President Barack Obama, paying tribute to victims of one of deadliest tornadoes in US history, pledged Sunday to stand with Joplin, Missouri "every step of the way" as it rebuilds.

"We're not going anywhere," Obama told a memorial service at Missouri Southern State University.

"We will be with you every step of the way," the president said, raising his voice over applause. "The cameras may leave, the spotlight may shift. But we will be with you every step of the way until Joplin is restored and this community is back on its feet."

The massive tornado, which killed 142 people in this town of 50,000, was one of the worst ever in the United States.

Officials said late Sunday that at least 43 people remain missing, down from a list of 232 missing persons that was released on May 26.

The president's motorcade had earlier driven through some of the hardest-hit areas, stopping along with Nixon to talk to residents, many of whose homes were destroyed by the 200 miles per hour (300 kilometer per hour) winds. After the tour Obama called the disaster "a national tragedy," and promised there would be "a national response."

Speaking at the memorial service, Obama recalled stories of heroism in Joplin, like when pizza shop manager Christopher Lucas, a father of two, ushered everyone into the freezer as he tornado approached.

The freezer door wouldn't close from the inside, so Lucas found rope and closed it from the outside.

"Tying a piece of bungee cord to the handle outside, wrapping the other end around his arm, holding the door closed with all his might," Obama said. "And Christopher held it as long as he could. Until he was pulled away by the incredible force of the storm.

"He died saving more than a dozen people in that freezer," he said. "You see, there are heroes all around us all the time."

At the memorial service, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon also pledged to rebuild.

"The people of Missouri were born for this mission," Nixon said. "We are famously stubborn and self-reliant, practical, impatient. No storm, no fire, no flood can turn us from our task.

"We can and we will heal. We've already begun," Nixon continued. "By God's grace, we will restore this community."

Obama was to meet while in Missouri with the state's congressional leaders, as well as with Craig Fugate, who heads the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the US office disaster response office.

The US leader, who just one month ago toured tornado damage in Alabama, got a firsthand look at the destruction in Joplin, which he called "heartbreaking," adding that "obviously, it is going to take years to build back."

Crews continued searching for the missing, seven days after the tornado tore apart everything it touched along a path four miles (six kilometers) long.

The governor said officials are working "24 hours a day" to locate the missing and identify the deceased. He said that the battered condition of some of the bodies means that DNA tests have been needed to identify the remains.

State officials are cross-checking names of the missing with hospitals, and are working with cell phone service providers to determine if anyone has used their phone since being added to the list.

After releasing lower updated figures of the missing, the Missouri Department of Public Safety said there was "steady progress" in the effort, but added that the "objective continues to be reducing that number to zero, to help ease the anxiety of concerned loved ones."

The twister, a massive funnel cloud that struck late last Sunday, ranks as the single deadliest tornado to hit the United States since modern record-keeping began in 1950.

More than 8,000 structures in the midwestern town, including a major commercial area, were damaged or destroyed when the tornado packing winds over 200 miles (320 kilometers) per hour came roaring through with just a 24-minute warning.

Joplin spokeswoman Lynn Onstot said the city was slowly getting back on its feet, although the traditional Memorial Day weekend opening of Joplin's public pools has been postponed.

"Public transportation is back up and running, and trash is running as normal as possible," although not in the disaster areas, she added.

A total of 318 people are living in temporary shelters in Joplin, state officials said Saturday.

earlier related report
Missouri tornado death toll rises to 139
Joplin, Missouri (AFP) May 28, 2011 - The death toll from one of the worst tornadoes ever to hit the United States rose Saturday to 139 in Joplin, Missouri, as residents struggled to pick up the pieces amid overwhelming devastation.

Among the seven newly confirmed killed by the tornado that cut a path of destruction through this town of 50,000 was teenager Will Norton, who was sucked from his father's Hummer as they drove home from his high school graduation.

"It's very disheartening," Joplin spokeswoman Lynn Onstot told AFP on Saturday. "He was a high school senior who had just graduated. It was a very emotional story for everyone. It touched many of us."

Crews continued searching for 96 people listed as unaccounted for, six days after the tornado tore apart everything it touched along a path four miles (six kilometers) long.

The twister, a massive funnel cloud that struck late Sunday, ranks as the single deadliest tornado to hit the United States since modern record-keeping began in 1950.

More than 8,000 structures in the Midwestern town were damaged or destroyed when the tornado packing winds over 200 miles (320 kilometers) per hour came roaring through with just a 24-minute warning.

President Barack Obama plans to attend a community memorial service on Sunday in Joplin, on the campus of Missouri Southern State University.

Joplin officials announced they'll observe a moment of silence at 5:41 pm (2141 GMT) Sunday to honor victims exactly one week after the tornado hit.

Norton's family had been among those desperate to find their missing loved one. Dozens of people had been helping his family search the debris field -- even heading out in a small plane to scan areas farther afield.

"I'm sorry to tell you that Will was found but he was not alive," his aunt Tracey Presslor posted on a Facebook page set up to organize search efforts that has garnered mass outpourings of support.

"We are grieving deeply. It brightens our lives to know that even in his passing he touched lives."

She later added, in another post: "People have lost their homes and their lives. Others are still missing and we cannot give up the search for them. Please keep praying for all of Joplin, Tuscaloosa and the other communities that are suffering."

Sharyn Dawson has been searching for her 74-year-old mother-in-law, Patricia Dawson, whose apartment building was completely destroyed. As of Saturday, she was still listed as missing.

Dawson said she can sympathize with the difficulty officials have faced in confirming the identities of the victims, but said it has left her with little choice but to keep looking until there is news.

"I don't want to jump on that bandwagon of people who have been screaming and yelling about how this process has worked. They don't understand how the process works. Neither do I," Dawson said.

"But I am almost to that place where I really want to know if she's in the morgue so I can quit wondering what happened."

A total of 318 people are living in temporary shelters in Joplin, state officials said Saturday.

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has ordered the state's national guard to remove the wasteland of debris left by the tornado, a mission he described as an "enormous task" but crucial for the city's recovery.

The rescue and cleanup missions carry their own risks. Three National Guard injuries were reported Friday as a result of an accident involving two Humvees, according to state officials. None of the injuries were described as serious.

State health officials have administered 4,000 tetanus vaccinations and they planned to begin air monitoring for asbestos on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Police Chief Lane Roberts said the city had made 17 arrests for looting.

Officials said 126 of 470 animals in shelters have been returned to their families.

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