GamerBlake90
Blue Blurs for Life!
For those of you who may have been following today's severe weather news, you may be aware of the disastrous tornado outbreak that struck the heart of the United States. My part of the state of Oklahoma was included in the warning area.
Before anybody panics, I am fine, as is my family. And I am sure the other TYM Oklahomans are okay as well, I have checked on some of them and hope to contact the others soon.
Unfortunately, this outbreak was not without tragedy. This tornado that struck the Oklahoma City area, particularly the county of Moore (ten minutes from where I live, I think), has been recorded as the most disastrous tornado since May 1999. It stretched 2.2 miles and leveled just about everything unfortunate enough to be in its path. Some students were taken home early while the schools went into lockdown as the weather approached and the sirens blared, and some parents took the day off from work to ensure the safety of their families.
One particular heartache is the loss of numerous lives at the Plaza Towers Elementary School. After the tornadoes passed, emergency officials hastened over there in a desperate effort to search for survivors. The last I heard, they had recovered twenty-four bodies...none of them had signs of life. Their search continues, but they do not expect to find anybody alive throughout the night. For the moment, they have established a ruined church as their temporary triage center.
Also, the 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students of Briarwood Elementary School have been safely recovered, but the whereabouts of some of the younger children remain unknown. I have also learned of the deaths of a 3-month-old and 4-year-old child, which really tore a hole in my heart and made me grateful that my six-year-old sister, whom I treat like a daughter, is still safe with me, along with my mother. My older sister is safe as well, but she has lost a friend to this killer storm...a friend who gave her life to save her own younger sibling. The death toll has now touched 51, and it may not stop there.
The events of today have left us Oklahomans very emotionally exhausted. I therefore come before my TYM family to ask you all to keep those affected by the tragedy in your thoughts as we work to recover from this setback. We are in the green light now weather-wise, but for how long that will last...well, I live in Tornado Alley. I may be fortunate enough to avoid every tornado that comes tearing through my part of the globe, but it pains me to watch others suffering unfairly.
Thank you for reading, and may your prayers help these people through these times of darkness.
Before anybody panics, I am fine, as is my family. And I am sure the other TYM Oklahomans are okay as well, I have checked on some of them and hope to contact the others soon.
Unfortunately, this outbreak was not without tragedy. This tornado that struck the Oklahoma City area, particularly the county of Moore (ten minutes from where I live, I think), has been recorded as the most disastrous tornado since May 1999. It stretched 2.2 miles and leveled just about everything unfortunate enough to be in its path. Some students were taken home early while the schools went into lockdown as the weather approached and the sirens blared, and some parents took the day off from work to ensure the safety of their families.
One particular heartache is the loss of numerous lives at the Plaza Towers Elementary School. After the tornadoes passed, emergency officials hastened over there in a desperate effort to search for survivors. The last I heard, they had recovered twenty-four bodies...none of them had signs of life. Their search continues, but they do not expect to find anybody alive throughout the night. For the moment, they have established a ruined church as their temporary triage center.
Also, the 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students of Briarwood Elementary School have been safely recovered, but the whereabouts of some of the younger children remain unknown. I have also learned of the deaths of a 3-month-old and 4-year-old child, which really tore a hole in my heart and made me grateful that my six-year-old sister, whom I treat like a daughter, is still safe with me, along with my mother. My older sister is safe as well, but she has lost a friend to this killer storm...a friend who gave her life to save her own younger sibling. The death toll has now touched 51, and it may not stop there.
The events of today have left us Oklahomans very emotionally exhausted. I therefore come before my TYM family to ask you all to keep those affected by the tragedy in your thoughts as we work to recover from this setback. We are in the green light now weather-wise, but for how long that will last...well, I live in Tornado Alley. I may be fortunate enough to avoid every tornado that comes tearing through my part of the globe, but it pains me to watch others suffering unfairly.
Thank you for reading, and may your prayers help these people through these times of darkness.
