by human-emitted greenhouse gases are quite probably adding to both the energy and moisture content of storms. However, until we are ALL absolutely certain that climate change is personally responsible for these particular April, and I mean until even the high school dropouts and Liberty University "graduates" are convinced, we should just continue to subsidize coal and petroleum for $4 Billion or more per year, and just live with the risk of an additional $2 Billion or more of storm damage now and then.

Except of course for the 300 or so who don't have to live with that risk any longer.

[goldiggerrr]

02:22 PM on 05/03/2011

You get dogged if you Don't go.

..and here's what you get if you do go:

"Here's my take on it. How much did it cost to assemble his team, all of his security people, the press following him, Air Force One, fuel, meals, etc.? Why not just write a check for that amount and send it to the Red Cross in Alabama.

Wow, just double wow.

[katemissy]

06:06 PM on 05/03/2011

There is no anger and frustration, only questioning the wasting of taxpayer dollars. I'm not directing my anger at the wrong guy, as you say. I would say this no matter who was in office, whether I voted for them or not. Read my post carefully and you might see where I'm coming from. The waste in government has got to stop. If my house had been destroyed, I would have much rather had a place to get a meal, get clothing, medicine replaced or a place to sleep until the power was restored than to have the President or Governor come up and shake my hand knowing that it was only a photo-op for them.

[absolument]

11:47 PM on 05/04/2011

Yeah, there's one of those in every crowd. But most of us appreciate that he's doing his job, and doing it quite well overall.

[katemissy]

10:23 PM on 04/30/2011

Here's my take on it. How much did it cost to assemble his team, all of his security people, the press following him, Air Force One, fuel, meals, etc.? Why not just write a check for that amount and send it to the Red Cross in Alabama. I am from Cullman, Alabama, now living in NC for 1 1/2 years, I go back home every month, still have a house there that was narrowly missed by one of the tornadoes that went through Cullman, and I would not be happy with the waste of money that the government does to assess something like this, just send money and stay at home in Montgomery and DC.

[Max Shelby]

11:37 AM on 05/01/2011

He was on his way to Florida anyway katemissy.

I understand your sentiments, but if he had not come the critics would have ripped him a new one. Besides, it was appropriate that he came and saw first hand what happened here.
Seeing the devastation in person is very different than viewing it from photographs.

I am going to respectfully disagree with you on this.

[katemissy]

01:06 PM on 05/01/2011

I respect your disagreeing with me. But with so many people struggling to put groceries on the table, pay the mortgage, and buy gas, if he had put out a press release that to donate the cost of the trip to the victims would help them in more ways then he could by creating a photo-op, then I believe the people hardest hit by this would have applauded the jesture. My son now lives in the house that I own there, and he will be out of power for at least another 3-4 days, the cost of clearing debris in this area is astronomical. I need to call the ins. co. about part of my shed and porch being damaged, but am waiting for the ones who are in very dire straits to be taken care of first. I have not seen this firsthand, but have viewed videos on YouTube and other sources and it justs breaks my heart. He could have gotten a look at the area the same as I did and the power of those pictures and videos is still enough. He stated in his recent address that we were all going to have to sacrifice, I would like to see the government doing some of that. I would like to go over and check on things at my house in Alabama and see my son, but I can't afford to spend $150.00 in fuel to go until my regular trip next month.

[fireart]

07:36 PM on 04/30/2011

Great Picture. Obama is saying Charley to base; are the cameras through? Get me out of here, what is this stuff anyway?

[Trickish Knave]

06:46 PM on 04/30/2011

Thank you, Mr. President, for finally going down to see the aftermath. Hope your Oprah appearance was fruitful.

[BROKE6STRING]

07:10 PM on 04/30/2011

.

[eurotom]

12:01 PM on 04/30/2011

Seriously, the Koch brothers who own Georgia Pacific and many other entities, are against federal and state social spending. They created the "tea party movement" with their massive fortunes. Now they should put their money where their mouths are.

Each of these brothers own 21.5 billion dollars each. Consider this: each billion is 1000 million, so each of them are hoarding 21,500 million dollars for a grand total of 43,000 million dollars. I'd like to invite these American oligarchs to loosen some money from their purse strings and lead by example. give as much money as possible so that federal and state funds will not be necessary to help the people in the red states (their natural base). Thoughts?

[Klous]

07:21 PM on 04/30/2011

Do you have an acceptable time line or amount for said donations? We'll have to check back and see how much they donate to the SE as individual men and their companies. When they come through will you shut your yapper then?

[fireart]

07:40 PM on 04/30/2011

Another dem. comment. Someone else give . If they dont make them anyway. To ME!

[SirSlappy]

11:26 PM on 04/29/2011

Obama promised residents: "We're going to make sure you're not forgotten."
You can trust Obama as far as you throw him. You're as good as abandoned. Two terrible presidents in a row.

"Politics is for energetic mediocrities..." Gore Vidal.

[brooklyncitizen]

02:38 PM on 04/30/2011

I can't imagine Bush and his wife hugging any of the victims of Katrina...can you?
You may not value the human connection they Obamas are able to make with those that are suffering but it goes a long way. He will come through and had he been a fascistlike King George he'd get more done than he currently has.

[Charles Fortner]

08:31 PM on 04/29/2011

If you want to keep up with what's happening in the way of government assistance in Alabama here is the link: http://ema.alabama.gov/ I suspect other states have similar sites.

[normalintexas]

05:41 PM on 04/29/2011

Picture #5 and #8 are heart-breaking.

[Susan Osterhout Troiano]

05:33 PM on 04/29/2011

Mother nature is one pissed off lady and she has been showing her ugly side too much lately.

[dipeters46]

02:58 PM on 04/29/2011

Might help if he actually LOOKED at the devastation, instead looking at the ground!

[mrluckyman]

03:51 PM on 04/29/2011

Are you for real? Its a still photograph a snap shot, let me get this right, so, in your feeble little mind, because he happens to be looking down when they took the pic it means that he didnt asssess the area? He was looking down while walking, with all the debris one would be foolish to not look down. You are pathetic!!

[motoGpifupleez]

03:52 PM on 04/29/2011

Y-A-W-N. This reply come to you from Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

[turboe4truth]

02:57 PM on 04/29/2011

Is anyone else having a problem with the video launcher? It just goes black and then does nothing when I try to view it. and the pictures don't work either.

[normalintexas]

05:42 PM on 04/29/2011

Move your cursor over picture #1. An arrow appears on the right. Click on it to move forward.

[fireart]

07:48 PM on 04/30/2011

Bushes fault!

[Rascal7]

02:43 PM on 04/29/2011

How nice. He is offering Tea Partiers Government help. What a guy!

[frenchfrog]

07:43 AM on 04/30/2011

LOL. Faved. They're still part of the Union. He's got no choice.

[Souris9]

11:32 AM on 05/03/2011

It may be illuminating to compare the NY Times electoral map from 2008 with the areas hardest hit by the tornadoes. Notice the color of the general area around Tuscaloosa. I'll even give you a hint: It isn't red...

[OhManOhMan]

01:39 PM on 04/29/2011

now what obama

[MISTERUNCONVENTIONAL]

02:03 PM on 04/29/2011

back to the WH and let FEMA, the Red Cross, and others do their work, just like any other President.

[BPCentrisAmerican]

05:26 PM on 04/29/2011

Aren't Republicans trying to cut FEMA's funding along with the National Weather Service?

[Sm2030]

02:18 PM on 04/29/2011

Welcome to the Presidency. Nice you can join us the show has been in progress.

[BPCentrisAmerican]

05:27 PM on 04/29/2011

Your comment dosen't make a whole lot a sense.