KGOU

Funerals Begin In Tornado-Ravaged Moore, Okla.

By Mark Memmott

Credit Tannen Maury / EPA /LANDOV

The scene at Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla., which was destroyed by Monday's tornado. Seven children died there.

Funerals begin Thursday for the 24 people known to have been killed by the tornado that devastated Moore, Okla., on Monday.

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Severe Storms

8:14 am

Thu May 23, 2013

Storms, Flooding Slowing Tornado Recovery

Credit Brian Hardzinski / KGOU

Flooding at College Ave. one block north of Lindsey Street in Norman, Okla. from thunderstorms Thursday morning.

By Associated Press

A band of thunderstorms is battering the Oklahoma City area and slowing cleanup operations in the southern suburb where a tornado killed 24 people and destroyed thousands of homes earlier this week.

The National Weather Service said Thursday that the storms are producing hail, heavy rain and high winds. A flash flood warning is also in effect for some areas.

The Weather Service says more severe storms are forecast for late afternoon and at night. It says tornados are a possibility.

Severe Storms

7:00 am

Thu May 23, 2013

Tornado Recovery Resources

Credit Mike Prendergast / SkyWatcherMedia.com

This tornado hit Edmond before striking Carney, Okla. May 19.

By Kurt Gwartney

As residents in Oklahoma pick up the pieces of their lives, there are many agencies and organizations providing disaster relief. KGOU has compiled a list of resources to aid in the recovery.

Updated 7am, May 23, 2013

The Two-Way

6:27 pm

Wed May 22, 2013

Teachers In Moore Gather For 'Sharing And Healing'

Next image Previous image

Credit Katie Hayes Luke / NPR

Stacy Montgomery, pre-K teacher from Briarwood Elementary, grieves with fellow teachers at the informational meeting for Moore ISD teachers and administration.

Credit Katie Hayes Luke for NPR

Teachers from North Moore Elementary School gather at a meeting at Southern Hills Baptist Church in Oklahoma City.

By editor

Originally published on Thu May 23, 2013 10:06 am

What was billed as an informational meeting for teachers turned into a session of sharing and healing.

"A lot of people in this district will need grief counseling, including myself," said Susan Pierce, the superintendent of public schools in Moore, Okla.

The Two-Way

2:38 pm

Wed May 22, 2013

Why Oklahomans Don't Like Basements

Credit Joshua Lott / AFP/Getty Images

A heavily damaged home in Moore on Monday. Chances are, it doesn't have a basement.

By Scott Neuman

Originally published on Tue May 21, 2013 7:39 pm

When Randy Keller moved from Texas to the Oklahoma City area seven years ago, he couldn't find the house he was looking for.

"I was moving from Texas, where there are also a lot of tornadoes," says the professor of geology and geophysics at the University of Oklahoma who experienced the 1970 tornado in Lubbock, Texas. "But I just couldn't find one."

Severe Storms

10:32 am

Wed May 22, 2013

Powerful Before/After Aerial Images of Moore

Next image Previous image

Credit Jamin Yeager / Aerial Oklahoma

The area between SW 4th and 19th Streets looking east toward Interstate 35 before the tornado.

Credit Jamin Yeager / Aerial Oklahoma

That same area on Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Credit Jamin Yeager / Aerial Oklahoma

The hardest-hit area near Plaza Towers Elementary School looking Northeast

Credit Jamin Yeager / Aerial Oklahoma

That same location on Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Credit Jamin Yeager / Aerial Oklahoma

The Warren Theatre and Moore Medical Center looking northwest near Interstate 35

Credit Jamin Yeager / Aerial Oklahoma

That same location on Tuesday, May 21, 2013

By Brian Hardzinski

Stunning visual images have emerged that show a side-by-side comparison of the areas of Moore hardest hit by Monday’s tornado. Follow this link to see an interactive spatial scrawl.

“I've flown over that corridor dozens of times and shoot Southeast 19th Street and Interstate 35 regularly as it's a prime development location,” says photographer Jamin Yeager with Aerial Oklahoma. On Tuesday, he says “we waited for the weather to clear and got airborne by 3:45.”

The pictures show the hardest hit areas between SW 4th and 19th Streets just west of I-35. The entire neighborhood behind the Warren Theatre was flattened, and there’s a noticeable brown tint caused by mud and debris along the tornado’s path.

7:51 pm

Tue May 21, 2013

Lawmakers: More Safe Rooms Needed in Schools

By Karen Holp

Lead in text:

"Albert Ashwood, director of the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management, said Tuesday there were no safe rooms in the two schools leveled by the tornado. Speaking at a public news briefing, Ashwood said hundreds of schools across the state have installed reinforced tornado shelters, but Plaza Towers Elementary and Briarwood Elementary were not among them."

Source: Oklahomawatch
| Via: Oklahoma Watch

With state officials acknowledging that two elementary schools destroyed by Monday's tornado had no safe rooms, some lawmakers began pressing to increase the number of shelters and provide funds to build them. Rep.

Read More: http://oklahomawatch.org

7:47 pm

Tue May 21, 2013

Aftermath of a Storm

By Karen Holp

Lead in text:

"Jessica’s father was at home when the tornado hit and hid in the bathroom. It was the only room in the house where the roof wasn't entirely ripped off, and her father survived. “It makes you feel blessed,” Ellerd said. She gestured toward the house. “This is just stuff.”

Source: Oklahomawatch
| Via: Oklahoma Watch

Clifton Adcock / Oklahoma Watch permalink The massive tornado wreaked havoc with scores of vehicles.

Read More: http://oklahomawatch.org

The Two-Way

5:33 pm

Tue May 21, 2013

Storm Chasers Seek Thrills, But Also Chance To Warn Others

Credit Alonzo Adams / AP

A tornado moves past homes in Moore, Okla. on Monday.

By Steve Mullis

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The Two-Way

4:23 pm

Tue May 21, 2013

WATCH: Moore Tornado As Seen From Space

Credit NOAA

A NOAA satellite image of the Moore tornado.

By editor

Shots - Health News

4:14 pm

Tue May 21, 2013

The Scramble At Moore Medical Center As The Tornado Hit

Credit Alonzo Adams / AP

A Moore Medical Center patient sits in the parking lot after a tornado damaged the hospital on Monday.

By MAUREEN CHOWDHURY

A massive tornado swept through the Oklahoma City area Monday afternoon, leaving ruin in its path.

Moore Medical Center, which stood directly in the tornado's path, was devastated. But the workers, patients and their families in the hospital escaped.

Nick Stremble, a registered nurse and manager at the hospital, told Shots Tuesday what he saw.

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