A day after a twister 1.3 miles wide ravaged the city of Moore, Oklahoma, the scope of the damage is evident. At least 24 people died, including nine children. Some of the youngest victims who lost their lives were in Plaza Towers Elementary School, which collapsed in the storm.
The estimated peak wind was about 200 mph, which would put the tornado in the most powerful category, an EF5, according to the National Weather Service. Today more than 40,000 customers are still without power, a utility spokesman said
This afternoon Anderson Cooper was standing in front of twisted metal and layers of debris. The bowling alley would have been completely unrecognizable except for the bowling balls scattered in the wreckage. That scene is replicated throughout the town – pile after pile of crumbled buildings and homes.
Country singer Toby Keith talks to Anderson Cooper about the massive tornado that hit the town where he grew up on Monday. Earlier in the evening he tweeted a message of support for the Moore, Oklahoma community:
Hometown got hit for the gazillionth time. Rise again Moore Oklahoma. Godspeed.Prayin – T
— Toby Keith (@TobyKeithMusic) May 20, 2013
"I grew up in those neighborhoods that got hit today ... it's just devastating," he said on AC360. Keith believes the destruction would be worse if it weren't for the work of the state meteorologists and media preparing residents when they knew the storm was coming.
A Moore, Oklahoma resident rescued his neighbor after he heard him shouting for help from beneath the rubble.
The death toll continues to rise in Oklahoma after a powerful tornado wiped out homes, schools and other buildings. The preliminary rating of damage created by the 2-mile-wide twister is at least EF4, which indicates it had wind speeds between 166 and 200 mph, according to the National Weather Service. Anderson cooper looks at how the natural disaster and tragic aftermath unfolded.
A couple with a newborn baby describes the chaos after the tornado and how they helped their neighbors in Moore, Oklahoma.
Moments ago, a massive tornado tore through Moore, Oklahoma, just south of Oklahoma City. It’s estimated the powerful twister was two miles wide when it hit the area. The preliminary rating of damage created by the tornado is at least EF4 (winds 166 to 200 mph), according to the National Weather Service
Right now, our affiliate KFOR has a helicopter above Moore showing homes and schools, including Plaza Towers Elementary School, left in ruins for miles. Buildings are completely leveled, and cars are mangled in piles. Reporter Lance West says the basketball court is being set up as a triage area at one of the schools. An urgent search and rescue effort is underway.
American aid worker Jessica Buchanan was held captive in the Somali desert for 93 days. Her captors were heavily-armed pirates who initially demanded a $45 million ransom. She describes the harrowing ordeal and dramatic rescue to Anderson Cooper in an in-depth interview.
In her last "proof of life" call to her family on January 16, Buchanan told them she had an infection and urgently needed medication to survive. For months she had become weak from exposure to the elements and little food or clean water. That call set in motion the rescue operation that would end her nightmare.
Buchanan says she had no idea anybody knew where she and her Danish colleague were being held. She never imagined President Obama was aware of her imprisonment and location.
Can't seem to remember to change your baby's diapers? That's what social media is for.
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Post by: Filed under: The RidicuList |
CNN's Randi Kaye has the story of a Texas man who lost his home, but found his best friend after the deadly tornadoes. Jerry Shuttlesworth was reunited with his 6-year-old pit bull, Junior, on Friday.
CNN's Martin Savidge investigates the mysterious poisoning death of a neurologist in Pittsburgh.
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