Country star Toby Keith says tornado-ravaged Okla. hometown is 'resilient,' planning benefit

Tornadoes are a part of life in Moore, Okla., something country star Toby Keith was reminded of when a deadly, devastating one leveled parts of his hometown on Monday.

"It's happened so many times through my life, I've been in so many," Keith said in a phone interview Tuesday. "During my life, probably on average every four or five years, you probably have one that's devastating. ... It affects you, somebody you know, every time."
This time it affected his sister, Tonni.

Keith flew out of the Moore area at about noon, and said the gathering clouds on the western horizon gave him a bad feeling. After he arrived in his Nashville recording studio Monday afternoon, he watched the storm system on an iPad app. So when he saw the tornado rolling down Fourth Street through his old neighborhood and toward his sister's house, he picked up the phone to warn her.

"She said, 'We're safe. We're south of it, but we can see it,'" Keith recalled. "She was at my mother's about a mile away. I said, 'Well, good.' Then she got to watch it go right through her neighborhood."
Keith said he had tornadoes pass a few miles to the north and south of his house on consecutive days.
Sunday's storm damaged parts of nearby Shawnee, killing two. Monday's storm killed at least 24 — including nine schoolchildren — in Moore, a suburb of 56,000 southwest of Oklahoma City.

Keith said he didn't want to downplay the disaster, but that the people of the area are "resilient" and will rebound.

"It's just devastating but there's probably nobody better prepared for tornados than Oklahoma, especially the Moore area," Keith said. "That is known as Tornado Alley, Twister Alley. They'll rebuild, but it was just awful those kids were in school when it happened."

During recording breaks, Keith has fielded calls about putting together a benefit for tornado victims and said he's been in contact with the University of Oklahoma about possibly using the football stadium.
"I know as soon as I start sending out some feelers that I'll get a lot of people in there," Keith said. "Hopefully, we can use music to heal some of the money problems right away."

‘God, Please take care of my kids...Stories of Heroism from Oklahoma Tragedy

A teacher hugs a child at Briarwood Elementary school after a tornado destroyed
 the school in south Oklahoma City, Monday, May 20, 2013. (Photo: AP)

Teachers carry children away from Briarwood Elementary school after a tornado
 destroyed the school in south Oklahoma City, Monday, May 20, 2013. (Photo: AP)

No matter how terrible things may be, there are always those who act with extraordinary heroism in the face of unthinkable tragedy.

Amid the devastating tornado yesterday in Oklahoma, countless men and women stood strong against absolute hell, many risking their own lives to protect their families, friends, and neighbors.

One of the most tragic aspects was that two schools were in the path of the tornado that ripped through Moore, Oklahoma.  Of the 24 killed, seven were children according to current estimates.

But that number could have been much higher if not for the children’s teachers, and those who rushed to the school at the first sign of danger.

ABC News interviewed two of the teachers from Briarwood Elementary, Sherri Bittle and Cindy Lowe, who may have saved dozens of lives with their quick thinking.  They rushed the children to the most secure areas of the school and asked them to hold their backpacks on top of their heads for any extra protection from the falling debris.  As the walls started caving in, Lowe said she used her body to try to protect as many children as she could.

The TODAY Show spoke with another teacher from Plaza Tower Elementary who tried to comfort the children while using her body as a human shield:

Sixth-grade teacher Rhonda Crosswhite never feared for her own life as she draped her body across six students inside a Plaza Towers Elementary School bathroom stall. Instead, she focused on providing what little comfort she could to the screaming and sobbing children beneath her.

“I never thought I was going to die. The whole time I just kept screaming to them, ‘Quit worrying, we’re fine, we’re fine, we’re fine,’” Crosswhite told TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie Tuesday.

“One of my little boys just said, he just kept saying, ‘I love you, I love you, please don’t die with me, please don’t die with me,’” she said.

The teacher said she has a loud voice, but she feared she wouldn’t be heard over the storm and the screams of the students beneath her.

“’We’re going to be fine. I am protecting you,’” Crosswhite said she told one girl. “And then I said a few prayers. ‘God, please take care of my kids.’ And we’re fine.” 

One survivor told KOFR-TV that when he entered one of the schools, he found a mangled car in the middle of a hallway.  Underneath it was a teacher, with three little children beneath her.

“Good job, teach,” he said, unable to hold back the tears.

Second-grade Briarwood Elementary teacher Tammy Glasgow is another teacher who exhibited incredible bravery.  She said the whole morning the weather seemed “ominous,” and that she just had a “bad feeling.”

During the National Anthem, she said “you could just see” the tornado out the window.  At that moment, the alarm went off to seek shelter.

CNN has the rest of the story:

She quickly hustled 12 girls into a girls’ bathroom. A worried father who’d already shown up to the school helped get boys into the boys’ bathroom. Another teacher, a counselor and three other kids got in a closet, Glasgow said.

“Before I shut the doors [to the boys' bathroom], I said, ‘I’m gonna shut these doors. I love you.’” The boys looked at me a little strange.”

Glasgow’s own son was in the bathroom. She looked at him for a moment.

“I just said, ‘Watch over them. Take care of them.’”

Then she told the girls she loved them.

“We love you back!” they chimed.

The twister was on top of them.

“It was so loud you couldn’t hear anything and it was forever and ever,” Glasgow said. “I just assumed that it would be quick but it stayed and stayed. Stuff was falling on us. We had books on our heads.”

She looked up and apparently through the roof and saw the tornado. “It was just brown, huge, never ending … all the way up to the heavens.”

Those on the ground say the second it was possible to walk outside, crowds of people began the dangerous trek to the schools, mostly running on foot.  Many were parents, frantic about the safety of their children, but some who lived in the neighborhood explained that the second the air cleared, they thought of all the children trapped inside the school, and wanted to do whatever they could to help.

MORE BENGHAZI WHISTLEBLOWERS REVEAL WHY CHRIS STEVENS WAS IN LIBYA

New Benghazi whistleblowers are prepared to reveal shocking details about the Sept. 11 terror attack, including why U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens was in Libya to begin with, two former U.S. diplomats reportedly told PJ Media on Monday.

The unidentified whistleblowers are reportedly colleagues of former diplomats and are seeking legal counsel because they “work in areas not fully protected by whistleblower law,” the report adds.

More from PJ Media’s exclusive:

According to the diplomats, what these whistleblowers will say will be at least as explosive as what we have already learned about the scandal, including details about what really transpired in Benghazi that are potentially devastating to both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

The former diplomats inform PJM the new revelations concentrate in two areas — what Ambassador Chris Stevens was actually doing in Benghazi and the pressure put on General Carter Ham, then in command of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) and therefore responsible for Libya, not to act to protect jeopardized U.S. personnel.

Stevens’ mission in Benghazi, they will say, was to buy back Stinger missiles from al-Qaeda groups issued to them by the State Department, not by the CIA. Such a mission would usually be a CIA effort, but the intelligence agency had opposed the idea because of the high risk involved in arming “insurgents” with powerful weapons that endanger civilian aircraft.

Hillary Clinton still wanted to proceed because, in part, as one of the diplomats said, she wanted “to overthrow Gaddafi on the cheap.”

One of the most important unanswered questions about the Benghazi attack has been why Stevens was in Benghazi on the anniversary of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. If the whistleblowers’ information turns out to be credible, it could be a huge break in the investigation into what really happened.

According to PJ Media’s report, Clinton’s plan to reaquire the stinger missiles left Stevens with the responsibility to handle the aftermath of the alleged gun-running operation after it was clear that the “insurgents” in Libya were really radical Islamists aligned with al-Qaeda.

The former diplomat who reportedly talked exclusively with PJ Media, likened the Obama administration’s plan in Libya to the amateurish covert war depicted in the Mike Nochols film, “Charlie Wilson’s War.” The movie tells the story of an arrogant Texas congressman, Charlie Wilson, who supplies Stinger missiles to the Afghan guerillas to help them fight the Soviets.

“It’s as if Hillary and the others just watched that movie and said ‘Hey, let’s do that!’” the diplomat reportedly said.

Here’s the trailer for Charlie Wilson’s War” for context:

“He added that he and his colleagues think the leaking of General David Petraeus’ affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell was timed to silence the former CIA chief on these matters,” PJ Media reports.

It is unclear at this point if the unidentified “whisteblowers” are credible, however, TheBlaze will continue monitoring this developing story.

“PJ Media recognizes this is largely hearsay, but the two diplomats sounded quite credible. One of them was in a position of responsibility in a dangerous area of Iraq in 2004,” PJM’s report concludes.

Toby Keith Reacts to ‘Devastating’ Tornado in Hometown of Moore, Oklahoma

Country superstar Toby Keith called in to Anderson Cooper’s talk show on CNN Monday night (May 20) to talk about the deadly tornado that struck his hometown of Moore, Okla. earlier in the day.

The storm tore through the community and wreaked havoc, striking two elementary schools and leaving behind a death toll of at least 24, according to the most recent press accounts.

“My sister’s house got hit,” Keith revealed. “It’s a mile north of my mother’s house and the farm where I was raised.” The singer added that he could see the storm building when he flew out of Oklahoma on Monday bound for Nashville, where he is recording an album. Instead of making music, he spent much of the day in the studio helplessly watching the terrible events unfold.

“Hometown got hit for the gazillionth time. Rise again Moore Oklahoma. Godspeed. Prayin – T,” the singer tweeted Monday afternoon, later adding, “This storm has devastated the community that I grew up in. I rode my bike through those neighborhoods. I have family and friends in Moore. My heart and prayers go to those that have lost so much. But Moore is strong and we will persevere. God be with you all. ”

The heartbroken singer told Cooper that the news was “just devastating. There’s been so many tornadoes come through there, but I don’t even remember one hitting the elementary school square on the button like this one did — that’s devastating.”

He added that as bad as the news was, it could have been even worse. “Oklahoma’s really good — great meteorologists, great weather centers. They prepare you for this,” the singer explained. “The numbers could be much, much higher. It’s devastating to see this count, because it usually isn’t this high.”

How to help Oklahoma tornado victims .....Act Now !!

Text REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10 to American Red Cross Disaster Relief or donate by phone at 1-800-RED CROSS.

Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief says it has deployed at least 80 volunteers to respond to severe weather in Oklahoma. Those interested in helping can make a tax-deductible donation to the BGCO's Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief ministry or call (405) 942-3800. You may also send checks to: BGCO Attn: Disaster Relief 3800 N. May Ave. Oklahoma City, OK 73112.

Birth of the May 20th, 2013 Oklahoma Tornado

The birth of the May 20, 2013 tornado at Newcastle, OK. It Moved from there to Moore where it turned into an F4. God be with its victims.....

Oklahoma Tornado - Mom saves daughter by holding her hair !

Mom holds daughter by hair to keep from loosing her.....

At Reel News Report our thoughts and prayers go out to people of Moore, Oklahoma !

5/20/13 Moore, OKlahoma Devastating Tornado Videos

Devastation as it occurs over Moore, Oklahoma 5/20/13 

Family comes out of storm cellar after May 20th Tornado in Moore Oklahoma

May 20th, 2013 Oklahoma tornado damage about 1 hour after.

The Department of Justice Snooped on Three Fox News Reporters

Megyn Kelly reports DOJ has been secretly targeting Fox News reporters

In what started last week with the discovery that the Department of Justice had targeted the phone records of Associated Press reporters has now erupted into a disturbing pattern of behavior by administration officials exhibiting total disregard for constitutional constraints.

The Washington Post reported Sunday evening that DOJ officials not only secured the phone records of Fox News chief Washington correspondent James Rosen, but they also obtained a search warrant for his private email account. This is an important distinction, because a warrant requires an independent judge’s review, and may only be issued upon a showing of probable cause.

The affidavit the Justice Department submitted to support their search warrant application indicated that they believed Rosen had been engaged in a criminal conspiracy with a State Department security advisor — a claim they would have been hard-pressed to back up.

But as the late-night infomercial announcer says halfway through his pitch, wait! You ain’t seen nothing yet!

Fox News has since learned that Rosen wasn’t the only one of its employees targeted by DOJ. “America Live” host Megyn Kelly reported Monday afternoon that correspondent William La Jeunesse and DOJ and national-security senior producer Mike Levine can also be added to the Obama administration’s list of targeted news gatherers — so far.

The week beginning May 12 wasn’t a particularly god one for the Obama administration. The week of the 19th isn’t shaping up to be any better.

DHS Ammo Grab: No Longer “Conspiracy” But Plain Reality

 We came across this article and thought I would share in light of all the recent revelations of tyranny at the highest levels. Many of us here at the DP have been questioning these purchases and with due cause.

It now seems clear that the Department of Homeland Security’s stockpiling of ammunition and other warfare supplies can no longer be dismissed as “conspiracy theory,” but is a very real development in the actions of an overreaching federal government.

Many have suggested and assumed that the ammo and gun shortage experienced across the country is the result of private citizens’ unprecedented purchases, in recent years, in preparation for impending gun control measures. While this is true in part, it is only half of the logical explanation that can be assessed based upon available facts.

This phenomenon has been described as creating a perfect storm for private gun owners when paired with the reality that the DHS and other federal agencies are buying up once-available guns and ammunition like never before. Mainstream news sources such as Rawstory and Media Matters have attacked Fox News’ Lou Dobbs and others for their statements affirming that the government has indeed purchased at least 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition (especially including hollow points), 7000 fully automatic assault rifles, and 2700 new light armored vehicles, as well as riot gear including body armor. 

DHS has also invested $2 million with a contractor that recently apologized for its production of shooting targets depicting elderly gun owners and even pregnant women and children in residential settings, after photos and publicity of the targets recently gained widespread exposure.

As it turned out, these claims have proven to be very accurate, as even Media Matters admitted that DHS officials made the 1.6 billion rounds purchase as they were also busy denying it. The organization also insisted that “the order for 2717 new light armored vehicles [came] from the United States Marine Corps – not the Department of Homeland Security.” This claim seems baseless, as all photos have clearly shown the DHS emblem emblazoned on the tanks in question.
All these dismissive reports against the supposedly “misleading” claim of the DHS stockpiling effort can be traced back to a February 14 Associated Press report, lacking any investigative basis, that simply repeated the statement from DHS official Peggy Dixon, who claimed the bulk ammo purchases to have been made in order to save money, and that the bullets were solely intended for military and federal law enforcement training purposes. 

This claim becomes weaker upon consideration that hollow-point ammunition is significantly more expensive than standard rounds, and military spokesmen and ammunition experts contend that such bullets are unsuitable for training purposes and have never been used for such a purpose.

Seemingly, at the very least, even if the government isn’t preparing to make war against its own people, they are preparing for civil unrest, which is suspect enough for the warranted concern of the American people. The government may well be, however, deliberately attempting to restrict the supply of ammunition, thus the functionality of firearms, from the American people.

 It has never been a well-kept secret that the Obama administration is no big fan of the Second Amendment. The longstanding fears of many have begun to be shared by several of our elected officials who are increasingly becoming more vocal in their concerns about the government’s attempt to strip citizens of their right to keep and bear arms. 

Recently, as a guest on Aaron Klein’s radio show, Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Inholfe accused the Obama administration of buying up unprecedented levels of ammunitions as a means to intentionally bypass the Second Amendment until law-abiding citizens “can’t even buy ammunition because government is purchasing so much.” Inholfe cited last month’s testimony from DHS Chief Procurement Officer Nick Nayak who said DHS has the right to buy up as much ammunition as it deems necessary. 

He mentioned that the ammo grab is an ongoing concern, as even still “they’re planning to buy 750 million rounds. Well, that is more than three times the amount that our soldiers are using for training to defend our nation. So, it’s just another effort to restrict gun activity and ownership.” The senator is in the process of introducing the Ammunition Management for More Obtainability (AMMO) bill that will limit “non-defense, armed federal agencies to pre-Obama levels of ammunition.”

There now seems to be ample evidence that our federal government, namely the Obama administration, is up to no good when it comes to the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding American citizens. Historically speaking, this is a very alarming cause for concern. Hopefully, this concern then will continue to be shared by more elected officials in our local, state, and federal governments, as well as among our military and law enforcement communities.

 Lou Dobbs likely said it best with the following statement: “It’s like I tell anyone who brushes off what I try to tell them as simple ‘conspiracy theory.’ At some point it stops being a theory, and is in fact a conspiracy. I also remind them that we’re not talking about science fiction or aliens here. We’re talking about the very REAL potential of government misconduct towards its own people; something that has happened time and time again in history.”

Live Video Feed from Oklahoma Disaster Area

Oklahoma tornado: 51 dead and children missing – live updates

Summary

• 51 people have been killed after a tornado hit Moore, a suburb of Oklahoma City. At least seven children are among the dead, with pictures from the scene showing a school severely damaged by the storm. As night fell in Oklahoma a spokeswoman for the medical examiner's office said the death toll was expected to rise.

• More than 140 people have been treated at hospital. Around 70 of those were children. Plaza Towers Elementary School, was particularly hard hit. The storm tore off the roof and knocked down walls. Several children were pulled alive from the rubble, the Associated Press reported.

• Oklahoma governor Mary Fallin said "hearts were broken" following the storm. In a news conference she said emergency services were doing all they could to find survivors. She asked people to stay away from the damaged areas to allow authorities to continue their search.

• The National Weather Service said the tornado reached up to a half-mile wide. They rated the tornado as an EF-4 on the enhanced five-point Fujita scale; the second most powerful type of tornado. Video footage showed a dark column moving slowly across Moore for more than 30 minutes.

• Footage from the ground shows entire streets and blocks were raised to the ground. Video posted to Vine and elsewhere showed people searching through large piles of wreckage. Emergency crews warned of gas leaks in the area.

Updated at 11.00pm ET

10.29pm ET 

How to help
There are a couple of main resources being circulated online for those wishing to help with the recovery in Oklahoma.

Red Cross

The Oklahoma Red Cross is asking people to donate by texting Red Cross to 90999 – that counts for a $10 donation.

The organisation has a number of shelters open for those displaced by the storm.

Salvation Army

You can donate to the Salvation Army by phone: 800-725-2769, or online: donate.salvationarmyusa.org

10.11pm ET

As night falls in Oklahoma the US National Guard is bringing in cameras that can detect body heat, KFOR News is reporting. 

The cameras may be able to help direct rescuers to survivors still trapped in the rubble.

Oklahoma tornada, path of death and destruction

Moore, Oklahoma (CNN) -- Rescue workers raced against time and darkness Monday night looking for survivors after a powerful tornado blasted an area outside of Oklahoma City, leveling homes and leaving at least 51 people dead.

At least 20 of the dead were children, including at least seven from Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, which lay directly in the path of the monster storm's wall of wind.

Seventy-five students and staff members had been huddled at the school when the tornado hit, CNN affiliate KFOR reported.

As nightfall descended, determined searchers in hard hats dug in the debris for those possibly trapped, but authorities described the work as a recovery, not rescue, effort. Search lights illuminated their efforts.

A father of a third-grader still missing sat quietly on a stool. Tears fell from his face as he waited for news.

"I'm speechless. How did this happen? Why did this happen?" asked Norma Bautista, whose son, a student, survived.

"How do we explain this to the kids? How are they going to wake up tomorrow and everything's missing -- the school, these houses, their friends," she said. "In an instant, everything's gone."
After the ear-shattering howl of the killer storm subsided, survivors along the miles of destruction emerged from shelters to see an apocalyptic vision -- the remnants of cars twisted and piled on each other to make what had been a parking lot look like a junk yard.

Block after block of homes were gone. Bright orange flames flew from a structure that was blazing even as rain continued to fall.

"Our worst fears are becoming realized this afternoon," said Bill Bunting, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Prediction Center.

"We certainly hope everyone heeded the warnings, but it's a populated area and we just fear that not everyone may have gotten the word," he said.

Bodies of those killed in the storm were being sent to Oklahoma's office of the chief medical examiner, said the office's Amy Elliott. At least 145 people were reported injured at three area hospitals.

The preliminary rating of damage created by the tornado is at least EF4 (winds 166 to 200 mph) -- the second-most severe classification on a scale of zero to five -- according to the National Weather Service.

The tornado was estimated to be at least two miles wide at one point as it moved through Moore, KFOR reported.

Lando Hite, shirtless and spattered in mud, told the CNN affilaite about the storm hitting the Orr Family Farm in Moore, which had about 80 horses.

"It was just like the movie 'Twister,'" he said, standing amid the debris. "There were horses and stuff flying around everywhere."
'This is not over yet'

Speaking to reporters Monday night, Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin said that officials are doing everything they can to help find people who may be lost or injured.

Sixty-five patients, including 45 children and 20 adults, were at Oklahoma University (OU) Medical Center, said spokesman Scott Coppenbarger.

Injuries ranged from minor to critical. Moore Medical Center in Oklahoma was evacuated after it sustained damage, a hospital spokeswoman said. All patients were being sent to Norman Regional Hospital and Healthplex Hospital, and residents injured in the storm were being told to go to those centers as well.

Between those two facilities, 80 patients were being treated for signs of trauma, lacerations and broken bones, among other injures.

The tornado also disrupted roads, piling them high with debris and complicating both travel and communication. 10 deadliest tornadoes on record Interstate 35 in Moore was closed, Oklahoma Department of Transportation spokesman Cole Hackett said. Crews were heading to the north-south highway to start the cleanup process.

"People are trapped. You are going to see the devastation for days to come," said Betsy Randolph, spokeswoman for Oklahoma Highway Patrol. She did not say how many people were stuck.

More than 38,000 electricity customers in Oklahoma are without power, according to local power providers.

Even as authorities worked to wrap their heads around the damage, NOAA's Bunting warned the worst may be yet to come.

"These storms are going to continue producing additional tornadoes. They'll also produce some very, very large hail, perhaps larger than the size of baseballs. We're also concerned that there may be an enhanced and widespread damaging wind threat with storms as they merge together," he said. "As bad as today is, this is not over yet."

Track current severe weather

Oklahoma resident: 'It's just all gone'

The severe weather came after tornadoes and powerful storms ripped through Oklahoma and the Midwest earlier Monday and on Sunday.

Forecasters had said that the destructive weather, which killed at least two people, was perhaps just a preview.

Before Monday afternoon's devastation, residents in areas hard hit by weekend storms were combing through rubble where their homes once stood.

"My mind is, like, blown, completely blown," said Jessie Addington, 21, who found that few pieces of her childhood home in Shawnee, Oklahoma, were still standing Monday.

Addington, who now lives in a nearby town, said her mother huddled in the mobile home's bathroom when the weekend storm hit. But the tornado still tossed her around like a rag doll, leaving her bruised.

When Addington arrived, she was shocked to find the neighborhood where she had lived for 17 years reduced to ruins.

"I'm feeling cheated, to be honest," she said, "like, it's just all gone."

An estimated 300 homes were damaged or destroyed across Oklahoma in weekend weather, Red Cross spokesman Ken Garcia said.

Two men, both in their 70s, were confirmed dead as a result of an earlier tornado that hit Shawnee, said Elliott, the spokeswoman for the state medical examiner's office.

As many as 28 tornadoes were reported in Oklahoma, Kansas, Illinois and Iowa, according to the National Weather Service, with Oklahoma and Kansas the hardest hit. Some of those reports might have been of the same tornado.

A combination of factors -- including strong winds and warm, moist air banging against dry air -- means severe weather could continue sweeping across a wide swath of the United States for days, Petersons said.

"Keep in mind we have all the ingredients out there that we need," she said.

Tornado watches were in effect for portions of southeastern Kansas, western and central Missouri, northwest Arkansas, central and eastern Oklahoma and northwestern Texas until 10 p.m. (11 p.m. ET).