US President Barack Obama visited Alabama today to pledge federal support for recovery after 310 people were killed by destructive tornadoes.
Mr Obama and his family visited the city of Tuscaloosa in Alabama, the hardest hit of seven states that were blasted this week by tornadoes and storms.
It was the worst US natural catastrophe since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
In Alabama alone, 210 people lost their lives.
Approaching the airport in Tuscaloosa, Air Force One flew over the tornado strike zone, giving Mr Obama and his family a clear view of the scale of the devastation.
The president is eager to show that federal relief is on its way and that he is not taking the disaster lightly.
His predecessor President George W Bush was fiercely criticised for what was viewed as a slow response to Hurricane Katrina.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said Mr Obama ‘wants to put a spotlight for the rest of America on the suffering that a storm like this implies for so many families.’
The 1.6km wide monster twister that tore through Tuscaloosa on Wednesday, home to the University of Alabama, may have been the biggest ever to hit the state, AccuWeather.com meteorologist Josh Nagelberg said.
