Posted on 05/21/2013 4:27:04 AM PDT by LD Jackson
No politics today. The state of Oklahoma has suffered another blow, courtesy of mother nature and the privilege of living in the middle of Tornado Alley. I watched yesterday as parts of Moore was torn apart. I wondered about my aunt and uncle, living just off I-35. They are okay, but their house did sustain damage. They are elderly and were unable to heed the warnings to flee from the path of the storm. They had no underground shelter, so they rode it out in the bathtub. I can also report that Charles Phipps, the news contributor to Political Realities is safe. He lives in the area of Oklahoma City, but was clear of the storm.
The storm that tore its way through Moore has been classified as at least a F4, with sustained winds of 200 mph. It wasn't as powerful as the storm that took aim at Moore in 1999, which had sustained winds of 318 mph. That is the highest sustained wind speed ever recorded on the surface of the earth. (Leave it to Oklahoma to hold such an auspicious record.) Yesterday's storm was also about a mile wide, with a debris ball of 2.25 miles. Regardless of the wind speed, that is a monster of a storm.
The worst story coming out of the storm is the news that it planted a direct hit on Plaza Towers and Briarwood Elementary Schools. There have been 51 confirmed deaths, with as many as 20 of them children. The number of deaths is expected to rise as high as 90. Some of the stories I have read tell about some people who were near the school going to be with their children because they thought they would be safer there. Storms like this should serve as a reminder that no one is safe from a monster storm like this, unless they are underground. Even then, a tornado can be strong enough to uncover a storm cellar. They are not to be trifled with.
The residents of Moore are just starting to dig their way from under the rubble. As one report put it, they are well acquainted with what they need to do. This isn't the first storm they have had to recover from. To make matters worse, there is another storm system that is about to move through the area, which will certainly complicate things, if it turns out to be a significant storm.
We ask for your thoughts and prayers as we dig our way out of this. Even though I was not personally affected by the tornado that has destroyed Moore, OK, it could have just as easily been my home town of Roland. I am thankful for that, but I mourn for those who have lost their lives, loved ones, and belongings. It should serve to let us all know how little we really control in this world.
You can click on the url of this post to see a handful of images from the devastation in Moore.
Watching the coverage on FOX, I was brought to tears.
God be with the poor victims.
I’m still trying to wrap my head around how huge this tornado was. I also watched Fox coverage and I was devastated by the news of the children in the school.My heart aches for all the victims and their families. God bless the good people of Oklahoma and may the Lord watch over them today as more storms are forecast.
***courtesy of mother nature and the privilege of living in the middle of Tornado Alley.****
About 45 years ago I saw a map of where most tornadoes
happen.
Three bands went across southern Oklahoma and converged right over OKC. I always remember that map.
In other news, I read that the county in the US with the most reported tornadoes is Nobel County, Oklahoma.
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