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"More storms are possible through Friday night across south-central and southeast Oklahoma, the National Weather Service in Norman said. Strong to severe thunderstorms are expected to develop Saturday, including in the Enid area." CBS News

A powerful tornado in Oklahoma ripped roofs off buildings, destroyed homes, knocked down utility poles and forced an Air Force base to close

#Oklahoma Tornadoes #CBS News #Severe Weather #Enid Tornadoes

Prayers for everyone in the sever weather alert areas! Especially those in Oklahoma and Texas in the area 5 risk zone!

#oklahoma tornadoes #texas tornado

Relief Effort Heroes: How To Best Help After The Oklahoma Tornadoes

Want to be a hero right now? Want to save a life this very moment? I’m dead serious.

Text “RED CROSS” to 90999 to make a $10 donation to Red Cross relief efforts for the Oklahoma tornadoes.

In the aftermath of a tragedy, America catches a glimpse of the very best of humanity. Everyone stands up; everyone reaches out a helping hand. Google overflows with search terms: Relief Efforts. How Can…

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#oklahoma #oklahoma tornadoes #red cross #relief efforts #salvation army #tornadoes #tragedy

Relief Effort Heroes: How To Best Help After The Oklahoma Tornadoes

Want to be a hero right now? Want to save a life this very moment? I’m dead serious.

Text “RED CROSS” to 90999 to make a $10 donation to Red Cross relief efforts for the Oklahoma tornadoes.

View On WordPress

#oklahoma #oklahoma tornadoes #red cross #relief efforts #salvation army #tornadoes #tragedy

Oklahoma Tornadoes and IRS Scandal

Hi guys, sorry for the temporary hiatus! Anyways, to get back into the swing of things, I thought I would give a short synopsis on two of the biggest news stories that have happened in the past two or three weeks or so. First, I want to cover the Washington IRS scandal, and then I will quickly go over what is happening with the tornadoes in Oklahoma. Washington IRS Scandal Maybe you have heard something about the IRS, bias on political parties, or something of the like over the past few weeks, well, the situation is kind of confusing, so I am going to try t o clear it up for you a bit. To start off, I would like to define for you what a 501C3 is. A 501C3 is a way for organizations to raise money for a good purpose. The money in a 501C3 cannot be used solely to be donated to a political party or campaign. The official definition of a 501C3 is that it “is the portion of the US Internal Revenue Code that allows for federal tax exemption of nonprofit organizations, specifically those that are considered public charities, private foundations or private operating foundations” (501C3.org). Organization associated with both the left wing (democrats, liberals, etc) side of politics and the right wing (conservatives, republicans, etc) use 501C3s to raise money, and might donate some of this money to a political party or campaign, but never all of it (because that would be illegal). This is all fine and dandy, where the “scandal” part of this situation comes in is with how the IRS was treating different organizations. Instead of treating all organizations who were applying for/had 501C3s equally, the IRS set aside all of the organizations that were right wing affiliated (Tea Party Organization, church nonprofits, etc.) and scrutinized there organizations much more in depth than the left wing organizations (Green Peace, etc). The IRS reportedly delayed approving new 501C3s for conservative organizations for up to two years. The IRS would also ask in-depth questions of conservative companies, questions that the IRS has no right to ask. The reason that this scandal is such a big deal is because it goes against our country’s principles of democracy. The IRS is government run, and for it to side with one political powerhouse over another is actually pretty scary. What if it were to start off a snow ball effect? With one side reciprocating in an equally or greater capacity against the other? That would be BAD! So, that is why this issue is getting so much attention (at least from Fox news, ha!). Really, though, we all need to be watching out for unfair actions like this, from both sides! In order for the government to work, there has to be both fairness and accountability. Oklahoma Tornadoes As you might know by now, Oklahoma has been getting hit hard by some pretty devastating tornadoes. This area is in what is known as “tornado alley,” and is quite familiar with the damage and destructive force tornadoes are capable of. In fact, in 1999 an F5 tornado struck OKC (Oklahoma City) on May 3, and was previously the deadliest (36 killed), costliest ($1 billion in damage), and most violent tornado on record in the immediate OKC area. In comparison, the recent tornadoes have been reported to cost 5 billion in damages. The OKC area has been struck 25 times by two or more tornadoes on the same day. The recent ones that hit on 18-20 May destroyed several schools and left many homeless and helpless. If you would like to help, here are some helpful ways: The American Red Cross: You can help their efforts by donating to the Red Cross online or by texting REDCROSS to 90999. This will automatically charge $10.00 to your cell phone bill. In addition to shelter and emergency care, the Red Cross is also providing hot meals to those affected. The Salvation Army: You can contribute to the Salvation Army by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769), online on their website (http://www.donate.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn_2.nsf), by texting “STORM” to 80888 to make an automatic $10 donation. Oklahoma Humane Society: The Oklahoma Humane Society is working with the city of Moore to assess and shelter animals affected by the storms. Many pets are displaced in violent storms like these and the Humane Society is dedicated to make sure these animals get the necessary immediate care they need. They ask now for monetary donations to help their efforts but will update their page with volunteer and in-kind donations as they get a better grasp on the supplies, food and medical assistance needs. Visit http://www.okhumane.org/donate to donate. Thank you for understanding my absence for these past two weeks, guys! Please comment if you can, and as always, visit onequay.org for more! -Kate

#One quay #One nation #oklahoma tornadoes #IRS scandal #women #woman #girls #girl #onequay

Dyllon Orthman

Like a lot of young boys, 11-year-old Dyllon Orthman of Texas spent his summer making extra money by mowing lawns. But rather than spending it on something fun, he donated it to a family who lost their home in the Oklahoma tornadoes. "They [the family] need a home," he told NewsChannel 10. "I personally want a Playstation, but I'd rather give the need than take the want." Through the organization OK Strong, Dyllon a family of eight whose two-bedroom home was destroyed during the tornado. Once the boy heard their story, he donated $6,000 worth of Lowes gift cards. Quality Integrated Services, a pipeline and telecommunications support company, heard about Dyllon's good deed and donated another $10,000 in his name, NewsChannel 10 reports. Dyllon's donation tallied up to $16,000. “I want to thank everybody who helped me,” Dyllon told ABC News. “Especially my mom, dad and sister. We had a lot of fun and laughter.”

(Photo via NewsChannel10)

#kids #summer #children #donation #oklahoma tornadoes #disaster #emergency #acts of kindness #random acts of kindness #love

Deadly Okla. tornado widest on record, rare EF5

By Sean Murphy, AP, Jun 4, 2013

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)--The deadly tornado that struck near Oklahoma City late last week had a record-breaking width of 2.6 miles and was the second top-of-the-scale EF5 twister to hit the area in less than two weeks, the National Weather Service reported Tuesday.

The weather service initially rated the Friday tornado that hit El Reno as an EF3. But the agency upgraded the ranking after surveying damage from the twister, which along with subsequent flooding killed 18 people. The weather service determined that the storm packed winds reaching 295 mph.

The update means the Oklahoma City area has seen two of the extremely rare EF5 tornadoes in only 11 days. The other hit Moore, a city about 25 miles away from El Reno, on May 20, killing 24 people and causing widespread damage.

But Friday's massive tornado avoided the highly populated areas near and around Oklahoma City, and forecasters said that likely saved lives. When the winds were at their most powerful, no structures were nearby, said Rick Smith, chief warning coordination meteorologist for the weather service's office in Norman.

"Any house would have been completely swept clean on the foundation. That's just my speculation," Smith said. "We're looking at extremes ... in the rare EF5 category. This in the super rare category because we don't deal with things like this often."

El Reno Mayor Matt White said that while his city of 18,000 residents suffered significant damage--including its vocational-technical center and a cattle stockyard that was reduced to a pile of twisted metal--he said it could have been much worse had the violent twister tracked to the north.

"If it was two more miles this way, it would have wiped out all of downtown, almost every one of our subdivisions and almost all of our businesses," White said. "It would have taken out everything.

"It's very scary ... I don't think a normal person can fathom just how scary. I don't think they realize how lucky El Reno was."

The EF5 storm that hit Moore decimated neighborhoods. In Friday's storm, many of the deaths were caused by heavy flash flooding following the storms. Three storm chasers died in that storm.

Smith said the storm's 2.6-mile path--besting a record set in 2004 in Hallam, Neb.--would have made the storm hard to recognize up close.

"A two-and-a-half mile wide tornado would not look like a tornado to a lot of people," Smith said.

#Oklahoma tornadoes #Moore Oklahoma #EF5 tornadoes