Oklahoma Tornado Kills At Least 24

[News_Editor]

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA (BNO NEWS) -- At least 24 people have been confirmed dead after a tornado ripped through the state of Oklahoma, local authorities said Tuesday.

Monday's powerful tornado swept through Moore, Oklahoma, a suburb of Oklahoma City located just south of the state capital, during the afternoon. As locals braced for the worse, search-and-rescue crews quickly began operations.

Local authorities had initially placed the death toll at 51, but the state medical examiner later corrected it to 24. Among those killed were seven children. Spokeswoman Amy Elliot said most of the victims have already been identified, although their names were not immediately released.

The mile-wide tornado damaged a number of buildings, including schools, and flattened out several neighborhoods. The exact number of injuries was not immediately known, but the OU Medical Hospital told local media outlets that it has received a total of 85 victims, including 50 children.

(Copyright 2013 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: [email protected].)

[Morden]

Another sad event. The US is getting it bad at the moment, one way or another.

My thoughts go out to all those who are suffering.

[geriatrickid]

The political fallout from this event is going to tarnish the GOP.

Interesting enough the 3 states that have the most conservative congressional delegation, who are opposed to government spending and social assistance are the 3 states that receive the most in disaster assistance; Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma.

The lack of storm shelters in the city of Moore will come back to haunt some politicians. FEMA didn't have the money to fund the shelters. Who's fault is that? It is Congress that controls the allocations and Congress didn't authorize the funding. More trouble ahead if the Telegraph and Huffington Post report is accurate;

This raises difficult questions for Oklahoma's fiscally conservative Republican senators, both of whom voted last year to cut money from a bill to aid the victims of Hurricane Sandy.A spokesman for Senator Tom Coburn said that he would ask for any new spending on Oklahoma relief to be offset by cuts elsewhere to the federal budget.

Nice. That's going to go over well.

[Morden]

Those two guys were on CNN yesterday morning saying how terrible it all was. The were suited and booted in Washington when they should have been heading home to show their faces.

[beechguy]

The political fallout from this event is going to tarnish the GOP.

Interesting enough the 3 states that have the most conservative congressional delegation, who are opposed to government spending and social assistance are the 3 states that receive the most in disaster assistance; Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma.

The lack of storm shelters in the city of Moore will come back to haunt some politicians. FEMA didn't have the money to fund the shelters. Who's fault is that? It is Congress that controls the allocations and Congress didn't authorize the funding. More trouble ahead if the Telegraph and Huffington Post report is accurate;

This raises difficult questions for Oklahoma's fiscally conservative Republican senators, both of whom voted last year to cut money from a bill to aid the victims of Hurricane Sandy.A spokesman for Senator Tom Coburn said that he would ask for any new spending on Oklahoma relief to be offset by cuts elsewhere to the federal budget.

Nice. That's going to go over well.

I doubt there will be much tarnishment. The way I understand it, FEMA kept changing requirements and that caused delays. Everyone that lives in that area, knows that sooner or later they will have to deal with a tornado. Many homeowners have their own shelters, and many public buildings are designated shelter areas, unfortunately not all can withstand an EF4 or 5. Many school districts have increased funding to upgrade new and existing buildings, and hopefully more people will have better protection in the future.

Edited May 22, 2013 by beechguy

[zydeco]

The political fallout from this event is going to tarnish the GOP.

Interesting enough the 3 states that have the most conservative congressional delegation, who are opposed to government spending and social assistance are the 3 states that receive the most in disaster assistance; Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma.

The lack of storm shelters in the city of Moore will come back to haunt some politicians. FEMA didn't have the money to fund the shelters. Who's fault is that? It is Congress that controls the allocations and Congress didn't authorize the funding. More trouble ahead if the Telegraph and Huffington Post report is accurate;

This raises difficult questions for Oklahoma's fiscally conservative Republican senators, both of whom voted last year to cut money from a bill to aid the victims of Hurricane Sandy.A spokesman for Senator Tom Coburn said that he would ask for any new spending on Oklahoma relief to be offset by cuts elsewhere to the federal budget.

Nice. That's going to go over well.

FEMA shelters? For a tornado? You obviously have never lived in this region of the country. You might get a few minutes warning, if lucky, for a tornado. And if people don't have cellars to escape to, it's usually because of the soil, especially in North Texas, which makes underground cellars prohibitively expensive or impossible. Much the same goes for southeast Oklahoma. But a FEMA shelter! You must be joking. I can just see it, now, everybody go down the block, across town, and into the city and get to your FEMA shelter. Hah! Meanwhile, get blown to bits while the twister wipes you off the turnpike.

[chuckd]

The political fallout from this event is going to tarnish the GOP.

Interesting enough the 3 states that have the most conservative congressional delegation, who are opposed to government spending and social assistance are the 3 states that receive the most in disaster assistance; Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma.

The lack of storm shelters in the city of Moore will come back to haunt some politicians. FEMA didn't have the money to fund the shelters. Who's fault is that? It is Congress that controls the allocations and Congress didn't authorize the funding. More trouble ahead if the Telegraph and Huffington Post report is accurate;

This raises difficult questions for Oklahoma's fiscally conservative Republican senators, both of whom voted last year to cut money from a bill to aid the victims of Hurricane Sandy.A spokesman for Senator Tom Coburn said that he would ask for any new spending on Oklahoma relief to be offset by cuts elsewhere to the federal budget.

Nice. That's going to go over well.

I don't really understand this statement from your post...

"Interesting enough the 3 states that have the most conservative congressional delegation, who are opposed to government spending and social assistance are the 3 states that receive the most in disaster assistance; Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma."

Since you provided no links to support this I have tried to look it up. Are you talking about dollar assistance or simply the most number of major disaster declarations issued by the government? Is it for only this past fiscal year or is it since the beginning of FEMA?

If it is the most number of declarations issued by the federal government for either last fiscal year or the beginning of FEMA, your claim is false about these three states receiving the most disaster declarations.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For the record, here is the following listing of states and the total number of major disaster declarations made by the government on their behalf since the beginning of FEMA..

1. Texas - 333

2. California - 211

3. Oklahoma - 169

4. Florida - 134

5. Washington - 112

Kansas is tied for 18th with a total of 55

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If your statement applies only to fiscal year 2012, Oklahoma received two declarations, Kansas received one and Texas received Zero.

I have no idea what you are referring to and would appreciate a clarification of your so called facts. Thank you.

http://www.fema.gov/disasters/grid/year/2013?field_disaster_type_term_tid_1=All

http://www.fema.gov/disasters/grid/year/2012?field_disaster_type_term_tid_1=All

http://www.fema.gov/disasters/grid/state-tribal-government

[F430murci]

Large tornado on ground In North Moore again.

[F430murci]

Weather channel crew got caught by a tornado and the SUV was demolished and thrown into a field in OKlahoma City area.

[Mosha]

Watching it on CNN, it's not pretty.

[Mosha]

Interstates are clogged, and people were told an hour ago to get off them, they were in danger.

[Scott]

There was a brief, but good explanation of what was happening. To paraphrase, it was a matter of 4 different storms going across the same area. Usually a storm 'eats up' all the hot air and energy, but it was so hot and humid that a 2nd, 3rd and then 4th storm had ample hot air and humidity to power them.

Quite unusual.

Very scary.

[Mosha]

Confirmed fatalities but no definite numbers yet. Police radio mentioned a mother and child in a car.

[F430murci]

Now flooding there. Poor people. Mayor of Moore was being interviewed while in large safe and his office worker in safe with him received call saying the Chick-filla right behind him was taken out while he was in the phone.

Edited June 1, 2013 by F430murci

[F430murci]

A picture of Weather Channel vehicle Mike Bettes was in when it got throw 200 yards.

https://mobile.twitter.com/SeanSchoferTVN/status/340625216378126337/photo/1

[Mosha]

One place had a lucky escape. The tornado was approaching, it lifted and then touched down again the other side of the area.

[Mosha]

A picture of Weather Channel vehicle Mike Bettes was in when it got throw 200 yards.

https://mobile.twitter.com/SeanSchoferTVN/status/340625216378126337/photo/1

Very lucky people in there. Reporting 6 - 8" of rain now.

[F430murci]

A picture of Weather Channel vehicle Mike Bettes was in when it got throw 200 yards.

https://mobile.twitter.com/SeanSchoferTVN/status/340625216378126337/photo/1

Very lucky people in there. Reporting 6 - 8" of rain now.

There is a storm chaser video floating around that is like movie twister. Buildings are being blown onto truck breaking windows, debris flying at them and then a large hay bail is blown into the truck. Crazy. These guys don't usually get caught like this. Even Ken Cole in that tank like vehicle that can survive direct huts had his hood ripped off in Oklahoma City. St. Louis had a large tornado with a debris ball also.

Cole vehicle:

http://www.reddirtreport.com/Story.aspx/25676

Edited June 1, 2013 by F430murci

[Mosha]

A picture of Weather Channel vehicle Mike Bettes was in when it got throw 200 yards.

https://mobile.twitter.com/SeanSchoferTVN/status/340625216378126337/photo/1

Very lucky people in there. Reporting 6 - 8" of rain now.

There is a storm chaser video floating around that is like movie twister. Buildings are being blown onto truck breaking windows, debris flying at them and then a large hay bail is blown into the truck. Crazy. These guys don't usually get caught like this. Even Ken Cole in that tank like vehicle that can survive direct huts had his hood ripped off in Oklahoma City. St. Louis had a large tornado with a debris ball also.

Cole vehicle:

http://www.reddirtreport.com/Story.aspx/25676

CNN may be about to show the vid you mention. I was listening to CNN when they mentioned the hood/bonnet incident. scary

Edited June 1, 2013 by Mosha

[F430murci]

Haha, I just looked up above. Do my eyes deceive me or were people arguing politics when they were pulling dead 3rd graders out of an elementary school.

One would have to be a really miserable human to only think about politics at a time like that.

Edited June 1, 2013 by F430murci

[Tywais]

I grew up in Texas and also in the tornado alley in the mid west and in school tornado drills were regular events. One time in school it wasn't a drill though and pretty terrifying. Seen many and the aftermath. This one in Oklahoma is massive though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq8fA9t4AwQ

[F430murci]

I grew up in Texas and also in the tornado alley in the mid west and in school tornado drills were regular events. One time in school it wasn't a drill though and pretty terrifying. Seen many and the aftermath. This one in Oklahoma is massive though.

My brother and I used to storm chase back in late 90s until about 2002. We were in Moore in 99 shortly after storm. That is perhaps why this one bothered me. Saw some messed up people.

Daughters gave gone to Joplin twice for volunteer work and I spent a day there and saw Alambama damage shortly after Tuscaloosa to Birmingham tornado.

Television does not portray damage, smell and eerie feeling in the aftermath of these strong F5 paths. You feel like you have been dropped off on a different planet and human side of it will change you when seeing these bad F5 aftermaths.

Edited June 1, 2013 by F430murci

[Tywais]

May 23, 2013 - what a massive EF5 tornado is like.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0L-XExpb3pY

[Tywais]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkiaTYHsz8k

[Tywais]

Inflammatory/troll post and reply to it removed. There is nothing wrong with posting background or historical references to this topic. Calling a member a liar without proof will earn a suspension.

[F430murci]

Sounds like 3 of 9 killed were tornado chasers. The Inion city tornado took a really hard left, which it nit unusual when back build and strengthens. I am just amazed how season chasers got caught such as Ken Cole, Mike Bettes and his Weather Channel team, and many smarter chaser chaser videos as seen on videos.

[F430murci]

The other big f up no one is discussing is how the OK City channel 4 forecaster, who is one of the best, told people of Moore and just West of Moore to get in their cars and flee south if they could not get beneath ground.

I saw this live, Channel 4 broadcast through WC, just after Bettes got hit by Union City tornado. The highways then got clogged and the Mayor, Governor and everyone is now saying people trying to flee clogged roads and led to a lotof injuries and some deaths,

[F430murci]

Carl Young from Discovery Channel, meteorologist and renowned storm chaser is one of the dead. Tim Samars another.

Shocking here! These guys used to come down to hurricanes which we used to follow with our boards in hand. These guys were not amateurs or thrill seekers.

Tim Samars also lost his son during same chase Poor wife and mom. Big loss there for her.

Samaras achievements include:

He held the world record for measuring the lowest barometric pressure drop which was 100 millibars inside a tornado. This specific tornado destroyed the town of Manchester. South Dakota on June 24, 2003.

Samaras also built a camera probe that was able to safely look inside a tornado.

Formed the research group TWISTEX (Tactical Weather Instrumented Sampling in/near Tornadoes Experiment.

Edited June 2, 2013 by F430murci

[F430murci]

Article on Samaras and why they got caught.

http://www.theweatherspace.com/2013/06/02/tim-samaras-his-son-and-carl-young-oklahoma-tornad/

[F430murci]

Although no one seems to care about this toipic, I find this extremely interesting.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/04/18751584-el-reno-tornado-at-26-miles-across-was-widest-on-record?lite

The El Reno tornado a couple of days ago that got the storm chasers and has killed about 20 now was 2.6 miles wide and upgraded to EF5.

2.6 miles wide is just frickin crazy. 2 EF5 in same area in a week is also just crazy.