Final answer:
President Obama's statement had the purpose of highlighting the severity of natural disasters, emphasizing the importance of scientific judgment, and encouraging action to prevent future disasters.
Step-by-step explanation:
The purpose of President Obama's statement can be seen as all of the above. His statement likely aimed to highlight the severity of natural disasters, emphasize the importance of scientific judgment and encourage action to prevent future disasters. For example, after hurricanes such as Sandy and Katrina, President Obama would make statements to ensure the public understood the seriousness of the situation, emphasize the need for scientific data in managing the disaster, and call for actions to prevent similar events in the future.