Twister Hits Oklahoma City

May 9, 2003 — Ferocious weather struck the heartland again Thursday evening when at least one tornado swept through Oklahoma City, ripping roofs off homes, toppling trees and power lines, and flipping tractor trailers through the air. More than 100 people were injured and one man died of a heart attack.

This outbreak of violent weather comes on the heels of massive twisters that devastated regions across the Midwest and South last Sunday. More than 1,000 Red Cross relief workers continue their work in eight states, providing assistance to families affected by wicked weather in a historically dangerous week of storms. In just five days of May 2003, there have been 225 tornadoes, surpassing the May 2002 total for the entire month (204 tornadoes).

Call the Red Cross Hotline 1-866-GET-INFO, for: Shelter locations Assistance Programs Information on Affected Areas Disaster Safety and Preparedness Information Or call 1-800-HELP NOW to make a donation

"The devastation that's been left behind from more than 200 tornadoes this week alone is shocking," said Terry J. Sicilia, executive vice president of Disaster Services for the American Red Cross. "The American Red Cross urgently needs funds to ensure that we can meet the immediate needs of people affected by these tornadoes and storms, and other disasters. We've spent more to assist people during disasters this year than what has been received in funding, and we're relying on the public to help us help others in this critical time."

Last night’s twister touched down in Oklahoma City during the height of the evening rush hour as drivers scrambled to get out of the storm’s path, although a Greyhound bus traveling south on Interstate 35 was struck. The force of the winds blew out the windows and crushed the bus, injuring some of its 23 passengers.

The area hardest-hit was the suburb of Moore, south of the metropolitan area between Oklahoma City and Norman. In Moore, at least 300 homes were destroyed and 300 of them received minimal to moderate damage, said Sgt. Scott Singer of the Moore Police Department. In addition, 20 businesses were lost.

A rash of tornadoes ravaged the Oklahoma City area almost exactly four years ago to the day.

"The storm hopped and skipped through the town," Singer told CNN, adding that the damage could have been much worse. "It hopscotched across the city. It didn't stay on the ground the whole time."

In a case of history repeating itself, the town of Moore is in shock, battered by tornadoes for the second time in four years. On May 3, 1999, devastating tornadoes slammed into the Oklahoma City region, reducing thousands of homes in the suburb of Moore to heaps of twisted metal and splintered wood. The deadly twisters damaged almost 8,100 homes -- destroying just over 3,100 -- throughout 15 counties in the state. The vast majority of damage was in two counties: Oklahoma County (Oklahoma City area) with 4,410 affected homes and Cleveland County (Moore area) with 2,088. This weather system spawned 74 tornadoes throughout Oklahoma and southern Kansas, killing nearly 50 people.

In the aftermath of last evening’s twister, Gov. Brad Henry is seeking federal disaster assistance. “Nature can be cruel,” he said, “but Oklahomans are a resilient people, and we will face this crisis with strength and resolve.”

Severe weather also hit Kansas, where at least seven tornadoes were spotted Thursday. In Lawrence, tornadoes tore roofs off homes and apartment buildings, but no one was hurt, which is being credited to heightened tornado awareness after a dangerous week of storms.

In addition to providing emergency relief to storm victims, the American Red Cross has been widely publicizing storm preparedness information, urging people to be ready for a tornado now, during the peak season.

Click here for answers to some common questions about tornadoes and tornado safety.

To help prepare Americans for tornadoes and to provide vital relief services to the thousands of storm victims across the Midwest and South today, the Red Cross relies on its Disaster Relief Fund. It is vital to Red Cross relief efforts that the fund is healthy and viable to provide services for these large disasters and the hundreds of smaller disasters that the Red Cross responds to every year across the country. Since July 2002, the Red Cross has spent more than $85 million responding to 230 large-scale disasters, but raised only $26 million toward these efforts. Currently, the fund has a cash balance of only $5 million.

Relief services are stretched and depleting the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. This fund is not a reserve; it is a working fund that needs continued replenishment when disaster strikes. As this tornado season continues and hurricane season approaches, one large storm could deplete the balance of the fund completely. A comfortable threshold for the fund is $56 million.

Your Help is Needed

You can help the Red Cross assist victims of this and thousands of disasters across the country each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those in need. You can make a secureYou can make a secure online credit card donation or call 1-800-HELP NOW (1-800-435-7669) or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Or you may send your donation to your local Red Cross or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013.

Related Stories:

• More Than 5,000 Homes Damaged by Tornadoes
• Tornado Survivors Survey Damage
• Mass Clean-Up Underway as Tornado-Ripe Weather Continues
• Red Cross Responds to Deadly Weekend Tornadoes

Related Links:

• Week of Wicked Weather Pummels Midwest, Southeast; American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund Threatened
• History Repeats Itself: American Red Cross Now Responding in Oklahoma After Thursday Twisters Rip Towns
• American Red Cross Rushes Relief to Tornado-Ravaged Midwest
• Disaster Safety - Tornado
• Family Disaster Planning
• Disaster Supplies Kit
• Children & Disasters

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All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. The Red Cross also supplies nearly half of the nation's lifesaving blood. This, too, is made possible by generous voluntary donations. You can help the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those in need. You can make a secure online credit card donation or call 1-800-HELP NOW (1-800-435-7669) or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Or you may send your donation to your local Red Cross or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013. To donate blood, please call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE (1-800-448-3543), or contact your local Red Cross to find out about upcoming blood drives.