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[Lori]

Tuesday, May 21
The death toll from a monster tornado in the US is expected to rise above 91, a toll that includes at least 20 children after the storm destroyed a school. The school took a direct hit from the 800 metre-wide tornado on Monday.
Officials expect the death toll to rise. The storm laid waste to scores of buildings in Moore, a community of 41,000 people south of Oklahoma City. Homes were crushed into piles of broken wood. Cars and trucks were left crumpled on the roadside.
The National Weather Service says the tornado was an EF-4, the second most-powerful type of twister.
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin deployed 80 National Guard members to assist with rescue operations and activated extra highway patrol officers. Fallin also spoke with President Barack Obama, who declared a major disaster in Oklahoma.  He gave Fallin a direct line to his office and has ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts.
Many land lines to stricken areas were down, and mobile phone networks were congested. The storm was so massive that it will take time to establish communications between rescuers and state officials, the governor said.
http://bigpondnews.c...er90_RSS_210513




Photo: AP/Steve Gooch

[Lori]

May 22, 2013
Conflicting reports have surfaced on the number of fatalities.
Initially officials said at least 51 people were killed, including at least 20 children, but the medical examiner has revised that number down to 24, 9 of whom are children.  
The death toll was revised downward from 51 after the state medical examiner said some victims may have been counted twice in the confusion. Nine children were among the dead.
By Tuesday afternoon, every damaged home in Moore had been searched at least once, Bird said. His goal was to conduct three searches of each building just to be certain there were no more bodies or survivors.
The fire chief was hopeful that could be completed before nightfall but efforts were being hampered by heavy rain.
Crews also continued a brick-by-brick search of the rubble of a school that was blown apart with many children inside.
No additional survivors or bodies have been found since Monday night, Bird said.
The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management says at least 101 people have been found alive, and local broadcasters say more than 200 people are injured.  
Scientists concluded the twister was an EF5 on the enhanced Fujita scale, the most powerful type of twister, capable of lifting reinforced buildings off the ground, hurling cars like missiles and stripping trees completely free of bark.
After nearly 24 hours of searching, Moore's fire chief said he was confident there were no more bodies or survivors in the rubble.
"I'm 98 per cent sure we're good,'' Gary Bird said at a news conference with the governor, who had just completed an aerial tour of the disaster zone.
http://www.adelaiden...0-1226647275058

[clicli]

What struck me, reading through all these stories, is how (like during the school shootings), how the teachers put themselves between the pupil and danger. Still, there's often the debate that teachers are overpaid and are lazy!