Obama pledges support for tornado-hit areas in Arkansas

U.S. President Barack Obama visited a tornado-ravaged town in the state of Arkansas Wednesday and pledged the federal government will help those devastated families to rebuild their homes, U.S. media reported.

Obama told an audience of residents, first-responders and volunteers in Vilonia, a small town in the north suburb of Little Rock, Arkansas' capital city, that he was there to assure the town will not be forgotten, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.

Standing in front of a clean slab of a home destroyed by the tornado, Obama said, "Here in Vilonia, the recovery process is just beginning...A lot of work remains to be done but I'm here to remind you that you're not in this alone."

Obama surveyed the tornado-hit areas from the air in Marine One before touring Vilonia in a motorcade. He was accompanied by Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe and other local officials.

The president is making the stop in Arkansas while on his way to California, where he will raise money for the Democratic Party and receive an award from a foundation created by movie director Steven Spielberg.

A powerful tornado ripped through the central part of Arkansas late last month, leveling hundreds of homes and killing 15 people.