Posted Tuesday, October 30, 2012 --- 11:42 a.m.

KETTERING, Ohio (AP) -- For a third day tomorrow, President Barack Obama will be off the campaign trail. Instead of holding campaign events in Ohio, he'll be at the White House to monitor recovery efforts from the storm that practically shut down New York City and left more than 30 people dead.

Mitt Romney is looking to strike the right tone at his own rallies, with just a week remaining until the election. He and running mate Paul Ryan initially said they were canceling events out of sensitivity for the millions of Americans in the storm's path. But Republican campaign events have resumed today in the critical states of Ohio and Iowa -- with changes made to the program.

Romney today held what was billed as a `storm relief event" in Kettering, Ohio -- at the arena where he'd been scheduled to hold a political rally. Aides said the tone would be changed, with no attacks on the president as he oversees the response to the storm.

The White House says Obama is speaking frequently to governors and mayors in affected areas.

Among them are New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican who has campaigned for Romney. Christie told MSNBC today that Obama "deserves great credit" for his handling of the storm. He says Obama told him to call if he needs anything, and that he "absolutely means it."

Copyright 2012. The Associated Press.