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Briarwood, Plaza Towers Elementary Schools Hit By Tornado In Moore, Oklahoma ...

Aunt Spiker

Aunt Spiker

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Briarwood, Plaza Towers Elementary Schools Hit By Tornado In Moore, Oklahoma, Rescue Efforts Underway

Two elementary schools were directly impacted by a massive tornado in the Oklahoma City area on Monday, according to local media reports.
Plaza Towers Elementary School was flattened by the storm and Briarwood Elementary School was also reportedly severely hit. It is unclear at this time how many people were at the schools when the damage occurred, but search and rescue efforts are underway.
"Apparently some kids were being sheltered there [at Plaza Towers]," local TV station KFOR reported during its live coverage of the tornado. The local news outlet later confirmed that children were being pulled from debris at the Plaza Towers site.
According to News 9, an Oklahoma City Police Department representative has stated that there are currently no reports of injuries at the Briarwood Elementary scene. The school did, however, suffer "extensive damage."
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Horrific tragedy.

Of course this is just one of many tragedies to unfold after today's storms that are still making their way eastward.
 
These are all just horrible stories. MSNBC is saying at least 37 dead in Oklahoma City
 
I have a very good friend who lives just outside of Moore. His sister and her husband live in Moore. I just got a text back from him abt. 15 minutes ago, they are without power, but everyone is ok, including his sister and her husband.

The exact wording was "They [sister and husband] got really lucky, They are ok, but everything around them is ****ing leveled".

The situation with the school is a potential nightmare - there are a lot of very worried and traumatized people in that town tonight. I hope it is not as bad as it potentially could be but that potentiality is devastating.
 
I've been watching it live all afternoon and I'm just...dumbfounded and horrifed at the sheer magnitude of the devastion and my heart aches for all those poor folks who just lost everything. I don't know how anyone could prepare for that kind of monstrous tornado.
 
Moot said:
I've been watching it live all afternoon and I'm just...dumbfounded and horrifed at the sheer magnitude of the devastion and my heart aches for all those poor folks who just lost everything. I don't know how anyone could prepare for that kind of monstrous tornado.
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underground reinforced shelter with good drainage or getting out of the way are about it.
 
sharon said:
They are saying that new cells are forming and there are lots of people without shelter.

Heaven help Oklahoma.
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It's been humid here (6 hours due east) for two days - the mountains aren't going to provide much of a damper between here and there. Odds are that these storms will maintain their intensity for a while (through Arkansas/Mississippi/Tennessee) . . or even strengthen.
 
Fisher said:
underground reinforced shelter with good drainage or getting out of the way are about it.
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And after the storm and if you're lucky enough to be alive and uninjured...the pain of having to start over from practically nothing...is almost as devasting...especially for the older people. Everything they worked for their entire lives just....gone. Thats why family, friends and community are so important. But still....it's almost too much to bear.
 
This is awful. The news reports coming in here are heartbreaking, so much devastation. My thoughts and sympathies are with all those affected.
 
I was actually on vacation, visiting my aunt, who lives in Oklahoma City.

We went down to Duncan to visit an old friend of mine before heading to MOuntain Home Arkansas. We did all this as the tornadoes moved in on Oklahoma. We missed all of the bad weather somehow but my aunt had a tornado 2 blocks from her home. She was unhurt and no home damage.

Family got frantic calling us worried we were stuck in a storm cell. We barely knew anything was wrong because we were on the road for 10 hours.

My heart goes out to OK City and Moore. Great town--pain to drive in, but great people that are tested every tornado season :(
 
Aunt Spiker said:
It's been humid here (6 hours due east) for two days - the mountains aren't going to provide much of a damper between here and there. Odds are that these storms will maintain their intensity for a while (through Arkansas/Mississippi/Tennessee) . . or even strengthen.
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Are you safe?
 
Moot said:
She looks very happy to be alive...and still in shock. I wish I was there so I could help.
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I know what you mean.. It would be good to be able to help.

She's an adorable child..

All those people have to have food and shelter.. Hope the Red Cross is on top of it.
 
sharon said:
Are you safe?
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Always take my precautions - eye on the news (via phone since satellite TV will go out first - then the internet via comp . .. and thus I make sure phone's fully charged). I have an emergency service kit - a safe area in the house where we all go.

For the average tornado this is sufficient.
For an F-5 . . . no - only an underground cellar is going to save you from that - which we don't have.

We do have ditches, though - and you bet your sweet ass I'll be in one if need be. There is also a shelter in town open to the public - we've gone there twice in the past.

It'll be a sleepless night, that's for sure.

With how fast these cells are moving we'll be under the gun probably starting at 10:00 and going 'til 5 or so - they tend to work up a sidewinding behavior so what's south west of us in Texas will find its way to our doorstep (central arkansas - just north of Little Rock). The storms that hit Moore will go just north of us.
 
I dont understand why there was no shelter in that school.. in all schools. It is not like tornados are rare there, it should be mandatory in all public buildings like schools to have such shelters.
 
PeteEU said:
I dont understand why there was no shelter in that school.. in all schools. It is not like tornados are rare there, it should be mandatory in all public buildings like schools to have such shelters.
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How do you shelter an entire school?
 
American said:
How do you shelter an entire school?
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Easy, they had what .. 15 minutes warning? Should be more than enough time to get kids into an underground shelter.
 
PeteEU said:
Easy, they had what .. 15 minutes warning? Should be more than enough time to get kids into an underground shelter.
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Well I guess the money to build underground bunkers just hasn't been there.
 
American said:
Well I guess the money to build underground bunkers just hasn't been there.
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raise taxes to get the money and get it done.... sorry but there is no excuse not having this in schools.. none.
 
Terrible tragedy! :(

20 some odd children killed, 90+ killed altogether. Rather puts the Boston event into some kind of perspective, eh?
 
Lived in Moore back in the 70s and 80s as a second and third grader. I remember spending many nights in the backyard storm cellar. It's gut-wrenching to think of the sheer terror of those small children in that school, and the parents today trying to cope with the impossible.

It's just unbelievable how often that suburb just south of Oklahoma City gets hit. Same thing happened in 99, along with several smaller tornadoes in between. On the contrary, Oklahoma City just 5-10 miles north almost never gets hit with tornadoes, and when it does, they're usually far weaker than that one yesterday.

That '99 tornado was said to be the highest recorded wind in the history of the earth. Yesterday looked much the same.
 
American said:
7 Children Drowned In Basement Of Elementary School « CBS Houston

People like you are always great at spending other people's money.
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And people like you just dont get it..... they died in the basement, where there are pipes. In a shelter there would be no such thing so they would not drown.

It amazes me that people like you refuse to spend money on basic safety for your children in tornado ally, but have no problem giving billions in handouts to big business... pathetic.
 
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