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GREENSBURG, Kansas - US President George W. Bush toured a tornado-ravaged Kansas town today after criticism his administration's decision to send National Guard equipment to Iraq had hampered the state's disaster response.
As survivors combed through the rubble of homes and businesses in Greensburg, Bush flew in by helicopter for a close-up look at the devastation five days after a huge killer tornado nearly wiped out the small farming community.
"The pictures don't do it justice," said Bush of the collapsed homes and stripped tree trunks. "There is a lot of destruction."
He hugged and comforted residents and promised the federal government would get aid to the small farming community as quickly as possible.
Ten people were killed in Greensburg, a town of 1,600 people, when the twister struck on Friday night.
Bush's visit came amid renewed debate over whether a heavy deployment of soldiers, vehicles and other equipment to Iraq had left state National Guards throughout the country stretched too thin to handle local disasters.
Accompanying Bush was Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who said a shortage of National Guard trucks, helicopters and other equipment would hamper disaster recovery in the state.
The White House and the Pentagon rebuffed the criticism, saying Kansas and other states had adequate resources that they could share in event of disasters and insisting that any aid requested had been granted without delay.
"They had plenty of equipment for this kind of disaster," David Paulison, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told reporters. He called the disaster response "absolutely phenomenal."
While Sebelius has since praised federal efforts, she had promised to raise her concerns with Bush during his visit. The two made no public comment on the subject during their tour.
Nevertheless, Sebelius' complaint touched a nerve in the Bush administration, heavily criticized for a botched response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and also facing growing public disenchantment with the Iraq war.
Groups opposed to the war joined the debate on Tuesday, saying diminished domestic capabilities of the National Guard is hurting states like Kansas.
- REUTERS
