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CNN NEWSROOM

Tornadoes Devastate Oklahoma; Search and Recovery Effort Underway

Aired May 21, 2013 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


JOHN BERMAN, ANCHOR, "CNN NEWSROOM": Welcome back to CNN's continuing live coverage of the aftermath of Oklahoma tornadoes.

I'm John Berman standing in a neighborhood right now in the town of Moore, Oklahoma, and you can see what happened to this neighborhood, simply flattened.

Everywhere you look there's metal, twisted metal debris like this. On the ground here, the wood is splintered everywhere.

And take a look at this. You see this nail poking out of the wood. You see how dangerous something like this is as this wood was simply flying around in the force of the storm with winds topping 200-miles- an-hour.

You look around this neighborhood here, dozens of homes, hardly a home left standing. I have to say, not that many walls left standing in the debris of this neighborhood.

You've been hearing the story of Moore, Oklahoma. You've heard about neighborhoods like this one where I'm standing.

You've also heard about the schools, the Plaza Towers Elementary School, which crumbled with students believed trapped still inside. So many third graders are there. Overnight search-and-rescue crews continued to dig through the rubble of that building by hand.

The Briarwood Elementary School where teachers protected the kids and there were emotional reunions and hugs with parents and teachers and students, just after that tornado struck.

At some points, this tornado, by the way, was two miles wide, and it tore a swath some 20 miles long through this town.

The whole country is watching what's happening here as this city digs through the rubble here.

And a short while ago, President Obama delivered remarks from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: In an instant neighborhoods were destroyed. Dozens of people lost their lives. Many more were injured and among the victims were young children trying to take shelter in the safest place they knew, their school. Our prayers are with the people of Oklahoma today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The prayers of the entire nation with Oklahoma. You are looking at people dig through their homes right now. That's a refrigerator they just got their hands on, just one piece of the debris here.

This neighborhood where I'm standing I suppose good news is we've been told by people who live here it's mostly a working neighborhood. Most people were away at work when the storm hit.

They've already done one sweep through here, looking for people trapped in the rubble. They did not find anyone.

They are asking people whose homes -- who live here -- they can come back for a second if they want to look around for a bit, but please do not linger. They say they fear it is still too much of a dangerous situation.

Speaking of dangerous situations, I don't know if you can see behind me, but clouds are very dark here. There is some drizzle. We hear the occasional rumble of thunder.

We want to get a sense of where there will be more today? Where is this storm center headed next?

Let's go to CNN Weather Center. Chad Myers who is monitoring the storm system for us.

Hey, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, John.

There will be some weather for you today, but it won't be tornadic. You won't see weather with hail, wind, damaging tornadoes to you, but there will be that type of weather from Dallas up through Little Rock, even on toward the northeast of there.

We're talking even the potential for severe weather, Chicago, Detroit, and Indianapolis.

Now remember, we think about tornadoes as kind of a southern plains kind of Tornado Alley thing, but the truth of the matter is tornadoes have happened in every single state in the nation.

So here you go. We can get all the way up into Detroit, Indianapolis, all the way down into Ft. Smith and into Memphis where the heaviest rain, the heaviest potential for severe weather will be Dallas and Shreveport.

One thing that's going to stop the severe weather from being very severe in Oklahoma is the fact that it's raining. Yesterday at this same time it was sunny, and we talked about that.

We don't want the sun. The sun is heating the ground. The ground is heating the air and that air is rising. Rising air makes thunderstorms. And we don't have that rising air today because we don't have a lot of sunshine.

We will have showers and thunderstorms. There may even be some lightning that will scare and maybe even make the rescuers scatter, but it won't be a tornadic day for Oklahoma City today or Moore.

John?

BERMAN: That is good news, Chad. I can tell you I feel the rain falling on me, and as you said, we might see lightning. There's thunder. I don't know if you can hear thunder right now, rumbling above me and there was lightning just a short time ago. Doesn't seem too close.

I promise you, Chad, I promise everyone, including my wife and kids, that we'll be careful out here and keep one eye on the weather as it develops.

There are so many stories to tell you about in this town and one of the most interesting ones is at the Moore Medical Center which isn't far from where I'm standing now.

That's where we find CNN's Pamela Brown who has been there all morning. Pamela, tell me what you are surrounded by there right now.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, you're right. I'm here at the Moore Medical Center, and as you can see behind me, it was obliterated from the tornado that moved through here yesterday.

This was in the direct path of the tornado and, amazingly, 30 patients that were inside Moore Medical Center being treated were evacuated after the damage from the tornado. They were evacuated to surrounding medical centers.

As I mentioned, this is primarily an outpatient center. It's a pretty small hospital in comparison.

We've seen search-and-rescue teams out here today. There's a bowling alley to my left and they have been -- the dogs, the cadaver dogs, have been out here today searching for any humans that could be trapped underneath the rubble.

I spoke to one member of a search-and-rescue team who said that because of this weather that you were just talking about, John, because of the lightning we're seeing, the rain, the weather conditions, they're in a holding pattern right now and they're not able to continue their search efforts here.

And they also talked about the challenges of the chemicals and downed power lines and natural gas here at all these various sites around Moore, Oklahoma.

There's been a lot of focus on the school, the Plaza Towers Elementary School where seven children were killed after the tornado swept through yesterday. Search-and-rescue teams have been there around the clock trying to find more survivors.

We've seen dramatic images of parents rushing to the elementary schools, two in particular that were in the direct path of the tornado.

One mother ran up and saw her son crouched down frozen on the ground with his hands over his head. He was terrified. Other parents rushed to the scene and were unable to find their child.

Let's listen to one mother who went through an agonizing experience.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: You're looking for your son right now, aren't you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah. His name is Dylan Zachary Hall.

BROWN: And he was -- where was he?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was at the Plaza school.

BROWN: OK, so he was at Plaza Towers Elementary. His name is Dylan.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dylan Zachary Hall.

He's how old? And when was the last you heard from him?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's 13, and we haven't -- I haven't seen him since the school. I know his step mom was in the cellar at her house, and she -- I lost contact with her. And they're supposed to be sending people over there, so I don't know if she's still in the cellar or not.

But I just can't find my son.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: We learned the fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders at that school were taken to a local church, and the younger kids stayed at the school. Some were in the hallway huddled together when the tornado moved through, in their drill position, crouched down with their hands over their heads.

It's important to pay tribute to the teachers here. They're being hailed as heroes for saving lives, for saving some of these kids by shielding them, lying on top of them as the tornado moved through, pulling a wall off some of the kids that were trapped.

We've seen some dramatic images there of teachers hugging the students so tight after that tornado.

You can just imagine how many times they must have practiced that drill and then to actually have to put it into play yesterday must have been a terrifying experience.

BERMAN: It must have been terrifying, Pamela, as you say. And when you see those teachers hug those kids, you know how much they care about the children in their classroom every day. It was a beautiful sight to see in so many ways.

Pamela Brown, not far from us at the Moore Medical Center, thanks so much for being with us.

I want to show you some live aerial footage right now of the destruction here in Moore, Oklahoma. You get a sense of the scope of this storm.

As we said, at some times this tornado was some two miles wide. It tore a path some 20 miles long as it passed through here. The wind speeds, it was an EF-4 tornado which means wind speeds were up to 200- miles-an-hour. So you can see the destruction that it caused.

We don't have an accurate count of the number of buildings damaged or destroyed. One of the reasons is it's frankly hard to count. You can see that from the air. And you also get a sense of that from the ground.

I'm joined here in this neighborhood where I'm standing by Stephanie Elam who's been here all morning, walking through the debris here of these homes that have simply been flattened.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's unimaginable. And even as you hear it and you see images, it's nothing like seeing it with your own eyes. It's unbelievable what these people have lost.

And what really symbolizes that, if you take a look, John, like -- I have to watch where I step because there's nails everywhere grabbing me on my pants.

But if you look over here, you can see this personal artifact. You've got things that have just been tossed around just like rag dolls along with wood that are just stuck out here.

There's a blanket and a little stroller and a bag stuck in that tree, one of the neighbors even telling me that that was a massive willow tree right there that got damaged.

One other thing to point out over here is this right here, massive piece of guardrail here, and this guardrail, I asked one of the neighbors where this possibly could have came from.

And he said that it probably came from the interstate which is not from anywhere around here. But it got tossed around like it was just a little splinter and landed here on these people's lawns. So it just shows you how dangerous it was to be out on the street, John, at the time.

BERMAN: We are not that near to the highway right now, by the way. To give you a sense, I mean, this thing must have traveled a quarter mile, half mile.

ELAM: And think about how dangerous that would be to be flying through the air and all things that it could hit, let alone the people that if they did not make it into a shelter at time.

Just gives you an idea of just what these people were up against.

BERMAN: And to be clear, we're standing in someone's front yard right now and this guardrail, this girder, from the road has simply landed in their front yard here and, again, you can see these people, these poor people, digging through their homes, trying to get what they can from these homes.

ELAM: And, you know, one of the things that we did speak to one neighbor and his family also lived through Joplin.

And so I asked him just about these tornadoes. How do you take it all in? And hopefully we have that sound. You can hear what he had to say.

BERMAN: (Inaudible). We have no ...

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Welcome back, everyone, to CNN's continuing coverage of the devastation here in Moore, Oklahoma.

You are looking at pictures right now overnight of Marines raising a flag amidst the rubble and devastation. They were part of the team of first-responders and second-responders, people who came here overnight to help dig through the rubble.

It was a Navy reservist, I should say, not a Marine. Still a lovely, amazing picture. Shows you the spirit of this rescue and this recovery effort that's still going on at this very moment.

I want to give you the latest information we have from the Oklahoma City medical examiner. The Oklahoma City medical examiner tells us right now that they have 24 confirmed fatalities.

How many of them are children? I believe nine of them are children. So 24 confirmed fatalities and nine of them are children.

Now, that number is tragic. That number is awful. That number may very well change.

But that number would have been a lot, lot higher, whatever it turns out to be, if not for the work of teachers and educators all around this area right now who helped protect the children when the storm was hitting. This is something they train for.

I want to bring in Shae Rowell. She's a teacher in from this area right now who no doubt has done so many drills and worked with students to try to protect them in just this type of situation. Shae, can you hear me?

SHAE ROWELL, LOCAL TEACHER (via telephone): Yes, I can.

BERMAN: What is the training? How much do you practice for something like this and how do you practice? ROWELL: We have surprise drills every quarter, so our quarters last 9 weeks (INAUDIBLE) throughout the quarter. And just starting with the littlest kids, you just practice and practice and practice. By the time they get to sixth grade, they think they're experts.

BERMAN: Where were you when this storm hit yesterday?

ROWELL: I was in the classroom. I'm a qualified high school teacher but I'm in training to be an elementary school teacher so I'm assisting right now, so I was with the teacher that I'm assisting and our third graders. (INAUDIBLE).

BERMAN: One of the things we heard is that there was 16 minutes' warning. There were 16 minutes between the time that warnings came, the sirens went off, and the storm actually hit. Is 16 minutes enough time to do what you need to do to try to keep everyone safe?

ROWELL: We got everybody to our shelter. I really feel like our school did a great job communicating. We had one outlying building, that's our gym and music area, and they got the kids inside the main building really, really quickly.

BERMAN: Really, really quickly. We've heard stories from Briarwood school, we heard stories from the Plaza Towers school to figure out -- we've been following what teachers have been doing here to try to keep kids safe and there are stories of teachers literally laying down on top of kids to protect them from the debris.

So Shae Rowell, thank you so much for being with us. This training that you do, this preparation, does pay off and does save lives. It is a tragedy here but a tragedy that might have been much, much worse if not for your training.

When we come back, we're going to hear from the Red Cross as they try to help pick up the pieces here, put this city back together. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Welcome back to CNN's continuing live coverage of the aftermath of the devastation of the tornado in Oklahoma. I'm John Berman in Moore, Oklahoma, right now. So many people are looking for ways to help out here. One of the best ways is to go to the Red Cross. Visit the Red Cross at redcross.rog or you can text donations to the number on the screen right in front of you.

Again, people here need that help so very badly. You can see behind me right now I'm in a neighborhood that has flattened. People are going through homes right now trying to salvage what they can. People in amazingly high spirits considering everything that they've been through. You can see that man right there trying I think probably to save his washer or his dryer that seems to be in one place, miraculously. Especially given - look at the chimney. The chimney is gone but I believe that is the dryer right there. The dryer seems to be doing just fine. Amazingly. Things like chimneys, things like washers and dryers, they can be replaced. Lives cannot. And what people here care about the most is their loved ones, their sons and daughters, their brothers and sisters, their mothers and fathers. And some of the most painful experiences over the last 24 hours have been at the schools that were affected, that were in the path of this tornado.

One of the schools was the Briarwood School. This is a good story we have to tell you about right now with some amazing pictures, some hopeful pictures, that will lift your spirits. This is of the reunions just after the storm, just after that tornado hit near the Briarwood School. Look at the teachers with the kids. Look at the parents with their kids after they found them. Let's watch this video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SHOUTING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where is he? He's out? He's out, OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All fifth graders right here!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Step over the wire. Fifth grade! fifth graders!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was so brave. He was so brave. He was so brave. He was so brave. He was so brave.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: These reunions are so amazing. Just part of the good news that we see here in Moore, Oklahoma. You see those parents who simply cannot hug their kids tightly enough. That's the local story here. This is already a national story, international story. There's thoughts and prayers streaming in from around the world right now.

When we come back, we're going to hear from the president. We're going to get a report from White House correspondent Jessica Yellin into the White House response. What is the president doing right now to help these people here? We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Welcome back, everyone. CNN's continuing live coverage of the aftermath of this devastating tornado. I'm in Moore, Oklahoma, right now. The latest information we have from the Oklahoma City medical examiner's office, 24 people have been killed at least in this disaster, nine of those killed were children.

I'm standing in this neighborhood right now. You can see it has simply been flattened by the storm here. The rain is falling steadily right now. This will hamper the recovery, the rescue effort, a little bit, not make it any easier on them. And the people here need all of the help they can get, not just locally but also from the federal government.

President Obama just a short time ago, he spoke, he promised to help. Let's go straight to the White House now and our White House correspondent Jessica Yellin. Hey Jessica.

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hey John. President Obama, as you say, came out to address the nation playing his role as Healer- and Consoler-in-Chief. He extended the nation's prayers and gratitude to the first responders and he promised that the U.S. and federal government will be on the ground to help the people where you are for as long as it takes. This was the president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The people of Moore should know that their country will remain on the ground, there for them, beside them, as long as it takes for their are homes and schools to rebuild, businesses and hospitals to reopen, parents to console, first responders to comfort, and of course frightened children who will need our continued love and attention.