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National Weather Service preliminary tornado damage survey map:
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|enhanced = yes <!-- Links to the Enhanced Fujita Scale instead of the old Fujita scale -->
|enhanced = yes <!-- Links to the Enhanced Fujita Scale instead of the old Fujita scale -->
|total damages (USD) = $1.5 billion to $3 billion<ref name="HuffPost damages">{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/21/moore-tornado-costs-total_n_3314102.html|title=Moore Tornado Costs Could Total $3 Billion|date=May 21, 2013|accessdate=May 21, 2013|publisher=Huffington Post}}</ref>
|total damages (USD) = $1.5 billion to $3 billion<ref name="HuffPost damages">{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/21/moore-tornado-costs-total_n_3314102.html|title=Moore Tornado Costs Could Total $3 Billion|date=May 21, 2013|accessdate=May 21, 2013|publisher=Huffington Post}}</ref>
|total fatalities = 24 fatalities,<!--from State's Medical Examiner--> 237-240 injuries
|total fatalities = 24 fatalities,<!--from State's Medical Examiner--> 237–240 injuries
|area affected =[[Grady County, Oklahoma|Grady]], [[McClain County, Oklahoma|McClain]], and [[Cleveland County, Oklahoma|Cleveland]] counties in [[Oklahoma]]; particularly the city of [[Moore, Oklahoma|Moore]]
|area affected =[[Grady County, Oklahoma|Grady]], [[McClain County, Oklahoma|McClain]], and [[Cleveland County, Oklahoma|Cleveland]] counties in [[Oklahoma]]; particularly the city of [[Moore, Oklahoma|Moore]]
}}
}}

Revision as of 17:26, 22 May 2013

Template:Attached KML/2013 Moore tornado
KML is from Wikidata

2013 Moore tornado
EF5 tornado
Tornado as it passed southwest of Moore
Max. rating1EF5 tornado
Fatalities24 fatalities, 237–240 injuries
Damage$1.5 billion to $3 billion[1]
1Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita scale

The 2013 Moore tornado was a catastrophic tornado that occurred on the afternoon of May 20, 2013. The EF5 tornado, with peak winds estimated at 210 miles per hour (340 km/h), impacted Moore, Oklahoma, and adjacent areas, killing at least 24 people, including 9 children, and injuring more than 240 others. Mary Fallin, the Governor of Oklahoma, said on May 21 that there were 237 confirmed injuries.[2] The tornado was part of a larger weather system that had produced several other tornadoes over the previous two days. The tornado touched down at 2:45 p.m. CDT (19:45 UTC) west of Newcastle, staying on the ground for approximately 50 minutes over a 17-mile (27 km) path, crossing through a heavily populated section of Moore. The tornado was 1.3 miles (2.1 km) wide at its peak.

Meteorological synopsis

Comparison between the preliminary tornado track (red) and the 1999 Bridge Creek – Moore tornado (green) from the National Weather Service

On May 20, a prominent central upper trough moved eastward with a lead upper low pivoting over the Dakotas and Upper Midwest region. A Southern stream shortwave trough and a moderately strong polar jet moved east-northeastward over the southern Rockies to the southern Great Plains and Ozarks area, with severe thunderstorms forming during the peak hours of high temperatures. With the influence of moderately strong cyclonic flow aloft, the air mass was expected to become unstable across much of the southern Great Plains, Ozarks, and middle Mississippi Valley by the afternoon. Dewpoints in the mid to upper 60s °F (18–21 °C) and some lower 70s °F (21–23 °C) were common within a broad warm sector ahead of a cold front extending from an eastern Dakota surface low southwestward to near the Kansas City area and western Oklahoma, and ahead of a dry line extending from southwest Oklahoma southward into western north and west-central Texas.[3] The National Weather Service issued a warning 16 minutes before the tornado hit—3 minutes earlier than average.[4]

File:May 20, 2013 Moore Tornado Radar.png
Radar image of the Moore tornado with a debris ball and signature hook echo
National Weather Service preliminary tornado damage survey map
KML file (edit • help)
Template:Attached KML/2013 Moore tornado
KML is from Wikidata

At 2:40 p.m. CDT, a tornado warning was issued on a severe thunderstorm approaching the Oklahoma City metropolitan area.[5] At 2:45 p.m. CDT, the tornado touched down roughly 4.4 miles (7.1 km) west of Newcastle in Grady County as an EF0 tornado. Tracking northeast through McClain County, the tornado rapidly intensified, attaining EF4 intensity within ten minutes and 4 miles (6.4 km) of touching down. This area of EF4 damage was north of Newcastle (west-northwest of exit 108 on Interstate 44) and was very brief.[6] By 3:01 p.m. CDT, a second more strongly worded warning was issued for the area. A tornado emergency was declared for southern Oklahoma City and Moore as storm spotters confirmed a large and violent tornado approaching the area.[7] After crossing the Interstate 44 bridge over the Canadian River (severely damaging a railroad bridge in the process), the tornado turned east and tracked through South Oklahoma City (where the Orr Family Farm was hit and between 75 and 100 horses were killed[8]) and directly toward Moore. At this point the tornado began to grow rapidly in width, and a second brief area of EF4 damage was observed just east of Interstate 44. The tornado tracked through mostly rural areas of South Oklahoma City and southwest Moore at EF2 to EF3-strength before entering larger residential areas. There, two larger instances of EF4-strength damage occurred just west of Interstate 35. The first was in the area of Briarwood Elementary School (although the school itself was found to have been damaged by a very brief stint of EF5-strength winds, along with the very close surrounding areas of Westmoor and Stone Meadows subdivisions). Winds from the tornado at this point were estimated to be 200 to 210 mph (320 to 340 km/h).[6]

The tornado quickly lost the peak EF5 strength and weakened to EF4. Then, it briefly lost that status but regained it very quickly before hitting Plaza Towers Elementary School, where seven children were killed. That swath of EF4 damage also included an area on the west side of Interstate 35, with Moore Medical Center, the Moore Warren Theatre, and a Harley-Davidson store being heavily damaged. A 7-Eleven just north of the medical center was completely flattened. The tornado then crossed Interstate 35 at the center of town, abruptly shrunk in size, and moved to the east side of Moore. The EF4 damage continued on the east side of the interstate (despite the rapid decrease in size) before the tornado started to weaken near the intersection of SE 4th Street and South Sunnylane Road. The tornado continued briefly at EF2 to EF3-strength before becoming a thin rope tornado and rapidly weakening. It then dissipated about 4.8 miles (7.7 km) east of Moore around 3:35 p.m. CDT. Overall, the tornado was on the ground for approximately 50 minutes along a 17-mile (27 km) track. At one point, the tornado reached a diameter of 1.3 miles (2.1 km).[6] Some meteorologists estimated that the energy released by the storm could have been from 8 to more than 600 times greater than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.[9]

Impact

Photograph of tornado damage, taken by the Oklahoma National Guard

The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said about 2,400 homes were damaged and 10,000 people have been affected.[10] Most areas in the path of the storm suffered catastrophic damage.[11] Unofficial estimates placed the number of severely damaged or destroyed buildings at 1,500 with another 4,000 affected.[12] Entire subdivisions were obliterated and houses flattened in a large swath of the city.[13] The majority of a neighborhood just west of the Moore Medical Center was destroyed.[12] Witnesses said it more closely resembled "a giant black wall of destruction" than a typical twister.[14] Among the hardest hit areas were two public schools: Briarwood Elementary School and Plaza Towers Elementary School. At the latter school, 75 children and staff were present when the tornado struck.[15] Nine fatalities have been confirmed at the school.[16][17] Moore Medical Center was heavily damaged, but no injuries were caused. Staff had to relocate 30 patients to nearby Norman and another hospital.[11] Part of Interstate 35 was shut down due to debris that had been thrown onto the freeway.[18] Interstate 40 was also shut down due to overturned vehicles and trailers.[13] On May 21, Moore still did not have running water.[19] There were more than 61,500 power outages related to the tornado.[20] More than 100 people were pulled from the rubble alive since the afternoon of May 20.[21] The Oklahoma Department of Insurance said the insurance claims for damage would likely be more than $1 billion.[22]

Casualties

Over a dozen emergency workers comb through the rubble of a destroyed building

Between 237[2] and 240 people were injured,[23] and 24 people, including 9 children, were confirmed dead by the Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.[10] During the overnight hours of May 20 and May 21, mixed reports had indicated that 91 people had been killed;[17] however, on the morning of May 21, the medical examiner's office stated that only 24 bodies had been received and the previously reported toll was the result of double reports.[16] With 24 fatalities, it was the deadliest U.S. tornado since the Joplin, Missouri, tornado that killed 158 people in 2011.[24] Patients were taken to INTEGRIS Southwest Medical Center, Norman Regional Medical Center and The Children's Hospital at OU Medical Center.[11] Over 140 patients, including at least 70 children, were treated at hospitals.[25]

On May 21, officials said the search for survivors was nearly over as efforts turned towards recovery, and fire chief Gary Bird said he was "98% sure" there were no more survivors or bodies to recover from the rubble.[26]

Aftermath

President Barack Obama talks on the phone to Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin in the Oval Office

Governor Mary Fallin declared a state of emergency on the day the tornado hit. She held her first news conference at noon on May 21.[27] The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) deployed Urban Search and Rescue teams to the tornado-hit areas, and provided incident command personnel to organize and support rescue efforts.[28] The Oklahoma National Guard was also deployed. Governor Fallin also spoke with President Obama, who offered help and gave her a direct phone line to his office.[29] In a press release, the White House stated: "The President told Governor Fallin that the people of Oklahoma are in his and the First Lady’s thoughts and prayers and, while his team will continue to keep him updated, he urged her to be in touch directly if there were additional resources the Administration could provide."[30]

President Obama declared a major disaster in the state, and offered federal aid to the affected.[31] The specified counties were Cleveland, Lincoln, McClain, Oklahoma, and Pottawatomie, with funding for hazard mitigation measures available statewide.[32]

The season finale of the third season of Mike & Molly, titled "Windy City", was pulled by CBS from its original May 20 airing date due to the episode featuring a tornado descending on Chicago.[33]

At noon on May 21, the U.S. Senate held a moment of silence for victims.[34] Several countries[35][36][37] and Pope Francis[38] offered condolences, and the United Nations offered assistance in the recovery efforts.[39]

The United Methodist Committee on Relief,[40] Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers (born and raised in nearby Midwest City),[41] Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder,[41] Continental Resources,[42] Devon Energy,[43] and Koch Industries have all pledged donations to the relief efforts.[44]

Mayor Glenn Lewis of Moore told CNN he will attempt to get an ordinance passed requiring storm shelters or safe rooms in new housing projects.[45]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Moore Tornado Costs Could Total $3 Billion". Huffington Post. May 21, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  2. ^ a b "OKLAHOMA TORNADO". Reuters. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  3. ^ Guyer, Jared; Mead, Corey (May 20, 2013). "May 20, 2013 0600 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook". Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  4. ^ Bender, Michael C. (May 21, 2013). "Tornado Alert Gave Moore, Oklahoma, Residents 36 Minutes Warning". Bloomberg. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  5. ^ "Special Weather Statement: Tornado Warning". National Weather Service Office in Norman Oklahoma. Iowa Environmental Mesonet. May 20, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  6. ^ a b c "Public Information Statement Issued by NWS Norman for the Tornado Outbreak of May 20, 2013". National Weather Service. May 21, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  7. ^ "Special Weather Statement: Tornado Warning". National Weather Service Office in Norman Oklahoma. Iowa Environmental Mesonet. May 20, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  8. ^ http://now.msn.com/orr-family-farm-horses-killed-in-oklahoma-tornado
  9. ^ Borenstein, Seth (May 21, 2013). "Moore Tornado Power: Oklahoma Storm Released More Energy Than Hiroshima Atomic Bomb". Huffington Post. Associated Press. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
  10. ^ a b Carter, Chelsea J.; Todd, Brian; Pearson, Michael (May 21, 2013). "Crews shift from rescue to recovery a day after Oklahoma tornado, official says". CNN. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  11. ^ a b c Hughes, Trevor; Jervis, Rick; Shorman, Jonthan; Welch, William M. (May 20, 2013). "Tornado had winds over 200 mph". USA Today. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  12. ^ a b "Assessing the Damage Along the Tornado's Path in Oklahoma". The New York Times. May 21, 2013. Retrieved May 22, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ a b Rice, Doyle; Welch, William M.; Leger, Donna Leinwand; Winter, Michael (May 20, 2013). "Monster Oklahoma tornado kills 51". USA Today. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  14. ^ "Massive Tornado Hits Moore, OK". The Daily Beast. May 20, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  15. ^ Talley, Tim (May 20, 2013). "Oklahoma City tornado: Reports of 75 children in devastated grade school". The Province. Associated Press. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  16. ^ a b Gillam, Carey; Simpson, Ian (May 21, 2013). "Oklahoma lowers tornado death toll amid frantic search". Reuters. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  17. ^ a b Oxford, Nick; Schwirtz, Michael (May 20, 2013). "Vast Oklahoma Tornado Kills at Least 91". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 21, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ "Massive Tornado Kills At Least 24 In Moore, Hits Elementary Schools". KWTV. May 21, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  19. ^ Fantz, Ashley; Lavandera, Ed. "The day after, tornado survivors tell harrowing stories". CNN. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
  20. ^ Schlachtenhaufen, Mark (May 21, 2013). "President pledges to aid Moore disaster recovery". Edmond Sun. Retrieved May 21, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  21. ^ "Oklahoma tornado spread destruction like a 'two-mile-wide lawnmower blade'". CNN. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  22. ^ Hanna, Jason; Clarke, Rachel (May 21, 2013). "'We will come back strong,' governor vows". CNN. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
  23. ^ "Death Toll Revised Lower in Oklahoma Tornado". VOA. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  24. ^ Gillam, Carey; Simpson, Ian (May 21, 2013). "Whole neighborhoods razed by Oklahoma tornado that killed 24". Reuters. Retrieved May 22, 2013. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  25. ^ "Hospitals treat more than 140 after Oklahoma tornado, including 70 children". New Haven Register. Associated Press. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  26. ^ "Oklahoma tornado: Search for survivors nears end". BBC News. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
  27. ^ "Oklahoma governor says 237 people injured in tornado – as it happened". The Guardian. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
  28. ^ "FEMA, Federal Partners Support Response to Severe Storms in Oklahoma". Federal Emergency Management Agency. May 20, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  29. ^ "Oklahoma governor calls out National Guard". KHOU TV. Associated Press. May 20, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  30. ^ "Readout of the President's Call with Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin". The White House. Office of the Press Secretary. May 20, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  31. ^ "Obama declares major disaster in Oklahoma". Boston.com. Associated Press. May 20, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  32. ^ "Gov. Fallin Announces Federal Assistance Granted for Oklahomans Devastated by Tornadoes". The State of Oklahoma. May 21, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  33. ^ "'Mike And Molly' Finale: Tornado-Themed Episode Pulled In Wake Of Oklahoma Tragedy". Huffington Post. May 20, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  34. ^ "12:00 noon moment of silence-OK tornado victims". US Senate. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  35. ^ "The Queen's message to President Obama". Monarchy of the United Kingdom. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
  36. ^ "Tornade aux Etats-Unis" (in French). Élysée Palace. May 21, 2013. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
  37. ^ "Kondolenztelegramm von Bundeskanzlerin Merkel an US-Präsident Obama" (in German). Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany. May 21, 2013. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
  38. ^ Aguirre, Estefania (May 21, 2013). "Pope praying for children, others struck by Oklahoma tornado". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  39. ^ "UN global disasters forum opens with condolences for Oklahoma City tornado victims". United Nations. May 21, 2013. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
  40. ^ "UMCOR Assists Tornado Victims in Oklahoma". PR Newswire. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
  41. ^ a b "Durant donates $1 million to tornado victims". Chicago Tribune. May 21, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  42. ^ "Continental Resources Supporting Oklahoma Tornado Relief With $2.5 Million Donation". WFSB. May 21, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  43. ^ "Devon Energy Pledges Millions To Tornado Disaster Relief". News9.com. May 21, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  44. ^ "Koch Industries, Inc. Donates to Oklahoma Tornado Relief". May 21, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  45. ^ "Oklahoma-Moore-Ordinance". WYFF TV. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
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