7 children found dead at Oklahoma school wrecked by tornado, officials say

Seven children were found drowned at a tornado-flattened elementary school where rescuers were searching through the night for survivors as parents kept a heart-breaking vigil, officials said.The students killed at Plaza Towers Elementary School were among at least 24 lives claimed by the monster twister that laid to Moore, Okla.Several children and staffers were pulled alive from the ruins of Pla

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Related:'Major damage' as huge tornado slams Oklahoma

How to help Oklahoma tornado victims

By Suzanne Choney, Contributing Writer, NBC NewsThe loss of life and stunning devastation in Oklahoma City suburbs after a monster tornado ripped through the area are heart-wrenching. "The streets are just gone. The signs are just gone," said Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, after she toured the area by helicopter Tuesday. And many, many relief organizations are getting the message out on how to help.Am

Moore officials: Federal grants to help build 'safe rooms' delayed by red tape

Officials in the Oklahoma City suburb ravaged by deadly tornadoes Monday complained earlier this year about FEMA’s foot-dragging over $2 million in federal grants for “safe rooms” in 800 homes that would protect people from severe weather.“Our countywide Hazard Mitigation Plan still has not been approved by the State and FEMA,” said a statement posted in February on the City of Moore’s website. It

'Bless you for posting': Facebook group reunites tornado victims with photos, documents

The photo shows a baby in diapers on a high chair gazing at a white cake with one pink candle. Glen Adkisson of Collinsville, Okla., posted on Facebook that it had been found "in our yard" following Monday's devastating tornadoes.The message below reads: "This photo is of my sisters deceased husband when he was a child. We are from Shawnee Oklahoma. She did live in the trailer park. She and my 7 .

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At least 51 killed, including 20 children, as tornado tears through Oklahoma

At least 51 people, including 20 children, were among the victims of a enormous tornado that roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs Monday, pulverizing entire city blocks and leaving behind miles of mangled cars and splintered wood.Officials warned the death toll was likely to climb, making it among the deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history.At one hospital, 85 patients, including 65 children, were

'The school started coming apart': Trapped students had nowhere to hide

When the sirens began blaring and teachers at Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla., heard that a monstrous tornado was roaring toward their 57-year-old school and its youngest students, there was nowhere to hide.They crouched in hallways and bathrooms, waiting, hoping and praying. Then "the school started coming apart," one neighbor who sought shelter at the school told the Associated Pr

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Curse or coincidence? Scientists study Tornado Alley's past and future

Do tornadoes follow well-worn tracks? Where do the deadliest twisters hit? Will climate change make such storms worse? Monday's devastating tornado in Oklahoma raises some questions for which scientists have ready answers, and others that could puzzle them for years to come:Was this tornado a repeat of a famous twister in 1999?For a time, Monday's storm followed a track that was similar to the pat

'Oh, my God!': KFC cook records dramatic footage of monster tornado

Michael Welch was midshift into his job at KFC in Newcastle, Okla., on Monday afternoon when he noticed hail pounding the parking lot outside the restaurant.Then, as he looked into the distance, he saw the wall cloud of an enormous tornado rotating in front of him.“It was very large and very fast,” he said. “I could see debris flying all over.”The 24-year-old cook grabbed his HTC cell phone and d.

Six of the worst twisters in US history

The full extent of the destruction caused by the enormous tornado that ripped through Oklahoma was still being determined as night fell on Monday. At least 51 people were killed, including seven children at an elementary school. Entire blocks of homes were flattened. At one hospital alone 85 patients, including 65 children, were being treated for injuries. And many were still missing. Here's a lo.

'Confirmed casualties' at Oklahoma school flattened by tornado, fire chief says

There were "confirmed casualties" at a tornado-flattened elementary school where rescuers were searching the rubble for survivors as parents kept a heart-breaking vigil, officials said.Several children and staffers were pulled alive from the ruins of Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla., after the building took a direct hit Monday afternoon.A little girl was lifted out by rescuers, while

Children pulled from rubble at Oklahoma school flattened by tornado

Several children and teachers were pulled alive Monday from the ruins of an elementary school in Moore, Okla., but rescuers were searching for more kids as hysterical parents converged around the rubble.A little girl was lifted out of the debris by rescuers, while a small boy was carried to a triage area by a woman whose face was streaked with dirt and etched with worry.In another image captured b

Frantic search for survivors at Oklahoma school flattened by tornado; Children pulled from rubble

Hysterical parents converged Monday at an elementary school wrecked by a tornado that tore through Moore, Okla., desperate to learn if their children survived.Several kids were pulled alive from the rubble of the Plaza Towers Elementary School, the Associated Press reported. But crews were still trying to track down students in kindergarten through third grade, including dozens of children who had

Frantic search for survivors at Oklahoma school flattened by tornado

Hysterical parents converged Monday at an elementary school wrecked by the tornado that tore through Moore, Okla., desperate to learn if their children survived.Crews were still trying to track down students in kindergarten through third grade, including dozens of children who had been sheltering in a hallway at Plaza Towers Elementary School, according a reporter for NBC station KFOR.At about 5:4

What you're seeing: Videos, images from the ground

Related:'Major damage' as huge tornado slams Oklahoma

For subway station devastated by Sandy, road to recovery just beginning

When the gleaming South Ferry subway terminal in Lower Manhattan opened in 2009, it came with a vast concourse filled with public art installations of wrought iron and smoked glass, polished white walls—and a hefty $500 million price tag.The cost of rehabilitating it from the devastating effects of Hurricane Sandy? At least $600 million—though a full assessment of the damage hasn’t even been done

Six months after Sandy: 'Home sweet home' for some, others still adrift

BREEZY POINT, N.Y. -- The construction noises are almost constant at daytime in this coastal enclave six months after Hurricane Sandy, but for many residents whose homes were badly damaged, recovery is moving at a slow pace – or not at all.Many of those displaced by the so-called superstorm say they are stuck in limbo, trying to raise money to pay for repairs or replace their homes while coming to

Anchors forced to evacuate during live broadcast as tornado strikes Wichita

A television station in Kansas was forced to evacuate during a live broadcast on Sunday afternoon after a massive tornado — one of three that ripped through the Plains States over the weekend — touched down in downtown Wichita.Dramatic video footage shows J.D. Rudd, a meteorologist for NBC affiliate KSN, rushing out of the camera frame as station staffers frantically flee the set shortly after 4:1

Tornadoes ravage Plains states; 1 killed, 21 hurt; More severe storms likely

A vast area of the central U.S. was warned to prepare for storms on Monday, after tornadoes killed one and injured 21 in Oklahoma and also hit Iowa and Kansas.“After over 300 reports of severe weather on Sunday, another round of dangerous severe weather is expected Monday with the greatest threat once again in the southern Plains targeting Oklahoma and parts of Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas,” the

Storm chasers get close to Okla. tornadoes

1 killed, 21 hurt as tornadoes ravage Plains states; more severe storms likely

A vast area of the central U.S. was warned to prepare for storms on Monday, after tornadoes killed one and injured 21 in Oklahoma and also hit Iowa and Kansas.“After over 300 reports of severe weather on Sunday, another round of dangerous severe weather is expected Monday with the greatest threat once again in the southern Plains targeting Oklahoma and parts of Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas,” the

Tornadoes tear through Kansas, Oklahoma

People in two states took shelter amid wailing warning sirens Sunday as tornadoes touched down in Kansas and Oklahoma as part of an extreme weather system plowing through the nation's midsection.The system, which stretched from North Texas to Minnesota, also heaved hail -- dime- to softball-sized -- as well as heavy rainfall. Near Oklahoma City, a half-mile-wide tornado was reported, prompting an

Anchorage Sets New Record for Longest Snow Season

232 days - it took over 30 years for Anchorage to set a new record for the longest snow season on record. The National Weather Service measured 2/10ths of an inch just after 9 p.m. Friday and 1/10th Saturday morning - breaking the old record of 230 days set in 1981-1982. Anchorage police responded to 22 crashes, 4 with injuries and 37 vehicles in distress between midnight and...

Tornado spotted near Wichita, Kan., residents told to take cover

People in two states were taking shelter amid wailing warning sirens Sunday as tornadoes were confirmed to have touched down in Kansas and Oklahoma. Thunder clouds were also heaving hail -- dime to softball sized -- as well as rain across broad swaths of both states. Residents in downtown Wichita, Kan., were told to seek shelter Sunday afternoon after a tornado was confirmed on the ground – with i

Tornado spotted in Wichita, Kan., residents told to take cover

Residents in downtown Wichita, Kan., were told to seek shelter Sunday afternoon after a tornado was confirmed on the ground – with its presence hidden by heavy rainfall.The National Weather Service in Wichita warned of a large and “extremely danger and potentially deadly” tornado late Sunday. Weather spotters confirmed the tornado 7 miles northwest of Haysville and moving northeast at 30 mph, the.

Severe weather to begin the week

Middle America should prepare for a stormy start of the week as much of the Plains will be watching the skies for twisters Sunday.There is an increasing storm and tornado threat from Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska southward to Kansas, according to Weather Channel meteorologists — and low pressure in the Plains states will keep things "very unsettled and stormy" as the week goes on.On Monday, the sev

Plains states on edge under tornado watches

Large sections of the Plains states came under tornado watches Saturday as a wave of storms swept through.The greatest threat late Saturday was in eastern Kansas and Oklahoma, weather.com reported, with central Oklahoma seeing a spike on Sunday.But Weather Channel meteorologist Michael Palmer said the storms on Sunday afternoon and evening were likely to carry a greater chance of tornadoes and the

Twister leaves two-mile path of damage near New Orleans

A tornado tore through the New Orleans area Wednesday, damaging homes and ripping trees out of the ground, as intense storms lashed the area with rain.The National Weather Service (NWS) said the twister was one of two that caused damage in Kenner, Louisiana, near New Orleans International Airport.No injuries were reported, according to the Times Picayune’s website NOLA.com, but about 5,000 Entergy