Oklahoma tornado: Dozens killed in Moore

 

At least 91 people, including 20 children, are feared killed by a huge tornado which tore through Oklahoma City suburbs, officials in the US state say.

 

Worst hit was Moore, south of the city, where neighbourhoods were flattened and schools destroyed by winds of up to 200mph (320km/h).

 

About 120 people are being treated in hospitals. President Barack Obama has declared a major disaster in Oklahoma. He also ordered federal authorities to join in the search efforts which are continuing throughout the night.

 

Monday's twister hit Moore, a suburb of about 55,000 people, at 14:56 (19:56 GMT) and remained on the ground for about 45 minutes. The official death toll is 51, but local authorities say the figure is expected to rise as another 40 bodies have been found.

 

The Oklahoma chief medical examiner's office said at least 20 children were among the dead. Plaza Towers Elementary school took a direct hit: the storm tore off the building's roof and knocked down walls.

 

"The school was flattened. The walls were pancaked in," Oklahoma's Lt Gov Todd Lamb told the BBC. "There's still roughly two dozen children that are missing. There have been some bodies recovered from that school and it's absolutely horrific and devastating."

 

Another school - Briarwood Elementary - was also damaged, and teachers were later seen leading pupils out to safety.

 

 

Oklahoma Gov Mary Fallin said it was a "tragic" day. More than 200 Oklahoma National Guardsmen as well as out-of-state personnel have been called in to assist the search-and-rescue effort.

 

The BBC's Alastair Leithead in Oklahoma says many of tornadoes in the region hit the open plain, but this one struck a residential area.

 

Many houses are built on hard ground without basements, so many people did not have recourse to shelter, our correspondent adds. Shocked survivors spoke of the tornado's power.

 

"We locked the cellar door once we saw it coming, it got louder and next thing you know is you see the latch coming undone," survivor Ricky Stover said. "We couldn't reach for it and it ripped open the door and just glass and debris started slamming on us and we thought we were dead, to be honest."

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22604251

^ It's terrible. What a terrifying and devastating power such a tornado has.

 

My thoughts are with all those affected.

 

 

Thanks for posting this article, IAN.

Time-lapse of the tornado:

 

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In case that doesn't work, here's the link: http://www.wmctv.com/category/240217/video-landing-page?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=8899079

Before and after photos:

 

 

 

 

 

DEATH TOLL LOWER THAN EXPECTED - DOWN FROM 91 TO 51 AND NOW AGAIN TO 24 - INCLUDING 9 CHILDREN

 

 

According to the authorities in Oklahoma City, 24 have been found dead in the suburb of Moore - and not 51 - after the tornado.

 

Earlier today, the death toll was stated to be 91 based on reports from the authorities of 51 found dead and an expectation of additional 40 killed.

 

24 people are confirmed dead.

 

News media from Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Germany

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22611019:

 

Emergency workers in the US are continuing to search for survivors of the gigantic tornado that tore through a suburb of Oklahoma City on Monday.

 

Rescuers worked through the night and into the morning in the rubble in Moore, the worst-hit area.

 

Entire neighbourhoods were flattened by winds of up to 200mph (320km/h).

 

At least 24 people were confirmed dead, including nine children, the chief medical examiner said. Earlier, officials said 51 were confirmed dead.

 

"We have got good news. The number right now is 24," Amy Elliott, chief administrative officer at the Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, told reporters.

 

"The prior figure of 51 dead may have included some double-reported casualties."

 

At one point, as many as 91 people were feared dead.

link

 

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thanks for posting that Viri!

Instead of buying that cd today, donate!

Oklahoma tornado: Search for survivors nears end

 

 

Oklahoma tornado: Search for survivors nears end

 

Rescue workers are combing the ruins left by the gigantic tornado that killed two dozen people in Oklahoma on Monday.

 

Officials say the search for survivors is nearly over as efforts turn towards recovery.

 

Fire chief Gary Bird said he was "98% sure" there were no more survivors or bodies to recover from the rubble.

 

The storm, which also killed nine children, has meanwhile been upgraded to the most powerful level of twister.

 

Packing winds of at least 200mph (320km/h), the tornado razed a swathe of the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore.

 

Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin said the death toll may rise above 24 as some bodies could have been taken directly to funeral homes.

 

The body count was revised down from 51 after the state medical examiner said some victims may have been counted twice in the confusion.

 

According to the local fire chief, no survivors or bodies have been found since Monday night.

 

He said the goal was to conduct three searches of each location just to be sure.

 

Emergency crews have had trouble navigating the devastated neighbourhoods because there were no street signs remaining. Some used mobile phones and GPS to navigate.

 

The National Weather Service (NWS) has upgraded the tornado to EF-5, the most powerful type on the Fujita scale. It uses the word "incredible'' to describe the force of such a storm.

 

The NWS said the twister's path was 17 miles long and 1.3 miles wide. For about 45 minutes on Monday afternoon, the storm battered the suburb of about 55,000 people.

 

Emergency workers pulled more than 100 survivors from the rubble of homes, schools and a hospital, while 237 people were known to have been injured.

 

Seven of the nine children killed in the tornado died at Plaza Towers Elementary, where the storm ripped off the roof and knocked down walls as students and teachers cowered in hallways and bathrooms.

 

Officials said they were still trying to account for a handful of children not found at the schools who may have gone home early with their parents.

 

That primary school and one other hit by the storm, Briarwood Elementary, did not have safe-rooms that protect against tornadoes, said Albert Ashwood, of the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.

 

More than 100 schools in Oklahoma had been provided with state-funded safe rooms, he said, but not those two.

 

Residents were given 16 minutes' warning before the tornado touched down - officials said such advisories were usually issued eight to 10 minutes ahead of a twister.

 

Oklahoma's insurance commissioner told Reuters news agency the cost of the storm would exceed that of the 2011 tornado in Joplin, Missouri, that killed 158 people. He said the Joplin twister caused $3bn (£2bn) in damage.

 

US President Barack Obama has declared a major disaster in Oklahoma and ordered federal authorities to join in the search efforts.

 

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is due in Oklahoma on Wednesday to back rescue and recovery efforts.

 

"The people of Moore should know that their country will remain on the ground there for them, beside them as long as it takes for their homes and schools to rebuild," Mr Obama said from the White House.

 

Heavy-lifting equipment was deployed under bright floodlights as the operation continued overnight and throughout Tuesday.

 

Rescuers braved the danger of electrocution and fire from downed power lines, as well as ruptured natural gas lines.

 

More than 200 Oklahoma National Guardsmen together with personnel from other states were called in to help the search-and-rescue effort.

 

The storm left a tangle of ruined buildings, piles of broken wood, overturned and crushed cars.

 

Many houses in the area are built on hard ground without basements, so many residents had struggled to find shelter.

 

Oklahoma City lies inside the so-called Tornado Alley stretching from South Dakota to central Texas, an area particularly vulnerable to storms.

 

The city of Moore was hit by a severe tornado in May 1999, which had the highest winds ever recorded on Earth, over 310mph.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22619802