By ZIVA BRANSTETTER World Enterprise Editor on May 25, 2013, at 2:28 AM Updated on 5/25/13 at 4:44 AM
MOORE - As Larry Brake watched television reports of a tornado that struck Shawnee on Sunday, he turned to his wife and said, "We ought to look into getting a safe room."The next day, as Brake was alone at his home in Moore, the EF5 twister swept through his neighborhood along a 17-mile path of destruction. He saw the funnel cloud approaching and told a neighbor he was on the phone with, "It's been nice knowing you," and got into a hall closet.
Brake and other residents in the neighborhood said they felt lucky to have survived the storm, which tossed cars about like toys. Taking a break from cleaning up storm debris Friday, Brake said he won't rebuild without adding a safe room.
The increased use of shelters and safe rooms combined with vast improvements in weather technology may explain the reasons Monday's deadly tornado, which killed 24 people and injured 387, wasn't even more lethal, officials say.
A similar twister that struck Moore on May 3, 1999, killed 36 people on its path through that city, Bridge Creek, Oklahoma City, Newcastle, Del City and Midwest City.
Oklahoma Emergency Management Director Albert Ashwood said the state has paid out $57 million in rebates to about 12,000 home-owners who built safe rooms since 1999. The federal government picked up 75 percent of the tab.
While Ashwood said he hesitates to compare storms, he said there are reasons for fewer deaths in the state's tornadoes.
"I think it's pretty obvious that there are so many safe rooms now in Oklahoma," he said.
Records show there are currently 3,170 shelters registered with the city of Moore.
A 2005 study by a Duncan surgeon and certified storm spotter, Dr. Che Miller, found Moore had the highest per capita number of storm shelters in the nation at the time. Miller's study compared the 1999 tornado to the May 8, 2003, tornado, which destroyed 432 homes but resulted in no deaths.
While that twister was a weaker storm, Miller said his research showed increased public notice of storm warnings and a more prepared population were also reasons no deaths occurred.
EXPERT
Dr. Che Miller: The Duncan surgeon and certified storm spotter's study compared the 1999 tornado to the May 8, 2003, tornado, which destroyed 432 homes but resulted in no deaths.
Miller said most deaths in tornadoes result from head injuries caused by falling debris. He said residents who lack a safe room should put on a helmet to protect themselves if they can't escape the storm's path in time."It doesn't really matter that the wind's blowing, it's what the wind is blowing," Miller said.
EMSA Communications Director Tony McCarty supervised the agency's operations during Monday night's tornado and was also there the evening the 1999 tornado hit. He said 14 years later, he believes people are more aware of the need to take storm warnings seriously and take cover.
EMSA's division that includes Moore had 95 requests for service Monday night and transported 68 people, he said. Many who suffered less serious injuries were taken to hospitals in private vehicles, McCarty said.
"The technology pinpoints these storms so much, people know, 'It's really on top of me now, I have to hunker down,' " he said.
The fact that Monday's tornado came before 3 p.m., when many people were still at work in commercial buildings rather than in their homes also played a role, some residents said. The 1999 tornado began around 6 p.m.
Stacy Criddle, a former Tulsan who moved to Moore 12 years ago with her daughter, said she was monitoring the storms at work Monday. She arrived home afterward to find a pile of rubble where her house once stood.
Criddle, sorting through the debris Friday with her mother, said she has a shelter and would have gone there if she had been home.
"People in Oklahoma, they know the drill when there's bad weather," Criddle said.
Her mother, Linda Tearl, lives with Criddle but was also away at work and escaped injury. Tearl noted there are lessons to be learned from Monday's tornado, especially from the tragic deaths of seven third-graders at nearby Plaza Towers Elementary school.
"They need to put storm shelters in schools," Tearl said.
Gov. Mary Fallin has said officials will discuss the issue of placing shelters in schools. There are about 100 shelters in Oklahoma schools, Fallin said Thursday.
Two state lawmakers said they have started a nonprofit to raise money for school shelters. The first contribution, $500,000 from Apache Corporation, will go toward placing shelters in Moore schools, they said.
Some 1,100 homes were destroyed in the May 19 and 20 tornadoes, according to Keli Cain, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management. An estimated 3,100 people have registered for FEMA help, and $1.4 million has been distributed so far.
Elizabeth Jones, community development director for the city of Moore, said debris removal is now the focus of the city's efforts.
"We are really encouraging people to use this three-day weekend," she said.
"We are encouraging you if you have already gone through the debris to go ahead and push your debris out as far as you can toward the right of way. ... We do want to be cognizant of emotional issues of people going through the debris."
[h=4]Memorial service set for 6 p.m. Sunday[/h]A public memorial and prayer service to remember the 26 people killed in the May tornadoes is set for Sunday."Oklahoma Strong: Coming Together in Faith," will be held 6 p.m. Sunday at First Baptist Church, 301 NE 27th St., in Moore.
The music and worship service is designed to promote healing for the Oklahoma community and will be broadcast by OETA, including KOED, channel 11 in Tulsa.
There is no parking at the church. Those wishing to attend must park at the Crossroads Mall parking lot located at 7000 Crossroads Blvd., in Oklahoma City.
Shuttle service will begin at 4:30 p.m.
Seating capacity at First Baptist Church is 4,500 and seating is first come, first serve. Ground-floor seating is reserved for victims of the May tornadoes. Public seating is in the balcony area and the church fellowship hall.
Overflow seating will be available at nearby Westmoore High School, 12613 S. Western Ave.
Both locations are open to the public.
[h=4]Moore tornadoes: 1999 and 2013[/h]Two tornadoes rated at the most powerful category for damage swept through Moore in the last 14 years. Here is information on the 1999 tornado and the 2013 tornado.[h=4]1999[/h]Date: May 3Tornado path length: 10 miles
Maximum width: three-fourths of a mile
Killed: *5
Injured: 293
Estimated property damage: $450 million
Highest damage rating: EF5
[h=4]2013[/h]Date: May 20Tornado path length: 17 miles
Maximum width: 1.3 miles
Killed: 24
Injured: 387
Estimated property damage: **$2 billion
Highest damage rating: EF5
* Five were killed in Moore in the 1999 storm, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The tornado had 36 direct fatalities, including 12 in Bridge Creek, one in Newcastle, nine in Oklahoma City, six in Del City and three in Midwest City.
** Damage estimate is preliminary and could take weeks to finalize, according to Oklahoma Insurance Department.
Sources: National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, City of Moore website, Norman Transcript
Ziva Branstetter 918-581-8306
[email protected]Original Print Headline: Learning from the past
Copyright 2013 Tulsa World. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
[h=5]2013 Moore Tornado[/h][h=4]How to help those affected by the Moore tornado[/h]Gov. Mary Fallin and the United Way of Central Oklahoma have established the OK Strong Disaster Relief Fund to assist with the long-term medical, emotional and education needs of victims of the tornadoes in Moore and Shawnee.
[h=4]Fallin signs bill to aid tornado recovery[/h]Gov. Mary Fallin on Friday signed four bills, including a measure to provide up to $45 million to communities recently ravaged by tornadoes.
[h=5]CONTACT THE REPORTER[/h][h=4]Ziva Branstetter[/h]Follow @ZivaBranstetter 918-581-8306
Email
MOORE - As Larry Brake watched television reports of a tornado that struck Shawnee on Sunday, he turned to his wife and said, "We ought to look into getting a safe room."The next day, as Brake was alone at his home in Moore, the EF5 twister swept through his neighborhood along a 17-mile path of destruction. He saw the funnel cloud approaching and told a neighbor he was on the phone with, "It's been nice knowing you," and got into a hall closet.
Brake and other residents in the neighborhood said they felt lucky to have survived the storm, which tossed cars about like toys. Taking a break from cleaning up storm debris Friday, Brake said he won't rebuild without adding a safe room.
The increased use of shelters and safe rooms combined with vast improvements in weather technology may explain the reasons Monday's deadly tornado, which killed 24 people and injured 387, wasn't even more lethal, officials say.
A similar twister that struck Moore on May 3, 1999, killed 36 people on its path through that city, Bridge Creek, Oklahoma City, Newcastle, Del City and Midwest City.
Oklahoma Emergency Management Director Albert Ashwood said the state has paid out $57 million in rebates to about 12,000 home-owners who built safe rooms since 1999. The federal government picked up 75 percent of the tab.
While Ashwood said he hesitates to compare storms, he said there are reasons for fewer deaths in the state's tornadoes.
"I think it's pretty obvious that there are so many safe rooms now in Oklahoma," he said.
Records show there are currently 3,170 shelters registered with the city of Moore.
A 2005 study by a Duncan surgeon and certified storm spotter, Dr. Che Miller, found Moore had the highest per capita number of storm shelters in the nation at the time. Miller's study compared the 1999 tornado to the May 8, 2003, tornado, which destroyed 432 homes but resulted in no deaths.
While that twister was a weaker storm, Miller said his research showed increased public notice of storm warnings and a more prepared population were also reasons no deaths occurred.
EXPERT
Dr. Che Miller: The Duncan surgeon and certified storm spotter's study compared the 1999 tornado to the May 8, 2003, tornado, which destroyed 432 homes but resulted in no deaths.
Miller said most deaths in tornadoes result from head injuries caused by falling debris. He said residents who lack a safe room should put on a helmet to protect themselves if they can't escape the storm's path in time."It doesn't really matter that the wind's blowing, it's what the wind is blowing," Miller said.
EMSA Communications Director Tony McCarty supervised the agency's operations during Monday night's tornado and was also there the evening the 1999 tornado hit. He said 14 years later, he believes people are more aware of the need to take storm warnings seriously and take cover.
EMSA's division that includes Moore had 95 requests for service Monday night and transported 68 people, he said. Many who suffered less serious injuries were taken to hospitals in private vehicles, McCarty said.
"The technology pinpoints these storms so much, people know, 'It's really on top of me now, I have to hunker down,' " he said.
The fact that Monday's tornado came before 3 p.m., when many people were still at work in commercial buildings rather than in their homes also played a role, some residents said. The 1999 tornado began around 6 p.m.
Stacy Criddle, a former Tulsan who moved to Moore 12 years ago with her daughter, said she was monitoring the storms at work Monday. She arrived home afterward to find a pile of rubble where her house once stood.
Criddle, sorting through the debris Friday with her mother, said she has a shelter and would have gone there if she had been home.
"People in Oklahoma, they know the drill when there's bad weather," Criddle said.
Her mother, Linda Tearl, lives with Criddle but was also away at work and escaped injury. Tearl noted there are lessons to be learned from Monday's tornado, especially from the tragic deaths of seven third-graders at nearby Plaza Towers Elementary school.
"They need to put storm shelters in schools," Tearl said.
Gov. Mary Fallin has said officials will discuss the issue of placing shelters in schools. There are about 100 shelters in Oklahoma schools, Fallin said Thursday.
Two state lawmakers said they have started a nonprofit to raise money for school shelters. The first contribution, $500,000 from Apache Corporation, will go toward placing shelters in Moore schools, they said.
Some 1,100 homes were destroyed in the May 19 and 20 tornadoes, according to Keli Cain, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management. An estimated 3,100 people have registered for FEMA help, and $1.4 million has been distributed so far.
Elizabeth Jones, community development director for the city of Moore, said debris removal is now the focus of the city's efforts.
"We are really encouraging people to use this three-day weekend," she said.
"We are encouraging you if you have already gone through the debris to go ahead and push your debris out as far as you can toward the right of way. ... We do want to be cognizant of emotional issues of people going through the debris."
[h=4]Memorial service set for 6 p.m. Sunday[/h]A public memorial and prayer service to remember the 26 people killed in the May tornadoes is set for Sunday."Oklahoma Strong: Coming Together in Faith," will be held 6 p.m. Sunday at First Baptist Church, 301 NE 27th St., in Moore.
The music and worship service is designed to promote healing for the Oklahoma community and will be broadcast by OETA, including KOED, channel 11 in Tulsa.
There is no parking at the church. Those wishing to attend must park at the Crossroads Mall parking lot located at 7000 Crossroads Blvd., in Oklahoma City.
Shuttle service will begin at 4:30 p.m.
Seating capacity at First Baptist Church is 4,500 and seating is first come, first serve. Ground-floor seating is reserved for victims of the May tornadoes. Public seating is in the balcony area and the church fellowship hall.
Overflow seating will be available at nearby Westmoore High School, 12613 S. Western Ave.
Both locations are open to the public.
[h=4]Moore tornadoes: 1999 and 2013[/h]Two tornadoes rated at the most powerful category for damage swept through Moore in the last 14 years. Here is information on the 1999 tornado and the 2013 tornado.[h=4]1999[/h]Date: May 3Tornado path length: 10 miles
Maximum width: three-fourths of a mile
Killed: *5
Injured: 293
Estimated property damage: $450 million
Highest damage rating: EF5
[h=4]2013[/h]Date: May 20Tornado path length: 17 miles
Maximum width: 1.3 miles
Killed: 24
Injured: 387
Estimated property damage: **$2 billion
Highest damage rating: EF5
* Five were killed in Moore in the 1999 storm, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The tornado had 36 direct fatalities, including 12 in Bridge Creek, one in Newcastle, nine in Oklahoma City, six in Del City and three in Midwest City.
** Damage estimate is preliminary and could take weeks to finalize, according to Oklahoma Insurance Department.
Sources: National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, City of Moore website, Norman Transcript
Ziva Branstetter 918-581-8306
[email protected]Original Print Headline: Learning from the past
Copyright 2013 Tulsa World. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
[h=5]2013 Moore Tornado[/h][h=4]How to help those affected by the Moore tornado[/h]Gov. Mary Fallin and the United Way of Central Oklahoma have established the OK Strong Disaster Relief Fund to assist with the long-term medical, emotional and education needs of victims of the tornadoes in Moore and Shawnee.
[h=4]Fallin signs bill to aid tornado recovery[/h]Gov. Mary Fallin on Friday signed four bills, including a measure to provide up to $45 million to communities recently ravaged by tornadoes.
[h=5]CONTACT THE REPORTER[/h][h=4]Ziva Branstetter[/h]Follow @ZivaBranstetter 918-581-8306