Thursday, 23 May 2013

Foul weather hits US tornado cleanup

Source BBC News@ tienganhvui.com


Lightning from a thunderstorm strikes amid the wreckage of twisted cars and structures at Plaza Elementary School, where seven children were killed earlier in the week when a tornado hit Moore, Oklahoma, 23 May 2013A flash flood warning is in effect for the area around Moore through the afternoon



Cleanup efforts in an Oklahoma city hit by a huge tornado have been hampered by thunderstorms, as the first victim's funeral is held.


Antonia Candelaria, nine, who died as the twister hit her school, killing six classmates, is being laid to rest.


Amid heavy rain and hail, a flash flood alert was issued for the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, where 24 people died in the top-of-the-scale tornado.


Officials estimate the storm caused more than $2bn (£1.3bn) of damage.


The recovery effort is now beginning to accelerate after all of the missing were accounted for. Oklahoma's medical examiner has confirmed that 24 people died in the storm, including 10 children.


School year ends

Residents were only formally allowed back into the area scoured by the tornado on Wednesday afternoon, where they picked through enormous piles of debris.


Whole neighbourhoods in Moore, an Oklahoma City suburb of 56,000 people, were by flattened by the twister, which had winds of at least 200mph (320km/h).


Officials estimate 13,000 homes were damaged or destroyed and 33,000 people have been affected.


Among the destroyed buildings in the city are Moore Medical Center and two primary schools.


Antonia Candelaria was among six students who suffocated after being buried under a mass of bricks, steel and other materials as the Plaza Towers Elementary School collapsed.


A seventh Plaza Towers student, a seven-year-old boy, was killed instantly as an object fell on the back of his neck.


An obituary in the Oklahoman newspaper said Antonia was especially talented in music and art, recently auditioning to sing in the school's talent show.


Parents, teachers and children who survived are expected to gather at area schools on Thursday as the district marks the formal end of the school year.


On Wednesday, Moore Mayor Glenn Lewis said he would propose an ordinance in the next few days to require all new homes to have storm shelters.


Federal grants were already available to help residents subsidise the costs of safe rooms and shelters, but Mr Lewis said he believes is it is necessary to compel people to include them in all new construction.


Some Moore residents were already vowing to rebuild - with shelters.


"That is the first thing that will be going into the design of the house, is the storm shelter and the garage," Shayne Patteson told the Associated Press news agency as he looked through the remains of his three-bedroom home.


a satellite view of Moore, Oklahoma after the passage of a powerful tornado 23 May 2013The path of the tornado's destruction through Moore - as show on satellite photo





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