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President Pledges Joplin Help

The President meets with Joplinites
White House Photo

By AP

Joplin, MO – Obama promises to stand by Joplin; Number unaccounted for now stands at 39

JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) President Barack Obama has made a commitment to tornado-ravaged Joplin, Mo., that the government will help rebuild.

Obama toured the area Sunday and attended a memorial. He also visited survivors and the bereaved.

Meanwhile, authorities press on with the task of identifying the victims as volunteers combed through wreckage of neighborhoods where nothing was left whole. More than 130 people are dead.

There are now 39 people who remain unaccounted for, plus four others whose families have reported them dead. The Missouri Department of Public Safety says those four haven't been officially confirmed dead.

Obama says survivors are showing the world how to come together. He told residents Sunday that the nation "will be with you every step of the way."

Obama also visited survivors and the bereaved.

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