Medical examiner: 24 dead in Oklahoma twister
MOORE, Okla. (AP) - Emergency crews searched the broken remnants of an Oklahoma City suburb Tuesday for survivors of a massive tornado that flattened homes and demolished an elementary school. At least 24 people were killed, including at least seven children, and those numbers were expected to climb.
As the sun rose over the shattered community of Moore, the state medical examiner’s office cut the estimated death toll by more than half but warned that the number was likely to climb again.
Spokeswoman Amy Elliott said she believes some victims were counted twice in the early chaos of the storm that struck Monday afternoon. Downed communication lines and problems sharing information with officers exacerbated the problem, she said.
“It was a very eventful night,” Elliott said. “I truly expect that they’ll find more today.”
Full Story Here:
Medical examiner: 24 dead in Oklahoma twister
There will be NO POLITICS from The TexasFred Blog today. Even though I live in the great state of Texas, and have for many years, Oklahoma, and the Oklahoma City area were a large part of my youth.
We lived on the Southwest side of OKC for a number of years and we had friends and business contacts in the Moore, OK area.
Our hearts were breaking yesterday as we watched the devastation that hit Moore, and the initial reports of the children that were lost tore my heart out.
The news that the numbers were being revised DOWN was great news, but as the day progresses I am still afraid the numbers will climb. I pray not, but I am not optimistic.
According to the National Weather Service we are in for a bumpy ride here in the DFW area for at least another day or 2. A tornado watch is in effect as I type this.
Devastation and miracles, grief and elation, the range of emotions that the folks in Moore and those in the Granbury and Cleburne Texas are feeling, is a roller-coaster ride that plays HELL on the mind, but these Okies and Texans are a tough people.
We will survive, we will help one another and we will come back, we WILL rebuild, bigger, better, stronger and with a renewed belief in our faith and fellow man!
That is what Americans do!
Additional Reading:
In tornado’s wake, worried parents seek out kids
AP photographer sees kids pulled from Okla. school
With kin in Moore, Welch, and Quapaw, we’ve been on the phone a lot during the last 36 hrs. So far, all are safe, though my Cousins in Moore spent the day and last night below grade in the cellar.
The helpless feeling one gets when there ain’t nothin’ to be done except watch and wait can be quite frustrating.
Truly, the power of nature is both amazing and terrifying. I am thankful the storms missed our area, but my heart and prayers go out to the residents of Moore. I can not imagine what they are going through right now.