Local & Regional

Relief Efforts Continue in Moore

Catherine Roberts — Wed, 22 May 2013 00:45:11 +0000

Moore Police struggle to find addresses in the areas blasted by the tornado. Moore Police Department’s Sergeant Jeremy Lewis says it is difficult locating streets or reference markers because it has all been destroyed.

“A lot of our shelters are registered, but even with that we can’t located the addresses. We don’t even know what block we’re on, so it’s difficult,” says Lewis. “There are no streets anymore. Even guys that have worked here 20 years are having trouble finding any kind of reference point to know what street we’re at.”

TPS Emergency Management: Student Safety Is Primary Concern

KWGS News — Wed, 22 May 2013 00:40:42 +0000

Safety in schools during a natural disaster is a top priority, and numerous school facilities were damaged or destroyed during the recent tornado in Moore. Officials in Tulsa Public Schools understand the concern over safety.

“We have constant conversations with the principals, we do training for staff on different kinds of disasters,” says Tulsa Public Schools Emergency Manager Bob Roberts.

Roberts says TPS will use any information about what happened in Moore to inform its own emergency plans.

No New Funds Needed For Tornado Recovery

Associated Press — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:36:00 +0000

Top lawmakers and officials say the federal government has plenty of money on hand to pay for recovery efforts in the devastating tornado that struck Oklahoma.

The government has more than $11 billion in its main disaster relief fund. Recovery costs in Moore, Okla., are expected to be a relatively small fraction of that amount. The devastating 2011 tornado that wiped out much of Joplin, Mo., use up about $750 million in federal disaster aid.

OK Pop Museum Request Delayed

Associated Press — Tue, 21 May 2013 19:03:30 +0000

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma Historical Society is asking state lawmakers to postpone consideration of a museum funding bill so they can concentrate on tornado relief.

Bob Blackburn, executive director of the Historical Society, said Tuesday that a funding bill for the Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture should be temporarily set aside following the devastation and loss of life in Moore and other parts of central Oklahoma in Monday's tornados.

Tornado Injuries Mount

Associated Press — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:54:20 +0000

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Hospital officials say they've treated hundreds of patients, including dozens of children, since a tornado hit an Oklahoma City suburb.

About 60 patients remained hospitalized Tuesday following Monday's tornado.

Norman Regional Hospital spokeswoman Melissa Herron says 20 of the more than 100 patients her hospital treated remain hospitalized.

Ways To Help Tornado Victims and Relief Efforts

KWGS News — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:07:58 +0000

Many agencies are facilitating and assisting relief efforts in Moore. Here are some options for donating money and supplies in Tulsa.

Red Cross

You can text “Red Cross” to 90999 in order to make a $10 donation to the Oklahoma Red Cross, which is on the scene in Moore providing first-response relief. You can also donate online at www.redcross.org/ok/tulsa.

The Salvation Army

Tennessee Sends Search And Rescue Team To Oklahoma

Associated Press — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:39:56 +0000

A Tennessee-based team of emergency service workers has gone to Oklahoma to help with tornado recovery.

Memphis Fire Department spokesman Wayne Cooke said that Tennessee Task Force 1 left early Tuesday from Memphis.

Cooke says the 80-member team will mostly help with search and rescue efforts after powerful and deadly tornadoes struck cities in Oklahoma on Sunday and Monday. Emergency crews are digging through the rubble of destroyed structures to find trapped people.

Oklahoma Senator Says Tornado Aid Should Be Paid For

Associated Press — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:11:43 +0000

Conservative Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn says that any additional federal aid to help tornado victims and to rebuild devastated areas of his state should be financed with cuts to other programs in the government's $3.6 trillion budget.

Spokesman John Hart says it's a position Coburn has consistently held regarding federal spending on disasters dating to the 1995 bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City.

Obama Offers Help For Oklahoma Tornado Victims

Associated Press — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:46:11 +0000

President Barack Obama says he is instructing his disaster response team to get tornado victims in Oklahoma everything they need "right away."

Obama calls the devastation that tore through the Oklahoma City suburbs, quote, "one of the most destructive tornados in history," even though he said the extent of the damage is still unknown.

Obama spoke Tuesday after an Oval Office briefing on the latest developments from his disaster response team and as Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Craig Fugate was heading to Oklahoma.

Oklahoma Interstates Open, But Traffic Slow Moving

Associated Press — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:43:39 +0000

Officials say all of the interstates through the tornado-ravaged areas of Moore and Oklahoma City are open, but traffic is moving slowly.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol reports portions of Interstates 44 and 35 that were shut down after Monday's deadly tornado were reopened about 10 p.m. Monday.

Capt. George Brown says all lanes of I-35 through Moore are open, but that traffic has slowed to a crawl where the tornado crossed the interstate. Heavily damaged homes and businesses can be seen on both sides of the north-south thoroughfare.