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NBCNews.com
6 minutes ago

Monster Tornado Kills 51, Including 20 Kids

AP The death toll has climbed to 51, including 20 children, after a massive tornado flattened homes and started fires in the Oklahoma City area on Monday afternoon. Seven children drowned at Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, where the tornado tore the roof off the school building. It was not clear how many children were missing. Students in fourth, fifth and sixth grade were evacuated to a church, but students in lower grades were sheltered in place, KFOR reported. Authorities say the death toll could rise as rescue efforts continue through the night with crews frantically searching for survivors. At one hospital, 85 patients, including 65 children, were being treated for injuries that ranged from minor to critical. Forecasters said the tornado, with winds up to 200 mph, could be an EF4, the second-strongest category. The tornado struck mid-afternoon and tore a 20-mile path during its 40 minutes on the ground, while kicking up a cloud of debris perhaps two miles wide. President Barack Obama declared a major disaster for Oklahoma and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area. He will deliver a statement at 10 a.m. ET. The Red Cross said it was opening a shelter, and the University of Oklahoma opened some of its housing for displaced families. Get More at NBC News

NBCNews.com
2 hours ago

More "Devastating" Tornadoes Possible Tuesday

About 9.5 million people remained under the threat of more "large and devastating" tornadoes Tuesday as the storm system that devastated the suburbs of Oklahoma City moved east, forecasters warned. Weather Channel meteorologist Kevin Roth said early Tuesday that the threat area appeared to be east and south of Oklahoma City. "Tornadoes, damaging wind gusts and large hail are possible throughout the threat area," Roth said. He added that cities including Dallas-Ft. Worth, Austin, San Antonio, Shreveport, Texarkana and Little Rock were among the cities "close to the the larger tornado threat." The National Weather Service said storms were expected Tuesday "from the Great Lakes across the Mississippi River Valley and into central Texas." Get More at NBC News

NBCNews.com
34 minutes ago

During Tornado, Trapped Students Had Nowhere to Hide

AP When the sirens began wailing and teachers at Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla., heard that a huge tornado was heading toward them, there was nowhere to hide, NBC News reported. They crouched in hallways and bathrooms, waiting, hoping and praying. Then "the school started coming apart," one neighbor who sought shelter at the school told the Associated Press. A teacher told NBC station KFOR that she draped herself on top of six children in a bathroom to shelter them. The twister hit the school at about 200 mph at 3 p.m. local time, tearing off the roof and killing seven children. Officials said the children drowned in a pool of water. As of Tuesday morning, it is still unclear if any other children were killed or trapped alive. Get More at NBC News

NBCNews.com
47 minutes ago

WATCH: Time-Lapse of Tornado's Path of Destruction


A massive two-mile-wide tornado rips through southern Oklahoma City on Monday. This footage has been sped up by 10X. Get More at NBC News

oklahoma
Monday, May 20, 2013 at 9:04 PM
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By Jerome McClendon

Dramatic Photos: Oklahoma Tornado Strike

A massive tornado touched down just south of Oklahoma City on Monday,... See Full Gallery »

NBCNews.com
36 minutes ago

Senate Ready to Grill IRS Officials

Former IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman, along with the outgoing agency chief and IRS inspector general, will appear Tuesday before the Senate Finance Committee to be questioned on the IRS’ targeting of conservative groups applying for nonprofit status. Republicans hope the hearing — along with a separate hearing before a House committee on Wednesday — will keep alive the public outrage toward the IRS abuses, which has in turn helped offer the GOP a unifying cause in its opposition to President Barack Obama and his agenda, NBC News reported. Shulman, who was appointed by George W. Bush, served as commissioner during much of the time that the targeting took place. Steven Miller, the acting IRS commissioner forced to resign last week, testified last week, as did J. Russell George, the inspector general whose report unearthed the scandal. Get More at NBC News

NBCNews.com
27 minutes ago

How to Help Tornado Victims

AP Local schools, churches and community organizations are coordinating food and shelter for displaced residents and accepting donations of food, blankets and other items in the wake of a massive tornado that struck Oklahoma City on Monday afternoon. The Red Cross has set up shelters in various communities. You can donate to the Red Cross Disaster Relief fund here, and the organization also suggests giving blood at your local hospital or blood bank. You can also donate to the Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief fund and donations will "go straight to help those in need providing tree removal services, laundry services and meals to victims of disasters." The Salvation Army is organizing disaster response units to serve hard-hit areas in central Oklahoma, including Moore, where it is sending mobile kitchens that can serve meals to 2,500 people a day, and to South Oklahoma City. Get More at NBC News

Torndoes
Monday, May 20, 2013 at 10:15 PM

Deadliest Tornadoes in U.S. History Since 1900

Deadliest Tornadoes in U.S. History Since 1900AP
Most remember the 158 deaths in Joplin, Mo., tornado in 2011, but it was not the worst in the past century. Others have included 695 deaths, March 18, 1925, in Missouri, Illinois and Indiana and 216 deaths, April 5, 1936, in Tupelo, Miss. Click through to see the full list of the deadliest tornadoes in the U.S. Read »
2 hours ago
 

The whole city looks like a debris field.  

— Mayor Glenn Lewis of the city of Moore, Oklahoma on the tornado's devastating effect.
nyc
54 minutes ago

Anti-Gay Crimes Spike in NYC, Thousands Rally

Anti-Gay Crimes Spike in NYC, Thousands RallyAP
Thousands marched on the streets of Manhattan on Monday to protest the killing of a gay man who had allegedly been taunted with homophobic slurs — the most recent in a spate of bias attacks stirring up anxiety, disbelief and outrage in a famously gay-friendly neighborhood. "We're here! We're queer!" and "Homophobia's got to go!" were among the chants as a crowd marked the death of 32-year-old Mark Carson in Greenwich Village — not far from the site of the 1969 riots that helped give rise to the gay rights movement, NBC 4 New York reported. Christine Quinn, the city's first openly gay City Council speaker, marched along with Edie Windsor, whose pivotal case to win the same rights for gay couples as heterosexual couples is before the Supreme Court. Police say a man charged with murder as a hate crime shot Carson in the head in the heart of one of the city's most gay-friendly neighborhoods. Read »
Connecticut
Monday, May 20, 2013 at 7:31 PM

Full Metro-North Service by Wednesday: Malloy

Full Metro-North Service by Wednesday: MalloyAP
Gov. Dannel Malloy said the Metro-North New Haven Line in Connecticut will return to full service by the Wednesday morning peak commute. Work continues at the train crash site after Friday's rush hour derailment in Connecticut that injured 72 people. "While this is definitely great news, residents still need to bear in mind that the commute Tuesday will remain a challenge," Malloy said. Malloy conceded traffic on Connecticut's highways was not as congested as had been predicted, but urged people to carpool or work from home on Tuesday to avoid major problems. About 100 workers have been on the job around the clock since Saturday removing the damaged trains and repairing the track, Permut said. Crews are rebuilding about 2,000 feet of track, according to Howard Permut, president of Metro-North. Read »
tornado
Monday, May 20, 2013 at 10:41 PM

Oklahoma Tornado: Videos, Images from the Ground

Oklahoma Tornado: Videos, Images from the GroundAP
A massive 200 mph tornado ripped through the Oklahoma City area on Monday afternoon and left a 20-mile path of destruction in its wake. At least 51 people were killed, the Oklahoma City medical examiner said, and rescue crews are searching frantically as night falls to find survivors in the wreckage. “The whole city looks like a debris field,” said Mayor Glenn Lewis of the city of Moore, which appeared to be hardest hit. Click through to check out the videos, images and tweets from the ground: Read »
dolphin
Monday, May 20, 2013 at 4:43 PM

Navy Dolphins Uncover Rare Torpedo

Navy Dolphins Uncover Rare TorpedoU.S. Navy
Navy dolphins discovered an unusual torpedo off the coast of San Diego and handlers said it was obvious within minutes that the find was significant. The dolphins were working off the coast of Coronado on mine-hunting training exercises in March when they recovered a 130-year-old Howell torpedo – one of the first self-propelled torpedoes developed and used by the U.S. Navy. “There were only 50 Howell torpedoes made, and we discovered one of the two ever found,” said Braden Duryee, operations supervisor for the SSC Pacific Biosciences Division. Within two weeks, two separate dolphins marked the object on the sea floor doing their regular daily training exercises. Navy divers then went in and recovered it. Read »
NBCNews.com
Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 12:32 AM

Arias Witness Withdraws Amid Death Threats

AP Convicted killer Jodi Arias' childhood friend planned to testify, but decided on Monday that she could not go through with it, NBC News reported. The potential witness, Patricia Womack, planned to testify about Arias' abusive childhood, but backed out because she said she was receiving death threats and was deeply conflicted about the case. “I couldn’t do it,” she told NBC News in an email. “I feel there is so much good in Jodi to be saved but then also someone’s dear life was taken.” The sentencing phase of Arias' trial continued on Monday to determine whether to sentence her to death or life in prison for the killing of her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander. Last week, the jury ruled that Arias acted with extreme cruelty, making her eligible for the death penalty. Defense attorney Kirk Nurmi is attempting to secure a life sentence for his client. Arias was briefly placed on suicide watch after her conviction on May 8. In an interview with KSAZ-TV of Phoenix, Arias said she would "rather get death than life" and that death was the "ultimate freedom." Get More at NBC News

NBCNEWS.COM
Monday, May 20, 2013 at 11:36 AM

Kerry: Diplomatic Missions Dangerous Well Before Benghazi

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