BREAKING: Huge Tornado Tears Through S. OK City ("2 Miles-Wide," "MASSIVE CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE")
Last edited Mon May 20, 2013, 09:20 PM - Edit history (24)
Source: CBS News / CNN
A woman carries her child through a field near the collapsed Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla., Monday, May 20, 2013. (AP Photo Sue Ogrocki)
Massive tornado slams Oklahoma City area
By Nick Valencia. Catherine E. Shoichet and Dana Ford, CNN
Shawnee, Oklahoma (CNN) - A powerful tornado blasted an area outside of Oklahoma City on Monday, ripping roofs off buildings, leveling homes and leaving a massive band of destruction in its wake.
In the desperate seconds and minutes after the storm passed, the human toll was not yet clear.
Survivors emerged from shelters to see an apocalyptic vision -- the remnants of cars twisted and piled on each other to make what had been a parking lot look like a junk yard. Bright orange flames roaring from a structure that was blazing even as rain continued to fall.
- snip -
"Our worst fears are becoming realized this afternoon," Bill Bunting, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Prediction Center, told CNN soon after the tornado struck.
@CBSNews: MT @NEWS9 UPDATE: Large tornado just crossed Western on 19th street Moore, OK. If you are in this area you need to take your precautions now
@CBSNews: RT @DavidBernardTV: #Tornado coming into #Moore. Cars on highway. Terrifying. @CBSNews http://t.co/sPWTCosJdI
@BreakingNews: National Weather Service issues tornado emergency for Moore, south Oklahoma City - @TWCBreaking http://t.co/qh4Q22EaSM
@CBSNews: LIVE BREAKING NEWS VIDEO: Live aerials of very large tornado passing near Oklahoma City http://t.co/tuG23cIC7w (via @NEWS9)
CNN: Schools completely leveled.
@CBSNews: MT @KHOULily This is a school where kids were trapped when tornado hit OKC. There are no words. http://t.co/VuLkVPBIvj (via @NEWS9)
@BuzzFeedAndrew: Farmer being interviewed on KFOR: "There's maybe 75-100 dead horses."
@adolwyn: Multiple reports of cars crushed on I-35 with people trapped in them from scanners. I-35 is closed both directions. #okwx.
KFOR: "Absolute chaos." Witness: "Third-graders being pulled out now."
@911BUFF: BREAKING NEWS OUT OF OKLAHOMA: 2 SCHOOLS COMPLETELY DESTROYED IN MOORE, OK. 3RD GRADERS BEING PULLED OUT OF PLAZA TOWER SCHOOL RIGHT NOW
@CBSNews: RT @CharlieKayeCBS: BREAKING. CBS-TV Affiliate KWTV reports multiple fatalities in the Moore, Oklahoma area from today's tornado.
@GeminiTiger86: The middle of a leveled neighborhood. Trapped people are calling for help https://t.co/rsK3YcwewZ
@samsteinhp: Photos from the destruction in Oklahoma http://t.co/mWkq4bcHx4
@JoshElliottABC: Spokesperson at OU Medical Center, which has received 7 patients but expects more, said in describing injuries: "You can probably imagine."
@McClatchyDC: Photos, video of tornado damage in Oklahoma as search continues for missing elementary students: http://t.co/mEDnrBPd0p
@AP: AP PHOTO: A woman carries her child near collapsed Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla. http://t.co/ss3FRFrhv8 -RJJ
@AP: Rescue workers lift children from rubble of elementary school in Moore, Okla.: http://t.co/rE6WV3cI32 -RJJ
@ABC: #LatestOnOK: No confirmed fatalities yet, but Lt. Gov. says to expect them - "neighborhoods have been wiped away"
http://t.co/9qPEIDLw2z
@cnnbrk: 6 confirmed dead near Oklahoma City after #tornado. http://t.co/HNbaRcbk1k More on http://t.co/28h13hUrqq, CNN TV & CNN mobile.
@AP: More than a dozen kids among 60 people being treated for injuries at hospitals following tornado: http://t.co/X1WnAcwFjO -RJJ
@AP: BREAKING: State medical examiner's office: 37 killed in Oklahoma tornado; death toll expected to rise -RJJ
Death toll rises to at least 51 in Oklahoma tornado -state agency
May 20 (Reuters) - The death toll from a huge tornado that struck Moore, Oklahoma on Monday rose to 51, the state medical examiner's office said.
Amy Elliott, chief administrative officer of the Oklahoma medical examiner's office, said 51 were confirmed dead, up from 37 fatalities reported earlier.
The powerful tornado, rated the second highest strength level of EF4 and packing winds of up to 200 miles per hour (320 kph), touched down at mid-afternoon and devastated a wide area of the town.
(Reporting By Brendan O'Brien; Writing by Greg McCune; Editing by Bill Trott)
Read more: http://us.cnn.com/2013/05/20/us/severe-weather/index.html
riverwalker
(8,694 posts)praying for those in OK
Daemonaquila
(1,712 posts)Hoping people duck and cover in time.
PNW_Dem
(119 posts)Several years ago, Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe stated, "I have offered compelling evidence that catastrophic global warming is a hoax. I wonder what he has to say about this monster tornado?
maxsolomon
(33,400 posts)As do most scientists who believe it's happening.
Nothing will change Inhofe. He's there to stop change from happening any way he can.
csziggy
(34,138 posts)Too bad he isn't willing to help stop the causes of climate change...
maxsolomon
(33,400 posts)He will never back down. Only retirement or death will end his obstinance.
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)That opens you up to charges of being an unreliable flip-flopper.
Civilization2
(649 posts)the lie that big oil sells is so clear it is transparent.
KatyaR
(3,445 posts)South OKC/Moore's getting hammered, pretty much the same spot as it did years ago.
Blue Owl
(50,514 posts)Which stands for:
FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK!!!
dorkzilla
(5,141 posts)Very appropriate!
Blue Owl
(50,514 posts)Meanwhile, I hope the folks in OK were hunkered down safely...
LiberalFighter
(51,104 posts)Poll_Blind
(23,864 posts)PB
texanwitch
(18,705 posts)The clouds were moving north very fast.
I knew today would be bad.
Watching the news on CNN is scary.
That is a hugh storm.
a la izquierda
(11,797 posts)I lived there for 8 years and we have so many friends in the path.
Gormy Cuss
(30,884 posts)marmar
(77,091 posts)nt
dorkzilla
(5,141 posts)It is truly terrifying.
Bosonic
(3,746 posts)Livefeed: http://www.news9.com/category/207228/po
0rganism
(23,971 posts)makes me really appreciate the mellow lazy rainclouds we get in Oregon
lillypaddle
(9,581 posts)This is heartbreaking. Take cover folks - be as safe as you can.
NutmegYankee
(16,201 posts)Oh please, I hope the children have gotten to safety!
BadgerKid
(4,558 posts)there, meaning some school may have been out while others were in session.
As far as I can glean thus far, two elementary schools and one junior high school were affected.
bvar22
(39,909 posts)There are a lot of good DUers in that area.
Hissyspit
(45,788 posts)CNN Showing Live Footage Close-Up of Tornado Damage - Whole Houses Missing
People running around through debris.
Terrible.
rl6214
(8,142 posts)I've got a niece that lives just south of there
mike_c
(36,281 posts)Moore, OK.
http://kfor.com/on-air/live-streaming/
bvar22
(39,909 posts)I'm speechless.
The damage is incomprehensible.
rdking647
(5,113 posts)this looks like it may be worse than the 1999 storm that devastated the same area
Behind the Aegis
(53,991 posts)NutmegYankee
(16,201 posts)Behind the Aegis
(53,991 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)Behind the Aegis
(53,991 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)dbackjon
(6,578 posts)Behind the Aegis
(53,991 posts)Wait Wut
(8,492 posts)Check in when you can, 'k?
Behind the Aegis
(53,991 posts)Solly Mack
(90,787 posts)Behind the Aegis
(53,991 posts)qanda
(10,422 posts)Behind the Aegis
(53,991 posts)qanda
(10,422 posts)I never thought I would be missed. DU has really grown and I don't recognize many people around here anymore. Hope all is well.
Marrah_G
(28,581 posts)~hugs~
Behind the Aegis
(53,991 posts)siligut
(12,272 posts)Behind the Aegis
(53,991 posts)Thanks for thinking of us.
Skittles
(153,199 posts)Behind the Aegis
(53,991 posts)We were very fortunate, we only had high winds, blinding rain, and fierce lightning, otherwise known as a typical Oklahoma storm. One tornado was a little too close for my taste (15 miles south).
Skittles
(153,199 posts)was surrounded by those tornado devils a couple nights ago
Behind the Aegis
(53,991 posts)I am just hoping this is it for awhile, two days of this was more than enough.
Skittles
(153,199 posts)but yes we do get some frightening storms - so much of the country just sees Texas as HOT but the weather here is unbelievably varied
nolabear
(41,991 posts)Behind the Aegis
(53,991 posts)Still, I'd rather deal with a hurricane!
LiberalFighter
(51,104 posts)She made imo a stupid statement. Something along the line of if you are going to live where there is bad weather Oklahoma is the place to live. Because their citizens are the most generous.
Cha
(297,723 posts)hope they have storm cellars!
My grandparents lived in Eastern Colorado on the Plains when I was in high school and they had cellar for emergency situations.
AngryOldDem
(14,061 posts)If you're going through something of this magnitude, I think it's understandable that things may not come out sounding exactly right.
triguy46
(6,028 posts)when the President was making a visit to avoid having to see him. There was not one repug present last summer during the visit. She knows she has to depend on the Feds and the Pres and it galls her. No, there is no pass for her.
cosmicone
(11,014 posts)"if you are going to be murdered with a bullet, it is best if you get murdered near a funeral home."
kestrel91316
(51,666 posts)OK will fail to see the irony in how they respond to this and how they responded to Sandy.
uppityperson
(115,681 posts)Marrah_G
(28,581 posts)caseymoz
(5,763 posts)Woman was in her bathtub with her two kids and it stripped the entire house away around them.
deutsey
(20,166 posts)Oh, God...I hope not.
bvar22
(39,909 posts)... is not a bad idea if there is no time to seek proper shelter.
Much better than having everyone running around in 200 mph winds and debris.
It's just that the school was flattened by the tornado. The idea of those kids in there when a direct hit happens...sigh.
It's sounding like some of the kids survived, though. I hope so.
I wonder why the school wouldn't have had an underground shelter, especially after 1999.
triguy46
(6,028 posts)is to turn them loose? Not sure I understand why keeping them and not releasing them was anything but the best response.
deutsey
(20,166 posts)Probably because I found the news so upsetting and wasn't thinking straight. I have kids in school and can sometimes personalize stories like this.
My hope was that the kids had been moved from the school to some safer place (preferably an underground shelter) as the tornado approached.
Hissyspit
(45,788 posts)@GeminiTiger86: The middle of a leveled neighborhood. Trapped people are calling for help https://t.co/rsK3YcwewZ
GreenStormCloud
(12,072 posts)Hissyspit
(45,788 posts)Behind the Aegis
(53,991 posts)Warpy
(111,359 posts)if that site is overloaded. It's linked on the front page, KFOR.
nolabear
(41,991 posts)What a terrible thing, in what seems sometimes to be an unending string of terrible things.
Loryn
(945 posts)This is horrific. Thoughts with the people of Oklahoma.
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)Then we will have 4-5 mile wide tornadoes running around reeking havoc.
daleo
(21,317 posts)It's like mentioning cancer around smokers - it's not polite.
kentauros
(29,414 posts)The big question is how do you protect yourself from the results? Basically, you don't. We have to "live" with this, and make the best of it, including helping those devastated by disasters like this, and especially to stop politicizing disaster relief.
daleo
(21,317 posts)But global warming is a product of human behaviour and entrenched political and economic paradigms. The first step towards change is to recognize those facts. When disaster strikes that can reasonably be connected to global warming, it should be stated with no apology. That is what eventually leads to change.
MNBrewer
(8,462 posts)Hissyspit
(45,788 posts)@McClatchyDC: Photos, video of tornado damage in Oklahoma as search continues for missing elementary students: http://t.co/mEDnrBPd0p
GreenStormCloud
(12,072 posts)They are in a line from west central Texas, thru Oklahoma, the corner of Kansas, and into Missouri. As the sun goes down, supercells tend to get worse. We are going to be in for a rough night in our part of the country.
aaaaaa5a
(4,667 posts)Posteritatis
(18,807 posts)aaaaaa5a
(4,667 posts)Let me add that Oklahoma is already a welfare state and not a donor state. (This means they receive more money from the Federal government than what they pay in taxes)
So I guess they won't be needing any assistance. After all, they already owe the mean, evil, liberal blue states (the majority of which are donor states) plenty of cash anyway.
kestrel91316
(51,666 posts)Don't you go blaming DUers who bring up that little fact.
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)...as they lay bleeding, moaning, trapped in the wreckage of their home or place of work.
"Dig your own ass out" is what republican "rescuers" will taunt them with.
aaaaaa5a
(4,667 posts)I wonder how the right wing GOP legislatures from OK will vote now?
Everyone hates the Federal Government until they need it.
AngryOldDem
(14,061 posts)Let's not go there right now.
aaaaaa5a
(4,667 posts)Do I need to remind you that the GOP held up aid to New Jersey? How did the Oklahoma representatives vote on aid to the Northeast?
If this isn't the "right time to go there." Then neither was that time. But it didn't stop our Confederate states from holing up hurricane aid.... did it?
AngryOldDem
(14,061 posts)I really don't give a shit about who did what to whom and what side people are on right now.
Sorry.
KingFlorez
(12,689 posts)Whenever disaster strikes a red state, the conservative hypocrites never fail to have their hands out. Both of Oklahoma's senators voted against Sandy relief, but you can bet their be begging like a hobo on a corner now that their state had a disaster. Disgusting hypocrites.
aaaaaa5a
(4,667 posts)Response to aaaaaa5a (Reply #55)
Dreamer Tatum This message was self-deleted by its author.
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)It will take more than a tornado to stop this Kitteh!!
Dreamer Tatum
(10,926 posts)Jesus.
Hissyspit
(45,788 posts)is just as real, and affects the humans as well.
It's not an either/or thing.
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)IMO.
Tornado: "Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the toughest of them all"
Kitteh appears in mirror
Tornado: "Noooowooowoooooo!!!!"
-AgingAmerican
siligut
(12,272 posts)The kitten vs. the tornado and the kitten wins
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)Quite often those small accomplishments of providence that allow many people hope are minimized by even smaller acts of petulant pretense.
"Jesus..." Indeed.
The Stranger
(11,297 posts)Sometimes Mother Nature stays her powerful hand.
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)Finding that pet (in this case, Kitteh) is a victory for everyone involved EXCEPT the tornado.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)SCVDem
(5,103 posts)This is the Bible Belted! If prayers were any good, this would not have happened!
I am waiting for Pat Robertson, (Falwells dead), to blame this on their immoral lifestyle or a gay person living there.
I am truly sorry for the loss.
Please keep this in mind when we get the quakes in California, hurricanes on the eastern seaboard or other disasters.
Preachers are the first to blame the people who live in these areas.
BTW, how many times are we going to rebuild places like Moore? They have been repeatedly hit in the last 20 years.
I am upset, mad and sorry for your loss. NOW can we take climate change seriously?
Just heard a mom and kids died. Damn!
triguy46
(6,028 posts)That is really a silly statement. With 50% of the worlds population living within 5 miles of the ocean and sea levels rising, and hurricanes and typhoons?? And tornadoes repeat tracks how often? What of Cleborne Texas last week, should those people not rebuild in Cleborne? Twice does not rise to "repeatedly." Miami and NOLO are more aptly to be described as that, but not Moore OK.
SCVDem
(5,103 posts)Many homes on the east coast will not be rebuilt due to rising sea levels.
Miami and Manhattan are going to need protection.
Too big to move.
At least build shelters underground!
lovuian
(19,362 posts)I'm shocked!
DeSwiss
(27,137 posts)txwhitedove
(3,932 posts)streets. Just horrible. I'm crying for Oklahoma and tragedies like this know NO politics.
Marrah_G
(28,581 posts)reporter was crying
Warpy
(111,359 posts)Only the littlest kids were inside, the upper grades had been evacuated to a church 1/4 mile away.
I feel sick. I hope they're wrong about the number of dead.
Hissyspit
(45,788 posts)CNN Breaking News - Medical examiner's office: Tornado outside Oklahoma City kills at least 10 people. Watch live coverage on CNN TV. Reply STOP 2 unsub
Hissyspit
(45,788 posts)@AP: More than a dozen kids among 60 people being treated for injuries at hospitals following tornado: http://t.co/X1WnAcwFjO -RJJ
Hissyspit
(45,788 posts)@CBSNews: RT @NEWS9: LOST PETS: Makeshift triage area for lost and injured pets set up at Moore Home Depot. #okwx