Living in Oklahoma means living with the possibility of tornadoes. Thanks to advances in science and weather forecasting, meteorologists can even tell us a couple of days ahead of time when conditions are likely for outbreaks. But as far as knowing exactly when and where a tornado will strike, the average warning time is only about 15 minutes. If you have a safe room or underground shelter in your home, that gives you plenty of time to take cover. The fact is, many Oklahomans have neither. If you live in a permanent home, you can take shelter in an interior hallway or closet. But if the approaching tornado is an EF5, like the one that struck Moore on May 20, there’s a very good chance you won’t survive.
That probably was on the mind of a lot of people in the Oklahoma City metro this past week when they tried to flee multiple tornadoes. Tragically, it happened at a time of day when most interstates, highways and major roads were already bumper-to-bumper with rush hour traffic. Combined with people trying to flee from the tornadoes, there was total gridlock in many places. People died in their cars trying to run from the storm, and others drowned in the flash flooding that followed. By Monday morning, the Medical Examiner said the death toll was 13, but authorities acknowledged the search for additional missing people continued. By Tuesday morning, the official death toll from Friday night’s storms had risen to 18.
This is a tragedy, but doubly so coming so closely on the heels of the May 20 tornado. The EF5 touched down in the town of Newcastle, then tore a path of death and destruction through Southwest Oklahoma City and on into the community of Moore.
Thousands of homes and businesses were damaged or totally destroyed. Hundreds were injured that afternoon in a matter of minutes, and of course, we know that 24 people were killed, including ten children. Seven of those children died when their school was utterly destroyed by the EF5 tornado.
In the final days of the session, we approved a measure to access $45 million from the Rainy Day Fund for disaster relief for those impacted during May storms. Tax credits were approved for tornado victims who must replace destroyed homes and vehicles and businesses.
Even with federal assistance and private donations, the cost of addressing these disasters will be staggering. Some projections are that the cost of the May 20 tornado alone will be more than $2 billion. Fortunately, people throughout the state, across the nation, and even in other countries have responded with donations to organizations like the Red Cross as well as United Way.
Eventually, those communities devastated by storms will rebuild, thanks to the support of their fellow Oklahomans. But for now, our thoughts and prayers continue to be with those who lost loved ones and with those who are still recovering from their injuries.
As always, I welcome your comments on state government. Please feel free to contact me by writing to Senator Charles Wyrick at the State Capitol, Room 535-A, Oklahoma City, OK, 73105; call me at (405) 521-5561.