Obama visits flood-damaged Baton Rouge

After touring recovery efforts in a flooded Baton Rouge neighborhood Tuesday, Aug. 23, President Obama pledged to help rebuild Louisiana, insisting his visit there “is not a photo-op.”

“I come here first and foremost to say that the prayers of the entire nation are with everybody who lost loved ones. We are heartbroken by the loss of life,” he said during remarks after his tour of the flooding. “There are also still people who are desperately trying to track down friends and family. We are going to keep on helping them every way that we can.”

Obama observed that “people’s lives have been upended by this flood.”

“Sometimes when these kinds of things happen, it can seem too much to bear, but what I want the people of Louisiana to know is that you’re not alone on this,” he said. “Even after the TV cameras leave, the whole country is going to continue to support you and help you until we get folks back in their homes and lives are rebuilt.”

The president praised the Federal Emergency Management Agency for its efforts coordinating a federal response, which he said has already reached $127 million in assistance. (ABC News)

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