--- description: President Barack Obama toured areas in Arkansas on Wednesday that were destroyed by forceful tornadoes in late April, promising support to residents: "Your country is going to be here for you" title: Obama Speaks to Arkansas Tornado Survivors in Vilonia image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt49fe69133caf06b1/69868e50e53abadeed4d2779/obama-arkansas-tornado-21.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Environment](/tag/environment/) ## Environment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Obama to Arkansas Tornado Survivors: Your Country Is Here For You by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 7, 2014 8:07 PM CUT  President Barack Obama tours tornado-damaged areas and talks with Daniel Smith and his sons Garrison Dority and Gabriel Dority in Vilonia, Ark. on May 7, 2014. President Barack Obama tours tornado-damaged areas and talks with Daniel Smith and his sons Garrison Dority and Gabriel Dority in Vilonia, Ark. on May 7, 2014.Susan Walsh—AP by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 7, 2014 8:07 PM CUT President Obama told residents of an [Arkansas](http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/obama-tour-arkansas-tornado-devastation-23618188 "undefined") town blasted by tornadoes in late April that the federal government will have their backs throughout the rebuilding process. “Your country is going to be here for you,” Obama said during a press conference Wednesday. The President spent Wednesday touring areas destroyed by severe weather including Vilonia, Ark. just outside of Little Rock. The[ April 27 storms](http://time.com/81008/photos-arkansas-tornadoes-aftermath/ "undefined") killed 15 and left hundreds of homes ruined. On Wednesday, Obama praised the people of Arkansas for their strength in his promises to provide support. “Folks here are tough,” Obama said. “They look out for one another … that’s been especially true this past week.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/91413/barack-obama-arkansas-tornado-survivors/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/91413/barack-obama-arkansas-tornado-survivors/"},"headline":"Obama to Arkansas Tornado Survivors: Your Country Is Here For You","datePublished":"2014-05-07T20:07:05.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T07:42:40.845Z","description":"President Barack Obama toured areas in Arkansas on Wednesday that were destroyed by forceful tornadoes in late April, promising support to residents: \"Your country is going to be here for you\"","url":"https://time.com/91413/barack-obama-arkansas-tornado-survivors/","keywords":["Environment","Barack Obama","White House","Arkansas","natural disaster","Tornadoes"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt49fe69133caf06b1/69868e50e53abadeed4d2779/obama-arkansas-tornado-21.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt49fe69133caf06b1/69868e50e53abadeed4d2779/obama-arkansas-tornado-21.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Barack Obama Vilonia, Arkansas Tornado","caption":"Barack Obama Vilonia, Arkansas Tornado","creditText":"Susan Walsh—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/environment/","name":"Environment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/91413/barack-obama-arkansas-tornado-survivors/","name":"Obama to Arkansas Tornado Survivors: Your Country Is Here For You"}}]}] ```