Pierce City, Mo. ? Weary from nearly nonstop work clearing tornado debris and battling depression about the uncertain future, Scott and Lynette Rector received personal assurances of help Tuesday from President Bush.

“He told us the buck would stop with the federal agencies he has directed to help us — and yes, after this really bad week, it was finally something encouraging,” Lynette Rector said after showing the president her devastated business.

The Rectors opened Freda Mae’s tea room and antiques one year ago May 1. Three days after they celebrated their first anniversary in business, a tornado roared down Pierce City’s business district, toppling buildings and peeling away store fronts.

Little is left of Freda Mae’s; a facade of pinkish period brick still stands, and a pane of glass remains with the business name. And a stone carved with “Rector 2002” is untouched above the front door.

Gone are many of the antiques that made it Pierce City’s cozy stop for candlelight weekend dinners of pork chops and lasagna. Gone, too, are part of the Rectors’ home in a restored church and their two vehicles.

“It has been a struggle to stay cheerful,” Lynette Rector said. “There are some really bad times, but we just keep working.”

As rain poured down, Bush’s motorcade stopped in front of Freda Mae’s. Water streaking her red rain jacket, Lynette Rector stepped forward to greet the president.

“My heart is right here in Pierce City, Missouri, with the people whose lives were destroyed as a result of the tornado that swept down this street,” Bush told reporters as the Rectors looked on.

‘Wiped out’

Scanning the devastation along Commercial Street, Bush said Mayor Mark Peters had told him the community’s tax base was devastated. Scarcely any jobs remain.

“All the commerce of this entire town was wiped out. The mayor was talking about what it means to be trying to run a city that has no sales tax revenues because nobody can buy anything because the businesses are destroyed. And this is devastation, complete devastation here in Pierce City,” Bush said.

President Bush tours tornado devastation in Pierce City, Mo., standing with Scott and Lynette Rector in front of the remains of their business. Bush visited the town Tuesday and promised that federal aid was on its way in the wake of last week's tornado.

The president added: “I am not going to make a promise to these good people that won’t be fulfilled.”

One person died in Pierce City and dozens of buildings were destroyed in the May 4 tornado, part of what the National Weather Service has called the worst week of twisters in recorded history.

Bush flew into Springfield and then boarded a helicopter for an aerial tour of the damage as lightning crackled and rain came down in torrents. He was joined on the tour by Missouri Gov. Bob Holden and U.S. Sens. Kit Bond and Jim Talent.

Soaked residents stood outside and watched Bush’s helicopter slowly circle the devastated city. Then the president’s party landed to the east at Monett and drove into Pierce City, population about 1,400.

Uplifting experience

Bush stopped first at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, where the gymnasium has been converted into a disaster assistance and feeding center.

Boxes of donated clothing and supplies, from toothpaste to teddy bears, lined the walls. Several hundred people crowded inside to hear Bush say he was sorry to visit under such circumstances.

“But I find it uplifting, in the midst of tragedy, that we gather to comfort each other in the house of the Lord,” Bush said.

Bush said he asked federal and state disaster officials whether they were receiving assistance fast enough.

“Some of you said ‘yes.’ Some of you said ‘no.”‘

Bush promised the government would quickly process the paperwork needed to free up federal assistance. A regional Federal Emergency Management Agency office has been set up in an old warehouse in Springfield to coordinate the Ozarks efforts.

Bond, Missouri’s longest-serving current statewide officeholder, told The Associated Press he had not seen such devastation since a tornado pummeled southwest Missouri in May 1973 when he was serving as governor.

“Really, even it didn’t come close to doing this kind of damage,” Bond said.

Holden noted that devastation wasn’t limited to Pierce City. The same series of storms spawned twisters last week that battered Monett, Battlefield, Stockton and DeSoto, among other communities.

“Missouri truly has been devastated by the storm damage and the tornadoes that have occurred in this area in the past week or so,” the governor said, estimating insured damage alone at $400 million. “We don’t know what the uninsured costs are going to be.”

Holden said he wanted to “cut all the red tape that we can, so people can access all the resources they can to start rebuilding their homes.”

“These are proud people. There is a 130-year history in Pierce City,” the governor said. “They need us to be there as a partner, and the state of Missouri is going to be there.”