Moore, OK Tornado

[theGinsue]

So far 37 confirmed death with 7 children's bodies removed from an elementary school. Authorities believe another 20-30 children's bodies may be in the rubble of the school.

Sad.

Prayers for these souls & families if this is something you believe in.

[Rooskibar03]

Tragic. No safe room at one school. 24 3rd graders presumed dead.

[hghclsswhitetrsh]

This breaks my heart. RIP little ones.

[sabot_round]

Prayers sent!!

[Rooskibar03]

Pictures and video are horrible. They have already moved from rescue to recovery?

[th3w01f]

So sad, I was hoping it would turn out to be much better than the initial reports sounded.

[Ah Pook]

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/05/20/Photos-Oklahoma-Tornadoes-Devastate-Neighborhoods

This is sad. Thoughts going out to the families.

[streetglideok]

They are saying that at one of the elementary schools, the kids sought refuge in the basement. It flooded with water while the kids were in there, and some drowned. They justed upped the death toll to 51.
You can follow it live at the local news site:

http://kfor.com/on-air/live-streaming/

[TheGrey]

God, this is terrible. :( My heart goes out to the families.

[Byte Stryke]

Knee-mail Inbound
May God help those people

[waxthis]

How horrible.. My kids were attending the charter academy when the tornado hit here a few years back, fortunately they were ok. I can only imagine what the parents down there are going through..Thoughts and prayers sent.

[Skully]

That is devastating, I feel for all the families of those children. To everyone there, their lives have just been completely destroyed. :(

[GilpinGuy]

Man, today I had one of the best days I've ever had with my 6 month old. Then I read this stuff....make me seriously grateful for what I have.

[Dingo]

This was good for me to read. Sometimes I get stuck so deep in my own issues that I forget it could always be FAR worse. Prayers to the families...

[Gman]

I've been following this all day. Tragic. Confirmed dead is up to 51 and the count is bound to go higher. Entire neighborhoods are just gone.

[Tinelement]

ish....

in our prayers tonight.

[Cylinder Head]

I just donated to the tornado relief fund that came highly recommended from a friend. Many charities like UNICEF and the Red Cross mire most of your money in waste and bureaucracy.

http://Www.mercuryone.org (http://Www.mercuryone.org)

[beast556]

Sad sad day, Its hard to read I have kids the same age. Seems like tornados and hurricanes keep hitting citys and towns more often now. RIP to all who didnt make it.

[Aloha_Shooter]

Looking at the devastation, I'm not sure a safe room would have helped the one school anyway. That school looked like ground zero for an FAE except for the lack of charring.

[streetglideok]

With EF4-EF5, or F4-F5 twisters, if you aren't below ground during a direct strike, you usually won't survive it in the case of houses and light structures. The safe rooms that alot of these houses had, won't withstand anything greater than a direct hit EF3. Stronger than that, the rooms can be ripped from the concrete pad. When you get into the F5/EF5 class, it strips concrete, asphalt, anything on the ground. In 1999, the big one in Moore literally removed the concrete pads that some houses were on. Reinforced concrete structures, like the Joplin hospital in 2011, or the courthouse looking building in Greensburg,KS, may survive, but are gutted from the wind. Its hard to explain until you've had the bad luck of seeing it in person. Something this big, if you are in the direct line of fire, its all up to your maker if you survive it or not.

[Goodburbon]

I can not fathom why schools in that region are still built above ground, or why people would choose to live there above ground.

Heartbreaking, but inevitable until someone institutes corrective action. Much like New Orleans.

My heart breaks for the families harmed by this.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Firehaus]

An f5 carved a path a mile wide, maybe a mile away from my house in Kansas growing up. Looked like a war zone, unbelievable destruction. Why people continue to live in trailer parks in tornado alley is beyond me.

[babirl]

Prayers sent, especially for the kids but a lot of good folks are dead or hurt. :(

Went through the Wichita Falls/Whiskey Falls monster in 1979... Had friends in Joplin and Huntsville more recently. Hurricanes, floods and earthquakes suck and are much more widespread; however, these super tornadoes are unbelievable for nearly everything in their path.

B2

[theGinsue]

I lived in a trailer (2 in the same park actually..different times) when I was in college after HS. It was all I could afford.

That same trailer park got totally wiped out by a tornado many years back. When I lived here, I knew the risk but had no other options. For most, it's not a matter of choice, but economics.

[Firehaus]

I lived in a trailer (2 in the same park actually..different times) when I was in college after HS. It was all I could afford.

That same trailer park got totally wiped out by a tornado many years back. When I lived here, I knew the risk but had no other options. For most, it's not a matter of choice, but economics.

I had many friends that grew up in them, I never judge.

It's just amazing how you can have houses on either side of a park and the tornado will hit it 9/10 times.

I've had friends posting pics of baseball size hail from the same storm. Not really missing living I Kansas this time of year.

[Ah Pook]

Prayers sent, especially for the kids but a lot of good folks are dead or hurt. :(

Went through the Wichita Falls/Whiskey Falls monster in 1979... Had friends in Joplin and Huntsville more recently. Hurricanes, floods and earthquakes suck and are much more widespread; however, these super tornadoes are unbelievable for nearly everything in their path.

B2
I helped a friend clean up what was left of his family's house after that one. We drove in at night and the silhouettes along the highway were eerie. I have never seen such destruction. The house was gone but the kitchen table still had a bowl of eggs sitting on it. Dirt in the sealed sugar bowl. The cemetery was the most bizarre. Stones snapped in both directions.

What was the t'shirt? "Wichita Falls, home of the $10 million blow job." I had that shirt for a long time.

[babirl]

DP?

[babirl]

...

What was the t'shirt? "Wichita Falls, home of the $10 million blow job." I had that shirt for a long time.

Think it was $100M BJ at the time...

Not to take away from the on-going OK tragedy, but after the grieving that was the exact spirit of the survivors that got directly hit and a community with the TX-spirit that largely rebuilt in just a few short years.

GOD SPEED and once again prayers sent for OKC/Moore and the others in OK, KS, and TX hit in the past couple of days... Go HUG your family!

Most effective immediate relief will be through Red Cross specifically targeted @ OKC but others need help too... RC can have some high overhead on certain things but are the most responsive with ability to reach out and help immediately. Many volunteer organizations, churches, friends, etc. will be to OKC and KS/TX shortly.

B2

FWIW, It is super weird what you find after a huge tornado of that magnitude in spite of what even Myth Busters say... Literally there is straw through trees, beer cans sucked dry while sealed, complete devastation of a 'cheap house' blown flat and yet one next door had a nightstand remain standing with some precious family pics, one mansion leveled and one spared, etc. Heck, we recovered one aircraft that was jerked out of tie-down chains/pirouetted down 1/4 mile away, was deemed airworthy that's still flying to my knowledge ...

Ah Pook: This guy compiled some OLD-SCHOOL WF 79 stuff into a sucky-commemorative of a day I'll never forget/example of how one afternoon, much less 16-minutes changes life: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bKDQTPt22w (Wondering where your friend lived? It is a small world...)

Also, I think it took a HAM Radio guy from WY/favored called in from by Granddad 5 days to find us in 79 and we were just tangentially hit... Complete "grid/comms" cut back in 79 for at least 4 days.

Yeah, even a bath tub of H2O and a Coleman stove can help...

[cmailliard]

The report of 20 kids dying in the school is again difficult for me, just as it was after Newtown. K, 1, 2, 3 graders, just should not have to endure that, nobody should but especially those kiddos. Maybe it's because my daughter is 6 and in Kindergarten that it's more difficult for me. Also my job this year had me going around to many elementary schools and teaching teachers, I really enjoyed going into those schools and seeing the kiddos and how much they love school (vs. high schoolers), seeing them laugh and play was awesome. I think that's why Newtown and now Moore are difficult for me.

As far as schools and how they are built, it's all about money. Why have no kids died in a school fire in two decades, because of building and fire codes. That was expensive for schools to adopt, many older schools still do not have sprinklers in them (you do not have to meet code unless you renovate, then it must be brought up to current code). New schools built from the ground up as I am sure these schools in Moore will be, can have new features built into them to protect students better. Just as the World Trade Center is being built beyond the code to protect life better. But still nobody really builds beyond the code, why, because they don't have to. It's all about money. I would like to see these schools in Moore rebuilt strong and act as a model for future construction.

It also just shows that with all the money we dump into Homeland Security, FBI, CIA, ATF, Etc., for preventing terrorism our greatest threat is still mother nature. This 30 minute storm killed and injured more than Aurora, Newtown and Boston combined, will have damages in in the millions of dollars. It was just as random and violent as those events but because we cannot "blame" anyone or anything not much will change. There will not be a nationwide push for safer schools, there will not be hearings in Washington, why? Leave that for another thread. It just pisses me off, that we only look and act on things where there is an easy blame, be it person or object.

May 1999 and now 2013 that part of Oklahoma City has seen enough destruction for several lifetimes, I hope they are done. I hope the families can recover.

I know several good organizations going to work down there. If you want to help look at Team Rubicon as a great volunteer organization that does great things.

Stay Safe

[Rucker61]

As far as schools and how they are built, it's all about money. Why have no kids died in a school fire in two decades, because of building and fire codes.

Isn't it more like 50 years here in the US?

[streetglideok]

This is the third twister for Moore in 15 years. 5/3/99, 5/9/2003, and now 5/20/2013. The 2003 twister followed almost the exact same path as '99, and many of the houses hit were rebuilt from the '99 disaster. Interestingly, Monday was the anniversary of another monster F5 that plowed into part of Kansas City. My mom, her brother and my grand parents personally witnessed this beast as it churned thru. http://www.crh.noaa.gov/eax/?n=ruskinheightstornado

[SuperiorDG]

WTF

http://a57.foxnews.com/www.foxnews.com/images/root_images/0/0/TornadoDamangeTop_20130521_122352.jpg

[Dave_L]

WTF



He probably didn't have them in safe and is trying to find what he can.

I thought about that during all this. I bet there's tons of guns scattered across that area now.

[Aloha_Shooter]

He probably didn't have them in safe and is trying to find what he can.

I thought about that during all this. I bet there's tons of guns scattered across that area now.

I understand that -- the "WTF" in that picture for me is him holding it by the muzzle with it pointed right at his chest. Looks to me like the bolt is locked down too, no way to determine if there's anything in the chamber.

[Dave_L]

I understand that -- the "WTF" in that picture for me is him holding it by the muzzle with it pointed right at his chest. Looks to me like the bolt is locked down too, no way to determine if there's anything in the chamber.

Lol, yeah, not the brightest crayon in the box.

[SuperiorDG]

I understand that -- the "WTF" in that picture for me is him holding it by the muzzle with it pointed right at his chest. Looks to me like the bolt is locked down too, no way to determine if there's anything in the chamber.

I can imagine the headlines if this guy was shot. "Guns Scattered Over Tornado's Path, Man Killed by Gun He Found."

[TheGrey]

According to the latest news reports, 24 dead and 237 injured.

[Rooskibar03]

Say what you want about Beck but while the other talking heads from the media were out with camera crews trying to get an interview with the parent of a dead child he showed up this morning at a local church with two tractor trailers of supplies, and there are more on the way.

His audience has donated nearly half a million dollars to Mercury One since this happen and 100% of that is given to the people. He pays the overhead for the charity. Thats what being an American is about, helping your fellow man.

[Dingo]

Say what you want about Beck but while the other talking heads from the media were out with camera crews trying to get an interview with the parent of a dead child he showed up this morning at a local church with two tractor trailers of supplies, and there are more on the way.

His audience has donated nearly half a million dollars to Mercury One since this happen and 100% of that is given to the people. He pays the overhead for the charity. Thats what being an American is about, helping your fellow man.

Didn't hear about that one (go figure, the MSM didn't want to give him props) but it's nice to hear a story like that come out of a tragedy like this. Good for him!

[Inconel710]

I made a donation to Samaritan's Purse this morning. Praying those folks get the support they need.

I wonder if that Boston fund will send some of the money they collected.

[ChrisC]

Say what you want about Beck but while the other talking heads from the media were out with camera crews trying to get an interview with the parent of a dead child he showed up this morning at a local church with two tractor trailers of supplies, and there are more on the way.

His audience has donated nearly half a million dollars to Mercury One since this happen and 100% of that is given to the people. He pays the overhead for the charity. Thats what being an American is about, helping your fellow man.



http://mercuryone.fundly.com/2013-midwest-tornado-relief

[rondog]

I'm from Oklahoma, and y'all have to realize that there isn't a lot of industry or money there. Yeah, there's oil, but the people don't get that money. Ideally, every school should have a serious reinforced concrete bunker in the center of it, and every home should have an underground storm shelter. But that's just not possible or feasible, and for most people, neither is moving away. And most of the schools were built in the 50's and 60's, or earlier. Basements aren't common there either, most storm shelters are small pre-cast concrete bunkers buried in the yards.

They live in Tornado Alley, and it sucks. Not much most people can do about it though, just like living in coastal hurricane zones. The most dangerous areas tend to have the poorest folks living there. God help them all.

[Jer]

I'm from Oklahoma, and y'all have to realize that there isn't a lot of industry or money there. Yeah, there's oil, but the people don't get that money. Ideally, every school should have a serious reinforced concrete bunker in the center of it, and every home should have an underground storm shelter. But that's just not possible or feasible, and for most people, neither is moving away. And most of the schools were built in the 50's and 60's, or earlier. Basements aren't common there either, most storm shelters are small pre-cast concrete bunkers buried in the yards.

They live in Tornado Alley, and it sucks. Not much most people can do about it though, just like living in coastal hurricane zones. The most dangerous areas tend to have the poorest folks living there. God help them all.

They didn't have tornaders in the 50's and 60's? I get what you're saying but reinforcing a room in the center of the school is a drop in the financial bucket when designing it. Seems like some poor planning/engineering w/o much room for excuse to me. With all the money being wasted all over the place hourly I have a feeling this will be addressed moving forward.

[USAFGopherMike]

This one was bad. I was there for the May 3rd 99 tornado and it was aweful. I chased it all the way from Chicasha and watched it cross I35 (I lived in Moore, not far from the current path). Unbelievable destruction. I hope they find more survivors.

[BushMasterBoy]

No money for children schools tornado shelters, but money for Obama to fly around spouting worthless rhetoric and don't get me started with bridges to nowhere in Alaska...

[SuperiorDG]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTpceWd8UE4


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwcTpf5t2Xk

[Ronin13]

So while all of this breaks my heart and I do feel bad about all this (thoughts and prayers of course)- I do have to ask, why? Why do we, I mean us as a society, devote and dominate our attention to something for so long and so abusively? I noticed during Katrina, Joplin, Sandy, this, we have constant media coverage for like 3 days straight, this is all that's going on... but in actuality, what new information is being presented throughout this endless circus? Perhaps one new "breaking*" story every few hours- update to the total loss, update to the casualty numbers. But that's it. It all reminds me of that Jeff Foxworthy joke: "If you've been on tv more than 5 times describing what the tornado sounded like..." Yes, it's terrible that this happened, yes it's awful so many were hurt and killed, but we tend to dwell on these things constantly, as if we can forget that yesterday one of the worst tornadoes in history plowed through a city. Not saying don't honor those that were affected, but as posted before by Rooskie, the media is so quick to get out there and find a person who lost someone and badger them with questions. The MSM really has no shame, and they do really go after that motto: "If it bleeds, it leads!"

*Fox News is notorious for this- everything they say is "Breaking news!!!" But it's not just breaking, it broke 10 fucking hours ago! Breaking is reserved for "We interrupt the previous story to tell you this breaking news..." New effing development, not repeating the story for those just tuning in. [rant-off]

[SuperiorDG]

So while all of this breaks my heart and I do feel bad about all this (thoughts and prayers of course)- I do have to ask, why? Why do we, I mean us as a society, devote and dominate our attention to something for so long and so abusively? I noticed during Katrina, Joplin, Sandy, this, we have constant media coverage for like 3 days straight, this is all that's going on... but in actuality, what new information is being presented throughout this endless circus? Perhaps one new "breaking*" story every few hours- update to the total loss, update to the casualty numbers. But that's it. It all reminds me of that Jeff Foxworthy joke: "If you've been on tv more than 5 times describing what the tornado sounded like..." Yes, it's terrible that this happened, yes it's awful so many were hurt and killed, but we tend to dwell on these things constantly, as if we can forget that yesterday one of the worst tornadoes in history plowed through a city. Not saying don't honor those that were affected, but as posted before by Rooskie, the media is so quick to get out there and find a person who lost someone and badger them with questions. The MSM really has no shame, and they do really go after that motto: "If it bleeds, it leads!"

*Fox News is notorious for this- everything they say is "Breaking news!!!" But it's not just breaking, it broke 10 fucking hours ago! Breaking is reserved for "We interrupt the previous story to tell you this breaking news..." New effing development, not repeating the story for those just tuning in. [rant-off]

Turn off the news before you hurt yourself.

[streetglideok]

They didn't have tornaders in the 50's and 60's? I get what you're saying but reinforcing a room in the center of the school is a drop in the financial bucket when designing it. Seems like some poor planning/engineering w/o much room for excuse to me. With all the money being wasted all over the place hourly I have a feeling this will be addressed moving forward.

Ask yourself this. How many schools around the front range have reinforced rooms for tornado shelter, that will not flood in the event they are trapped? How many of you have homes with safe rooms(good enough for the smaller twisters but useless on the big ones) or storm shelters below ground? Greeley showed you all, or should have, that Colorado gets big ones too. It's easy for people to say what they should or shouldn't have done about a tornado when they never have had first hand experience with these. The majority of the new homes in Moore, especially the ones rebuilt after '99 had safe rooms, and additional measures in their construction. How many homes here are built to withstand twisters, heck how many homes are built with the idea of being resistant to wildfires? This in a state known for them.

[rondog]

So while all of this breaks my heart and I do feel bad about all this (thoughts and prayers of course)- I do have to ask, why? Why do we, I mean us as a society, devote and dominate our attention to something for so long and so abusively? I noticed during Katrina, Joplin, Sandy, this, we have constant media coverage for like 3 days straight, this is all that's going on... but in actuality, what new information is being presented throughout this endless circus? Perhaps one new "breaking*" story every few hours- update to the total loss, update to the casualty numbers. But that's it. It all reminds me of that Jeff Foxworthy joke: "If you've been on tv more than 5 times describing what the tornado sounded like..." Yes, it's terrible that this happened, yes it's awful so many were hurt and killed, but we tend to dwell on these things constantly, as if we can forget that yesterday one of the worst tornadoes in history plowed through a city. Not saying don't honor those that were affected, but as posted before by Rooskie, the media is so quick to get out there and find a person who lost someone and badger them with questions. The MSM really has no shame, and they do really go after that motto: "If it bleeds, it leads!"

*Fox News is notorious for this- everything they say is "Breaking news!!!" But it's not just breaking, it broke 10 fucking hours ago! Breaking is reserved for "We interrupt the previous story to tell you this breaking news..." New effing development, not repeating the story for those just tuning in. [rant-off]

It's all about getting the advertising dollars before the other stations/networks get them. That's all it is, money.

[Jer]

Ask yourself this. How many schools around the front range have reinforced rooms for tornado shelter, that will not flood in the event they are trapped? How many of you have homes with safe rooms(good enough for the smaller twisters but useless on the big ones) or storm shelters below ground? Greeley showed you all, or should have, that Colorado gets big ones too. It's easy for people to say what they should or shouldn't have done about a tornado when they never have had first hand experience with these. The majority of the new homes in Moore, especially the ones rebuilt after '99 had safe rooms, and additional measures in their construction. How many homes here are built to withstand twisters, heck how many homes are built with the idea of being resistant to wildfires? This in a state known for them.

I grew up in Nebraska and the houses I've built all have basements even though I live in the foothills.

[Great-Kazoo]

Ask yourself this. How many schools around the front range have reinforced rooms for tornado shelter, that will not flood in the event they are trapped? How many of you have homes with safe rooms(good enough for the smaller twisters but useless on the big ones) or storm shelters below ground? Greeley showed you all, or should have, that Colorado gets big ones too. It's easy for people to say what they should or shouldn't have done about a tornado when they never have had first hand experience with these. The majority of the new homes in Moore, especially the ones rebuilt after '99 had safe rooms, and additional measures in their construction. How many homes here are built to withstand twisters, heck how many homes are built with the idea of being resistant to wildfires? This in a state known for them.


To clarify it was not Greeley, but Windsor, that took the brunt of it 5 years ago. Regarding built for tornadoes, it is like carrying flood ins. Our house was built in 1904. Not exactly a financial mecca same for the surrounding areas. Adding a safe room adds $$$$ to a new build and many more to "update" older homes. The average home in CO doesn't have many that offer "safe rooms" in the under $300K range.

[Gman]

At least most of us have basements to get below ground level. OK and TX are almost all slab on grade construction.

[thedave1164]

I pray for those affected in Moore, and else where.
Tragic events happen, earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes, floods, blizzards, forest fires, etc.....
There is no perfectly safe place to live, and you can not always prepare to survive every situation.

[n8tive97]

I heard someone say on the news when this just happened that America has more violent weather than any other country in the world. Didn't know that, thought it was interesting. The video of the lady and her dog was heart warming.

Living in Texas for 9 years and 2 of those years was as a courier for FedEx, I have seen this stuff happen first hand and it is scary. I will never forget this first tornado I saw on my route, just outside of Waco. Butt pucker factor 1000!!! Some of these tornadoes are so big, a basement or cellar won't matter.

[Byte Stryke]

What happened to "If it saves just one child?"

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/u-s-world/moore-oklahoma-schools-hit-by-tornado-did-not-have-reinforced-tornado-shelters


I guess I missed the part afterwards that says "unless it directly impacts me financially... then to hell with all of it."

[Gman]

What happened to "If it saves just one child?"

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/u-s-world/moore-oklahoma-schools-hit-by-tornado-did-not-have-reinforced-tornado-shelters


I guess I missed the part afterwards that says "unless it directly impacts me financially... then to hell with all of it."
That's the choice that was made for protecting children in 'free kill zones', a.k.a. schools. The NRA was right on the money when they brought up the point that we have armed guards to protect our money in banks and our public officials, but not what's most important to us, our children. The decision has been made repeatedly to trade lives for dollars.

Our rulers feel it is more important that we give up our freedoms under the lie that it's saving lives.

[streetglideok]

The US probably does have the most violent weather in the world. We have hurricanes, sometimes the strongest of them all, icestorms(not violent but the aftermath can be), severe thunderstorms with huge hail, and high winds, and then tornadoes. More of them than about anywhere else in the world.

In reality, since they backed the death toll down, this could have been alot worse. Its always sad to see kids get killed, but there is only so much we can do to protect children. In the end, if mother nature wants to take them back, we are merely ants in comparison to her power. Look at the Joplin twister, and the death toll in that one. This could have been a whole lot worse. The really wacked out thing is, 3x in 15 years Moore has been hammered by an EF4 or greater twister, with some of the same homes destroyed in all of them. I don't know of any place in the country, in the world, that this has happened.

[Ronin13]

Turn off the news before you hurt yourself.
Been off since yesterday- I just stopped watching... moved on to watching the entirety of Funker's GoPro Afghanistan videos. [Beer]

The US probably does have the most violent weather in the world. We have hurricanes, sometimes the strongest of them all, icestorms(not violent but the aftermath can be), severe thunderstorms with huge hail, and high winds, and then tornadoes. More of them than about anywhere else in the world.

In reality, since they backed the death toll down, this could have been alot worse. Its always sad to see kids get killed, but there is only so much we can do to protect children. In the end, if mother nature wants to take them back, we are merely ants in comparison to her power. Look at the Joplin twister, and the death toll in that one. This could have been a whole lot worse. The really wacked out thing is, 3x in 15 years Moore has been hammered by an EF4 or greater twister, with some of the same homes destroyed in all of them. I don't know of any place in the country, in the world, that this has happened.
This is true... but just be happy it's only the weather here, other parts (due to lack of technology, population density, poverty, etc.) disasters hit much worse even if they're not as severe- and let's not forget earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic activity...