A woman walks through debris after a huge tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, near Oklahoma City, May 20, 2013. A massive tornado tore through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore on Monday, killing at least 51 people as winds of up to 200 miles per hour (320 kph) flattened entire tracts of homes, two schools and a hospital, leaving a wake of tangled wreckage. REUTERS/Richard Rowe
On Monday, May 20, 2013 a huge and powerful tornado rated at EF4 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, with winds up to 200 miles per hour, struck the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore causing massive destruction.
At least fifty-one people were confirmed dead, twenty to thirty school children were still missing and feared dead beneath the rubble while lots of people were injured.
A spokeswoman for the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center said that the devastating, mile-wide tornado touched down at 3:01 p.m. local time (4.01 p.m. EDT).
According to the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma, the tornado was on the ground for approximately 40 minutes, and a tornado warning was in effect for 16 minutes before the twister developed.
It was reported that the devastated area covered thirty square miles and some area look like a war-zone with blocks of houses, buildings, farms, trees and other structures were knocked down by the tornado.
The mayor of Moore, Glenn Lewis told NBC:
“The whole city looks like a debris field. It looks like we have lost our hospital. I drove by there a while ago and it’s pretty much destroyed.”
Blocks of homes were leveled by the powerful tornado, cars piled atop one another and some buildings were on fire.
Among the buildings destroyed were the Plaza Towers Elementary school and Briarwood Elementary School while Moore Medical Center sustained significant damage.
Most of the injured were brought to the Integris Southwest Medical Center, University of Oklahoma Medical Center, St. Anthony Healthplex South and Midwest Regional.
The National Weather Service predicted a 10 percent chance of tornadoes in parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Illinois.
It also said parts of Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan and Iowa have a 5 percent risk of tornadoes.
The area at greatest risk includes Joplin, which on Wednesday will mark two years since the tornado that killed 161 people.
On Sunday, tornadoes killed two people and injured 39 in Oklahoma.
Please click the photos for larger images:
A boy is pulled from beneath a collapsed wall at the Plaza Towers Elementary School following a tornado in Moore, Okla., Monday, May 20, 2013. A tornado as much as a mile (1.6 kilometer) wide with winds up to 200 mph (320 kph) roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs Monday, flattening entire neighborhoods, setting buildings on fire and landing a direct blow on the elementary school. (AP Photo Sue Ogrocki)
A destroyed house remains after a huge tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, near Oklahoma City, May 20, 2013. A massive tornado tore through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore on Monday, killing at least 51 people as winds of up to 200 miles per hour (320 kph) flattened entire tracts of homes, two schools and a hospital, leaving a wake of tangled wreckage. REUTERS/Richard Rowe (UNITED STATES – Tags: DISASTER ENVIRONMENT)
REFILE – CORRECTING GRAMMAR IN FIRST SENTENCE Rescue workers help free one of 15 people trapped in a medical building at the Moore hospital complex after a tornado tore through the area of Moore, Oklahoma May 20, 2013. REUTERS/Gene Blevins (UNITED STATES – Tags: ENVIRONMENT DISASTER)
Downed power lines block a road after a huge tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, near Oklahoma City, May 20, 2013. A massive tornado tore through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore on Monday, killing at least 51 people as winds of up to 200 miles per hour (320 kph) flattened entire tracts of homes, two schools and a hospital, leaving a wake of tangled wreckage. REUTERS/Richard Rowe (UNITED STATES – Tags: DISASTER ENVIRONMENT)
Destroyed buildings and overturned cars are seen after a huge tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, near Oklahoma City, May 20, 2013. REUTERS/Richard Rowe
Destroyed cars are seen after a huge tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma May 20, 2013. REUTERS/Gene Blevins
A shopping center and parking lot are filled with debris after a huge tornado struck in Moore, Oklahoma near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma May 20, 2013. REUTERS/Richard Rowe
A shredded tree stands amid debris after a massive tornado touched down in the town of Moore, near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma May 20, 2013. A huge tornado with winds of up to 200 miles per hour (320 kph) tore through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore on Monday, ripping up at least two schools and leaving a wake of tangled wreckage as a dangerous storm system threatened as many as 10 U.S. states. REUTERS/Richard Rowe (UNITED STATES – Tags: DISASTER ENVIRONMENT)
Parts of trees and household debris cover the ground after a huge tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, near Oklahoma City, May 20, 2013. A massive tornado tore through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore on Monday, killing at least 51 people as winds of up to 200 miles per hour (320 kph) flattened entire tracts of homes, two schools and a hospital, leaving a wake of tangled wreckage. REUTERS/Richard Rowe (UNITED STATES – Tags: DISASTER ENVIRONMENT
Parts of trees and household debris cover the ground after a huge tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, near Oklahoma City, May 20, 2013. A massive tornado tore through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore on Monday, killing at least 51 people as winds of up to 200 miles per hour (320 kph) flattened entire tracts of homes, two schools and a hospital, leaving a wake of tangled wreckage. REUTERS/Richard Rowe (UNITED STATES – Tags: DISASTER ENVIRONMENT
Stripped trees and destroyed houses remain after a huge tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, near Oklahoma City, May 20, 2013. A massive tornado tore through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore on Monday, killing at least 51 people as winds of up to 200 miles per hour (320 kph) flattened entire tracts of homes, two schools and a hospital, leaving a wake of tangled wreckage. REUTERS/Richard Rowe (UNITED STATES – Tags: DISASTER ENVIRONMENT)
A shopping plaza lies in ruin after a huge tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, near Oklahoma City, May 20, 2013. A massive tornado tore through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore on Monday, killing at least 51 people as winds of up to 200 miles per hour (320 kph) flattened entire tracts of homes, two schools and a hospital, leaving a wake of tangled wreckage. REUTERS/Richard Rowe (UNITED STATES – Tags: DISASTER ENVIRONMENT
A child is pulled from the rubble of the Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla., and passed along to rescuers Monday, May 20, 2013. A tornado as much as a mile (1.6 kilometers) wide with winds up to 200 mph (320 kph) roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs Monday, flattening entire neighborhoods, setting buildings on fire and landing a direct blow on an elementary school.(AP Photo Sue Ogrocki)
People look at the destruction after a huge tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma May 20, 2013. A huge tornado with winds of up to 200 miles per hour devastated the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore on Monday, ripping up at least two elementary schools and a hospital and leaving a wake of tangled wreckage. At least four people were killed, KFOR television said, citing a reporter’s eyewitness account, and hospitals said dozens of people were injured as the dangerous storm system threatened as many as 10 U.S. states with more twisters. REUTERS/Gene Blevins (UNITED STATES – Tags: ENVIRONMENT DISASTER)
A man looks through the remains of a home after a huge tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, near Oklahoma City, May 20, 2013. A massive tornado tore through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore on Monday, killing at least 51 people as winds of up to 200 miles per hour (320 kph) flattened entire tracts of homes, two schools and a hospital, leaving a wake of tangled wreckage. REUTERS/Richard Rowe (UNITED STATES – Tags: DISASTER ENVIRONMENT
Stripped trees and destroyed houses remain after a huge tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, near Oklahoma City, May 20, 2013. REUTERS/Richard Rowe
Teachers carry children away from Briarwood Elementary school after a tornado destroyed the school in south Oklahoma City, Monday, May 20, 2013. A monstrous tornado roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs, flattening entire neighborhoods with winds up to 200 mph, setting buildings on fire and landing a direct blow on an elementary school. (AP Photo/The Oklahoman, Paul Hellstern)
Picture taken with my iPhone of a tornado forming just north of my home in Bridge Creek, Oklahoma 5/20/2013
Overturned cars are seen after a huge tornado touched down in the town of Moore, near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma May 20, 2013. REUTERS/Richard Rowe
A nurse walks past the destruction at Moore hospital after a huge tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, near Oklahoma City, May 20, 2013. A huge tornado with winds of up to 200 miles per hour (320 kph) devastated the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore on Monday, ripping up at least two elementary schools and a hospital and leaving a wake of tangled wreckage. REUTERS/Gene Blevins (UNITED STATES – Tags: DISASTER ENVIRONMENT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)
REFILE – CORRECTING GRAMMAR IN FIRST SENTENCE Rescue workers help free one of 15 people trapped in a medical building at the Moore hospital complex after a tornado tore through the area of Moore, Oklahoma May 20, 2013. REUTERS/Gene Blevins (UNITED STATES – Tags: ENVIRONMENT DISASTER)
Fifty-five million Americans in the storm zone. Sam Champion discusses the storm and its path.
Overturned cars are seen after a massive tornado touched down near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma May 20, 2013. REUTERS/Richard Rowe
Rescue workers help free one of the 15 people that were trapped at a medical building at the Moore hospital complex after a tornado tore through the area of Moore, Oklahoma May 20, 2013. REUTERS/Gene Blevins (UNITED STATES – Tags: ENVIRONMENT DISASTER TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
A sign for a local restaurant lies on the ground after a huge tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, near Oklahoma City, May 20, 2013. A massive tornado tore through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore on Monday, killing at least 51 people as winds of up to 200 miles per hour (320 kph) flattened entire tracts of homes, two schools and a hospital, leaving a wake of tangled wreckage. REUTERS/Richard Rowe (UNITED STATES – Tags: DISASTER ENVIRONMENT)
A rescue worker looks for victims in the Moore Hospital parking lot after being hit by a tornado that destroyed buildings and overturned cars in Moore, Oklahoma, near Oklahoma City, May 20, 2013. A huge tornado with winds of up to 200 miles per hour (320 kph) devastated the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore on Monday, ripping up at least two elementary schools and a hospital and leaving a wake of tangled wreckage. At least four people were killed, KFOR television said, citing a reporter’s eyewitness account, and hospitals said dozens of people were injured. REUTERS/Gene Blevins (UNITED STATES – Tags: DISASTER ENVIRONMENT)
Kay James holds her cat as she sits in her driveway after her home was destroyed by the tornado that hit the area on Monday, May 20, 2013 in Oklahoma City, Okla. (AP Photo/The Oklahoman, Chris Landsberger)
A woman is pulled out from under tornado debris at the Plaza Towers School in Moore, Okla., Monday, May 20, 2013. A tornado as much as a mile (1.6 kilometers) wide with winds up to 200 mph (320 kph) roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs Monday, flattening entire neighborhoods, setting buildings on fire and landing a direct blow on an elementary school. (AP Photo Sue Ogrocki)
A church steeple lies on the ground after it was toppled by a huge tornado which struck Moore, Oklahoma, near Oklahoma City, May 20, 2013. REUTERS/Richard Rowe
A woman carries her child through a field near the collapsed Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla., Monday, May 20, 2013. A tornado as much as a mile (1.6 kilometers) wide with winds up to 200 mph (320 kph) roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs Monday, flattening entire neighborhoods, setting buildings on fire and landing a direct blow on an elementary school. (AP Photo Sue Ogrocki)
People walk near destroyed buildings and vehicles after a tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, near Oklahoma City, May 20, 2013. At least 91 people, including 20 children, were feared killed when a 2 mile wide tornado tore through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, trapping victims beneath the rubble as one elementary school took a direct hit and another was destroyed. REUTERS/Gene Blevins (UNITED STATES – Tags: ENVIRONMENT DISASTER)
A fire burns in the Tower Plaza Addition in Moore, Okla., following a tornado Monday, May 20, 2013. A tornado as much as a mile wide with winds up to 200 mph roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs Monday, flattening entire neighborhoods, setting buildings on fire and landing a direct blow on an elementary school. (AP Photo Sue Ogrocki
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