NEW : President Barack Obama says laudable response shows `` what America is all about '' ` Obama said after touring the damage and meeting with various people involved in the search-and-rescue operations as well as relatives whose loved ones died . He promises locals that `` we 'll be here as long as it takes '' Obama tours the area and meets with rescue crews and victims ' relatives . The president also visited a local elementary school where he met with students who lost loved ones in the disaster, including one student whose mother was among those killed when her home collapsed.
NEW : President Barack Obama says laudable response shows `` what America is all about '' He promises locals that `` we 'll be here as long as it takes '' Obama tours the area and meets with rescue crews and victims ' relatives . The president also visited a local elementary school where he met with students who lost loved ones in the disaster, including one student whose mother was among those killed when her home collapsed.