Aftermath of May 20, 2013, Moore, Okla., tornado, as shot by Reuters and posted here via Fair Use Act.
MOORE, Okla.—A massive tornado that struck a suburb of Oklahoma City yesterday afternoon (3:01 p.m.) has reportedly now killed more than 90 people—many of them schoolchildren trapped in a building before school was out for the day—and has underscored the dangers of the Midwest in Spring when it comes to tornadic activity.
The situation was made all the more eerie by the fact that it was Moore, Oklahoma, the site of another deadly tornado in 1999; as well as the fact that it occurred on the eve of the anniversary of the Joplin, Missouri, tornado, which, on May 23, 2011, was one of the most deadly storms in modern record-keeping (since 1950; the Tri-State Tornado still holds the records for worst storm of all time but is considered ‘historic’, as weather record-keeping changed dramatically in the 50 years hence).
Crews working the scene of the 2013 Moore tornado continued to pull bodies from the rubble overnight, as told in this detailed piece from Reuters, one of the best news stories we’ve found online this morning; here’s a snip:
Another elementary school, homes and a hospital were among the buildings leveled in Moore, leaving residents of the town of about 50,000 people stunned at the devastation and loss of life. Many residents were left without power and water.
The Oklahoma medical examiner said 20 of the 91 expected to have been killed were children. The office had already confirmed 51 dead and had been told during the night by emergency services to expect 40 more bodies found in the debris, but had not yet received them.
At least 60 of the 240 people injured were children, area hospitals said.
The National Weather Service assigned the twister a preliminary ranking of EF4 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, meaning the second most powerful category of tornado with winds up to 200 mph.
Witnesses said Monday’s tornado appeared more fierce than the giant twister that was among the dozens that tore up the area on May 3, 1999, killing more than 40 people and destroying thousands of homes. That tornado ranked as an EF5, meaning it had winds over 200 mph.
The 1999 event in Oklahoma ranks as the third-costliest tornado in U.S. history, having caused more than $1 billion in damage at the time, or more than $1.3 billion in today’s dollars. Only the devastating Joplin and Tuscaloosa tornadoes in 2011 were more costly.
The Midwest faced a round of brutal storms overnight last night as well, many of those pounding the readership area for hours and dropping heavy rain here in southern Illinois. Radar maps showed a line of storms approaching last night which stretched from Arkadelphia, Ark., to Chicago shortly before midnight.
More storms are on tap for later today for our area of southern Illinois, and readers are urged to be on guard, as many could be severe. If tornadic activity threatens our area, we’ll keep you apprised of it here and at the Facebook page.