Grand Isle , Louisiana ( CNN ) -- President Obama returned from a tour of the oil-stricken Gulf Coast on Friday and vowed to do all he could to help area residents and businesses clean up the mess and recover financially . `` We want to stop the leak , we want to contain and clean up the oil , and we want to help the people in this region return to their lives and livelihoods as soon as possible , '' the president told reporters . Flanked by more than a dozen Gulf-area politicians and officials , the president -- the sleeves of his shirt rolled up -- called the oil spill that began April 20 and continues today `` an assault on our shores , on our people , on the regional economy and on communities like this one . `` This is n't just a mess that we have got to mop up . People are watching their livelihoods wash up on the beach . '' Obama said he had heard `` heartbreaking stories '' from Grand Isle Mayor David Camardelle of fishermen who are trying to figure out where their next paycheck will come from . `` This is something that has to be dealt with immediately , '' he said . `` This is our highest priority , and it deserves a response that is equal to the task . That is why this has already been the largest cleanup effort in U.S . history . '' More than 20,000 people are working in the region to clean up the spill , including 1,400 National Guard troops activated in four states , he said . So far , more than 3 million feet of boom have been deployed , he said , adding that he will ensure that the lead federal official responding to the spill , Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen , gets `` whatever he needs to deal with this crisis . '' Obama said it would be `` welcome news '' if BP 's `` top kill '' effort succeeds in stopping the runaway flow from the well a mile below the surface of the water , but he said that that other efforts are under way , too . `` A team of some of the world 's top scientists , engineers and experts -- led by our energy secretary and Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Chu -- has for some time been exploring any and all reasonable contingency plans , '' he said . Obama said he has directed Allen and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to triple the manpower in places where oil has hit shore or appears within a day of doing so . Information about resources available to area residents and businesses will be posted at whitehouse.gov , he said . In addition , doctors and scientists will be stationed in the affected states to monitor the potential impact of the spill on the health of residents , an expense that BP will pay , he said . `` BP is the responsible party for this disaster , '' he said . `` But as I said yesterday and as I repeated in the meeting we just left , I ultimately take responsibility for solving this crisis . I 'm the president , and the buck stops with me . '' He added that federal authorities are prepared `` to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to stop this catastrophe , to defend our natural resources , to repair the damage and to keep this region on its feet . '' In a response to some local officials , who have been calling for a berm to be created to keep the water from getting into fragile marshlands , Obama said Allen is prepared to authorize moving forward with `` a portion of the idea . '' And he called on Americans to help , too , by visiting the region . Except for three beaches in Louisiana , all of the Gulf beaches are open , safe and clean , he said . But it was to the long-term residents that he targeted his message : `` I 'm here to tell you that you are not alone , '' he said . `` You will not be abandoned , and you will not be left behind . '' Though about 25 percent of the Gulf of Mexico exclusive economic zone has been shut , most federal waters in the Gulf are open to commercial and recreational fishing , according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration .
Obama vows to put federal muscle behind cleanup , says there are alternatives to `` top kill '' Obama : `` I ultimately take responsibility '' Feds to triple manpower on beaches that have been hit by oil . Score: 6 Americans can help by visiting region ; most Gulf beaches are open , safe , clean .