Obama: Missouri tornado disaster 'a national tragedy'

JOPLIN, Missouri — President Barack Obama, paying tribute to victims of one of deadliest tornadoes in US history, pledged Sunday to stand with Joplin, Missouri "every step of the way" as it rebuilds."We're not going anywhere," Obama told a memorial service at Missouri Southern State University."We will be with you every step of the way," the president said, raising his voice over applause. "The cameras may leave, the spotlight may shift. But we will be with you every step of the way until Joplin is restored and this community is back on its feet."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 Sunday that 44 people remain missing.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 200 miles per hour (300 kilometer per hour) winds.At the memorial service, Obama recalled stories of heroism in Joplin, like when pizza shop manager Christopher Lucas, a father of two, ushered everyone into the freezer as he tornado approached.The freezer door wouldn't close from the inside, so Lucas found rope and closed it from the outside."Tying a piece of bungee cord to the handle outside, wrapping the other end around his arm, holding the door closed with all his might," Obama said. "And Christopher held it as long as he could. Until he was pulled away by the incredible force of the storm."He died saving more than a dozen people in that freezer," he said. "You see, there are heroes all around us all the time." Obama also praised volunteers: "Some of you used your pickup trucks as ambulances, carrying the injured on doors that served as stretchers. Your restaurants have rushed food to people in need. Businesses have filled trucks with donations. You've waited in line for hours to donate blood."On a tour of the damage, Obama called the disaster "a national tragedy, and there will be a national response."At the memoria

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