For the fourth day in a row, Oklahoma was hit by tornadoes with the worst happening at Moore, a suburb of Oklahoma City some ten miles to the north. Scene of the infamous May 3, 1999 tornado which killed 46 people and destroyed some 8,000 homes and buildings, Moore suffered again as a two-mile wide twister smashed and tore about 60 square miles. Monday′s tornado is estimated to have been at least an EF-4, packing wind speeds of 190 to 200 MPH. The tornado lasted some 45 minutes as it cut a path of destruction, destroying whole neighborhoods and demolishing two elementary schools, Briarwood and Plaza Towers. Gov. Mary Fallin is directing relief efforts as local officials contend with 51 confirmed dead, including 20 children and at least 40 missing children from the two schools. Countless others may also still be trapped in their underground storm shelters, now buried under piles of debris. The National Weather Service gave residents a 16-minute warning which helped saved many lives. The worst of the U.S. tornadoes was on March 18,1925, known as the Tri-State Outbreak, killing 695 people in Missouri, Indiana and Illinois.
