May 20, 2013.

Today. Today was a nightmare. Oklahoma's biggest threat, a tornado...a huge, violent, deadly tornado...leveled the city of Moore. 

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Meteorologists had been warning our state for a couple of weeks about the serious weather threat that we were to have these past two days. They could not have been more right about these high risk days. Yesterday multiple tornados whirled through the state, with the worst damage being in Carney and Shawnee. After attending a birthday party yesterday afternoon, we headed to my mom and dad's house to take cover from the storms. Thankfully, the kids liked being in the cellar, and we played Simon Says and ate cheese goldfish while a F4 tornado touched down just 1/2 mile northwest of us. Bethel, Shawnee Lake, and the I-40/Hwy 177 areas were severely affected. Homes were leveled, semis were overturned on the interstate, and a few people lost their lives.

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I-40 & Highway 177 in Shawnee

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When we woke up this morning, the first thing we did was gather up all of the clothing we had been saving for our garage sale. Reid helped me load it into the car and we took it to a church in Bethel where a donation center had been set up. I loved teaching my children about helping others and showing the love of Christ by having the heart of a servant. 

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The Oklahoma Medical Reserve Corps called me this afternoon and asked if I would volunteer as a healthcare provider at the Red Cross shelter this evening. I could not wait to serve my community and went to the health department to pick up my "Oklahoma Disaster Rescue Team" certification and medical badge. I am disaster certified by the American Red Cross and have taken several disaster preparedness classes as a healthcare provider. I joined the Medical Reserve Corps disaster team while in nurse practitioner school, but had never had a chance to serve with this amazing organization until today. After updating my paperwork, we stopped by dad's office and started watching footage of what was happening in Moore. It was about 3 o'clock and we stared in disbelief as a F5 tornado torn through the city in almost the exact path as the May 3, 1999 tornadoes fourteen years ago. 

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This tornado was reported on the news as the world's most destructive tornado. The debris ball was estimated to be about 2 miles wide with a destruction area of approximately 30 square miles. This tornado was said to have done three times the damage of the May 3, 1999 tornado. 

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President Barack Obama has declared a major disaster in Oklahoma as the state recovers from a massive tornado. 

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The entire situation is tragic, but what makes today especially heartbreaking is that this tornado tore through several elementary schools. The following two pictures are the search and recovery team trying to locate missing children in the rubble. Twenty-four children's bodies have been recovered so far, and there are several children still unaccounted for. The news has reported that the children were trapped in a hallway and drowned. The total death toll is 91 as of now, and this is expected to increase as search and recovery efforts continue throughout the night. 

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one of the most remarkable pictures from this catastrophic event

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I had a dentist appointment today at 3 o'clock in the Moore/Norman area. My mom sent me a text at about midnight last night telling me to call first thing in the morning and cancel my appointment, because she did not have a good feeling about me driving to Norman with the severe weather threats for the following day. I was going to take my kids with me, and really did not want to cancel as I thought the bad weather wouldn't hit until later in the evening. After looking at the text again after I woke up, I picked up the phone and rescheduled my appointment. I am thanking Jesus that I did. I would have been driving down I-35 in Moore at the exact time that the tornado showed its ugly face. My path on I-35 and then I-240 would have mimicked the tornado's path. I feel so humbled and so blessed that my family and I are safe and sound...unharmed by the monsters that swept through our state these past two days. However, my heart aches. My heart aches for the families that were affected, those that lost their homes, their belongings, their pictures, their loved ones...those whose lives have been turned upside down and forever changed...and especially for those parents who are unable to hold their babies in their arms tonight. 

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But there is hope...

The Lord is good,

    a refuge in times of trouble.

He cares for those who trust in him.

Nahum 1:7

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Oklahomans are strong. We are resilient. We are kind. We are helpers. We are workers. We do not give up. And WE WILL RISE TOGETHER! This is the status that my mom put on her Facebook page tonight and I think she says it perfectly...

This has been an unbelievable day in so many ways. The devastation is unbelievably horrific. However, my Facebook timeline is also unbelievable--post after post after post of people sharing shelter and donation information--Sharing info about missing loved ones with contact information to use. Numerous large Oklahoma corporations donating amazing amounts of money. Innumerable small businesses donating things like free hotel rooms, veterinarian services, boxed lunches, free food to responders who stop by. Universities opening up their housing for those displaced. People offering rooms in their homes. 

Hence, I borrowed this from a Twitter post I saw: "If you're asking where God is in all this...look to the helpers. That's where you'll see Him."

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So I ask you to please pray. Pray for Moore. Pray for Oklahoma. Thank the Lord for all He has given to you and continue to praise Him "in the storm."

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How can you help?

• Pray.
• Please stay away from the worst hit areas. They do not need any more first responders at this time. 
• LOST PETS: Makeshift triage area for lost and injured pets set up at Moore Home Depot
• OKLAHOMA HELP FOR ANIMALS ....Benchmark Animal Hospital: Any animals that have been affected by the tornado and need shelter or medical attention, please call our hospital or drop off the animal for our staff to evaluate and treat them. We have a huge facility and can accommodate a significant amount of animals. Please spread the word and keep safe. They can be reached at 405-547-8381.
• Displaced animals can be taken to the Animal Resource Center at 7949 S. I-35 Service Rd. (405) 604-2892.
• Feed the Children taking donations - money, water, and food items at the News 5 (KOCO) station on E. Britton Road tomorrow (May 21)
• Trying to connect with loved ones involved in today's storms log on to www.safeandwell.org powered by the Red Cross.
• Text "REDCROSS" to 90999 to donate $10 to Moore Disaster Relief
• Text "STORM" to 80888 to donate $10 to Salvation Army Disaster Relief
• Text "RELIEF" to 86613 and then your offering amount to the LIFECHURCH.tv disaster relief efforts
• Text "FOOD" to 32333 to donate $10 to Oklahoma Storm Relief 
• List of shelters - Click HERE
• Helping tornado victims: Shelter information & needs - Click HERE
• Donation information - Click HERE

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