That is the description being used by some meteorologists in Oklahoma today, in the hours following a massive tornado that struck Oklahoma City and the suburb of Moore, and as tornadoes still threaten the state. Some reports have indicated that the storm of debris has been as wide as two miles and possibly an EF5, which is the most devastating ranking on the enhanced Fujita scale, as the winds can exceed 200 miles per hour.
It’s just unreal. I’m not even sure how to describe any of this.
Obviously, people are trying to gather as much pertinent information as they possibly can in the hours following this horrible natural disaster, and with the footage from KOCO’s live, ongoing video feed, as well as the KFOR live video feed, and the pictures and screen grabs coming in on Twitter and Facebook, it’s evident that this is far from over and we can only pray that people still in harm’s way can make it to safety.
UPDATE: KFOR is reporting that there are at least 75 children and faculty trapped in an elementary school in Moore right now. One teacher named Ronda reportedly laid on top of six students in a bathroom to save them. Another classroom full of children has been rescued and moved to a church, prior to the tornado hitting the city.
SECOND UPDATE: Parents told the KFOR reporter that at least 30 students were evacuated before the tornado hit Moore, but there was a third grade class that was in a hallway. Rescue workers are currently looking for them.
THIRD UPDATE: The aforementioned 75 children and faculty are in Plaza Towers Elementary School. All of the children at Briarwood Elementary School are reportedly accounted for.
FOURTH UPDATE: The 4th, 5th and 6th grade students at Plaza Towers Elementary School are accounted for. The students from the lower grades are still unaccounted for, including the aforementioned third grade class.
FIFTH UPDATE: KFOR is reporting that the Ardmore area is the only area still under a tornado warning. Other areas are still dealing with severe thunder storms; however, they are no longer considered tornadic.
SIXTH UPDATE: KFOR is reporting that the search and rescue for at least 24 children that were trapped in Plaza Tower Elementary has become a recovery, as they are believed to be deceased.
SEVENTH UPDATE: The National Guard has been called in to deal with looters, as people have already been spotted stealing from sites throughout the damaged areas. Meanwhile, the death toll is reportedly at 37 and is expected to keep climbing.
We’ll update more as information becomes available.
For some perspective, the Great Tri-State Tornado of 1925 is considered the worst tornado in U.S. history, with a reported 695 fatalities.