This tornado passed within 1/4 mile of my home. We were fortunate to be in a friends underground shelter. The noise was tremendous, debris covered our yards. When I came out I immediately jumped into my turck and moved into the damaged neighborhood to begin searching. I was armed with a crescent wrench in my truck. I can not tell you how many gas meters i turned off as they were spewing gas into the neighborhood. Very frightening.
This tornado, I lived through. I was 15 at the time, and I remember everything. I lived on Gale Street, off of 5th and 12th Street in Moore. We had a neighbor come, banging on our door, telling us that she was gathering everyone to her storm shelter. She said, "The news said we need to be underground to survive this. Get your family, get your pets, and come with us." My family and I grabbed our dog, pepper, and we all went into her storm shelter. There were about 20 people in there as well. After it had gone over us, it hit Janeway and kept going. When the military came, they shut the city of Moore down. We were told by one of the soldiers, "If you were in the city, you can't get out. If you were outside, you couldn't get back in." The devastation was insane. We saw 3 cars smashed together and thrown to the side. The woman in the underpass, she was never found. And to this very day, we are told never to go into an overpass to hide from a tornado. My brother was one of the rescuers who decided to help anyone he could. He and his friends were out helping others look for survivors. One thing I'll never forget is, on the 4th, a day after this happened, there were some people driving around in pick-up trucks. One had 8 cases of water, and 3 others had boxes of snack cakes. They were driving around and saw survivors who lost everything. They had no food, no water, nothing.. These people driving around pulled over to survivors and gave them 2 boxes of snack cakes and 4 bottles of water. They said, "It isn't much, but it'll keep you fed." I remember that because I was one of those who survived this and was given generosity that's not seen anymore. Thank you for reading my survivor story..
I mean it is devastating for persons to lose love ones, homes, anything that was normal before disaster. In the Caribbean we have hurricane seasons and you know it is far worst than a tornado because it does last for days with almost everything destroy and lives lost including livestock. You don't want to be in one of the Caribbean islands during hurricane season. Check out videos with hurricanes and you will see how dangerous it is. The advantage is with tornados, it is quick and efficient in a minute. Glad you survived and your must be 41 years now. P.S. what is the name of the "Mud Baby's" that the officer found?
The lady that was never found was our friends brother & friend. T said he was holding onto her with all the strength he had but it pulled her away & she was gone. She nor any part of her was ever found. A friend's mother in BC was killed and their 6 weekly baby. They found "some" of her. Her insides were gone but her "shell" was buried. Terrible day
At the end of that May of 1999 I had to travel to Utah to help a sick family member. As we traveled north on I 35 we went past the apartment complex that had been hit and saw what was left of it. It was surreal to see the apartments with their exterior walls ripped off and all furniture and etc still in place. I wish they had mentioned the baby girl found in the mud the next day. I cried over that little one reaching her arms up to the police officer that had found her.
I lived in Moore Okla. I was in 6th grade. When it shifted it went just slightly left of my home. I'll never forget that sound. In 2013 the same area was hit. I moved since but a lot of my classmates stayed and got hit again. God Bless Gary England. When he got excited I knew it was serious. He is a hero in my mind!!!
I survived the March 3rd 2020 Nashville Tennessee tornado and the sound of it is something that will stick with you that is for sure!! The tornado itself was so loud that it drowned out the sirens sound.
This tornado went over my gmas apartment when i was 7 years old! Thankfully she had left home and was at a friends home outside of the path. Her home was completely destroyed, leveled. Ill never forget this day !
Paramedics, firefighters, police are very underpaid as are many medical workers. These people do what they do out of a sense of being called to serve and protect people! These are the hero’s not professional athletes or Hollywood!
@@stanleyappleton7508 LOL This is the first time I see somebody copying a comment and pasting it in replies. The comment you copied is way above at the top. Think of something original big guy!
I was in Del City Oklahoma on that crazy day. It was down the street from me. Just missed my late moms house, we will never forget that day. Bless those who did not make it❤🙏
I have been in a few tornados, nothing huge but still pretty dangerous. Everytime I hear a tornado watch I grab my emergency items and put them by the door of my basement, then if there isn't a tornado i put the bag back, but if there is a tornado i instantly go underground. Maybe I'm overly cautious but I'd rather be that then under prepared.
@1979 my oba always says there is no such thing as being over cautious just under prepared Edit for those who don’t don’t know Oba means Grandma in Japanese
My in laws house got hit by a tornado. This was in 1979. It twisted the house on its foundation so they had to move. The smell of destruction is still remains in my mind. S
Sadly, this was 1999 and in May 2013, this same town of Moore was hit by yet another EF5 that wiped neighborhoods flat, just like in 1999: the only difference being that when the town rebuilt from 1999 devastation, a lot more storm cellars were built.
I bet its because insurance helped it along. Having a twister shelter brings value to property and saves life and medical insurance millions every year.
I must have seen these images a hundred times but twenty-five years later I still can't comprehend what happened. My brain simply can't process that level of destruction.
As this storm was approaching, it went thru a little community called bridgecreek, and a toddler was found alive, in a tree. Surprised this documentary didn’t mention that. But it happened.
I miss him. We watch David Payne now. We love News9 & so thankful for them all. Val & Amy still runnin n gunnin to keep us all safe now. God bless them all❤
People like the Paramedic, Val, Professor , TV broadcast crew and the Airforce reserve are god sent angels to save people. Such humanity pouring out is rare really rare...God bless us all....
After this tornado I remember a company came through bridge creek and installed shelters at every home that didn't have one for free, including ours. I will never forget every detail about this day and csnt believe it happened in our small little town. Two things that have always stuck with me was finally being able to leave to go to my grandparents days later and being told bot to look out the window and when I regrettably did look outside into a pasture I saw cows and goats impaled on broken trees like they were shish kabobs and secondly they used our middle school cafeteria as the impromptu morgue and the superintendent (who was so nice) ended up quitting after that happened which I'm sure had to do with the traumatizing stuff she saw.
@@Jesus-already-won-joy exactly. That along with the fact that most towns here do not offer public shelters due to liability so you definitely have to be so weather aware on those few days a year and have a plan to be safe instead of sorry.
Tornado Alley, it's called that for a reason, people should have shelters, feel sorry to thought lost their love ones. The old woman's walker saved her life that day.
I agree. Honestly it's time to redrawing tornado alley. From What I was taught in school,the greater Midwest and plains plus TX made up tornado alley. Now dozens of other states have been tragically destroyed
yea. I grew up in the tail end of tornado alley in Michigan and we had a crawl space under the house with insulated padding all around. We had to use it several times when I was young. We kept basic emergency supplies and camping equipment down there. We had several near misses and we were very lucky to only have to hide down there and not have to suffer a direct hit.
@@nataliedeyton6829 True for some, but I think the person is saying you see these nice, big houses...with no shelter. When planning these new builds, why not downsize the house a teeny tiny bit and plan for a more modest house with a shelter instead?????
The mother who risked her life to save her son by letting go of her husband’s grip so he could use all his strength to hold their son, that’s the truest love of a mother. Honestly got me extremely choked up. 😢
I find tornados really fascinating. We rarely have heavy tornadoes in Germany. In my region there was an F4 Tornado in 1910, in the early 1980s there was an F1 Tornado in my home town. I wasn't born there yet, but my father often talks about it and how this tornado only just missed our home. Roofs and cars were destroyed at some neighbours, trees fell on houses. As if by a miracle, only two people were injured. I can't even imagine the destructive power of an F5 tornado.
I live in alabama and it was the worst day was April 27th 2011 we had 62 tornadoes touch down across the state in one day varying from ef 1 to ef 4 and a total of 250 died. the ef 4 was over 1 mile wide but winds were just under ef 5 rating I was one of the storm chasers that day and it was also my last there was an infant that was sucked away from the mothers arms the baby was never found
you dont need an EF5 to lose everything. 2007 a mile wide F3 tornado struck my grandfathers city. scored a Direct hit on the only hospital there, and basically leveled the entire city( small city). massive grocery stores left with nothing but the main I beams sticking up from the concrete base. the hospital was a total loss, and what was left was torn down Pieces of downtown buildings were in his yard 2 and a half miles away
Here in New Orleans we get texts (along with an incredibly annoying beeping) when a really big thunderstorm is coming. Winds can reach near-hurricane strength a couple of times a year but the real danger is flooding. 2"/hr. is not uncommon, streets will be filled to up over the sidewalks and rivers and creeks can, and do, burst their banks. Where we live we are never in danger but can lose power for a considerable time. Last year after the hurricane we lost it for almost 6 days. When you live on the 2nd (top) floor and it is 95 degrees with 75% humidity outside it is 106 degrees with 75% humidity inside. We cooked and not even ice for the gallons of water we were drinking. (When its that hot beer is not really drinkable, it is hotter than your mouth!)
Awesome to see Val Castor on here. He is a storm spotter for channel 9 in Oklahoma City and for channel 6 here in Tulsa. The 2 stations work so well together for sharing info. We're fortunate to have them!
After watching these videos, I will never complain again about an appliance breaking down or whatever....just incredible... watching these people that survived & those that didn’t , & how they helped each other is inspiring. Rest In Peace to all those that died.
I lived in Oklahoma for almost 12 years and Gary England was the go to guy during tornado season!! If he said get underground you better know we did or took cover the best we could...best weatherman that ever lived God Bless him.
How weird to be background watching this channel and suddenly realize I was part of this one! Also, for those commenting on the basement thing, the soil in this area is really clay rich and wet and it makes basements impractical and sometimes dangerous. It's not uncommon to have community underground shelters, or special built tornado shelters in garages.
Can you build a house in the side of a hill? Dig the side of a hill and build 2 stories. That's what my Great Aunt Mabel did. There was a really bad tornado where they lived, it traumatized them for life. It had to be in the late 1920's or 30's. I thought that was brilliant.
I tried to explain that to my husband who's from California. He's used to earthquakes, while I'm used to super strong storms living in TX and GA. He couldn't understand why they didn't have basements or shelters so I had to explain to him that it has to do with the soil, and such. I wasn't sure about the water tables being high, that's new! Of course, living in SD now, it's still the same typical really bad storms... but personally, it's more blizzards. I hate blizzards...
Well concrete walls for the basement would prevent the Clay rich soil from being an issue.. Most likely the zoning for new construction doesn't allow a basement for whatever the reasoning. Maybe because of the Clay rich soil is the purpose for not having the zoning to do so.
Fun fact time This particular tornado had the fastest wind speed ever recorded on Earth 302 mile per hour the second fastest is the El Reno tornado and that one was also the widest ever
Actually, the National Weather Service and the National Severe Storms Forecast Center both received actual wind speeds of 318 Miles per Hour. This was confirmed by NWS and professional Storm Chasers who were on the ground at the time. Also, there's a video here on UA-cam by a man who recorded the actual storm from his porch, and I believe it was audio, but I'm totally blind and can't see the actual footage.
@@heatherstub you're right but you're wrong it was originally rated 318 miles per hour then the official rating went down to 301 and was eventually raised to 302 all the studies were done by dr. Josh wurman and his team
@@ragestorms1942 I take it he was there. Thank you. What I'd like to know is how he came up with that information? I'm really interested in knowing this, because if it's true, how was the 318 MPH speed clocked? Where was it clocked, and how was it wrong? Who clocked the 318 MPH speed, where was that person at the time it was clocked, and where was Dr. J? Something sounds a bit fishy about how the difference in wind speeds was determined. Also, we have to remember that Dr. J. worked for the NWS, and at the time, Reed Timmer was just getting started. I've also wonder just how accurate AccuWeather really is? The real expert that needs to be questioned is Mr. England. Val Caster was there, too, and if I'm not mistaken, it was Val and Amy Caster who determined the wind speed was 318 MPH, but I don't know. I may be wrong. There's a pretty big difference of 17 MPH between the two wind speeds, and I've got to know why the huge gap in credibility?
@@heatherstub yes dr. Josh wurman was there he had to on that particular storm to know how the wind speeds changed takes some knowledge about how radars work they can give you like a rough estimate at the time but you really have to dig into the information to get the actual number if you'd be around you can find lots of information about it
The fact that so many people were desensitized to the threat of a tornado, tells you to not be like those people. Always be prepared no matter what. Better safe than sorry
Devastating... tornadoes are NO joke. I was in one that was just barely an EF-1 and I've never experienced anything like it in my life. It uprooted trees and a massive tree fell only inches from our house and crushed our AC unit flat. We would've been crushed had the angle of the wind just been a little different. Barns were completely demolished and were just piles of rubble and a stop sign pole was bent in half. And this tornado was on the higher end of an EF-0 and the lower end of an EF-1, right in the middle. About 90mph winds. That is a BABY in terms of tornadoes and I couldn't believe the damage it did.
I think it should be mandatory in every state that has tornadoes that they have a safe room and homes apartments businesses you name there should be an underground safety place to go for anyone and everyone in my opinion
I don't know if you realize but that is the entire United States every state has had tornadoes but if you just want to focus on the alleys tornado Alley Dixie Alley and northern Alley that's basically everything east of the Rockies I hope you have a really big checkbook to pay for all that
Monique Seitz That’s a good idea but not easy to do. Although they’ve starting building or rebuilding the schools with a safe place. I spent a lot of time in my grandparent’s cellar as a child. The county we lived in seemed to always get the storms.
I was only 1 when this happened so I don’t remember it but my mom always tells me the story. I was staying with my grandparents in OKC and she was in Tulsa. She couldn’t reach us for 3 days, so she had no idea if we were okay.
🌹 FAYTHE 🌹 , as a mother myself, I cannot begin to imagine the panic she must have felt. She probably tells the story often because of how much it impacted her, and I’ll bet she thinks often how grateful she is that she didn’t lose you. I have a similar situation with my two kids, but not quite as terrifying as hers, so that’s why I say this.
That sent shivers down my spine! This might sound selfish but I'm so glad that we don't have tornadoes here in Australia. God bless the heroes who helped and saved so many of the victims of the F5 tornado. Thanks for the awesome video xo
Actually, tornadoes have been known to form on every continent except Antarctica, and the single deadliest tornado in the world hit in Bangladesh, not the U.S. (it apparently killed around 1,300 people in 1989). They are a lot less common outside of the United States, but they do happen and people do die to them.
Or away from you or some tornadoes have been stationary before. But, I see this comment everywhere and it blows my mind how people still don't know this.
And another thing is if it seems to be gone and very calm and bright that means you just might be inside the 'eye' of it and the back wall of it will be hitting you momentarily.
As he says "It Will happen again." I sit and watch in 2021 having lived through May 3 1999 and the May 5 2013. Took 13 years but it did happen. It took almost the exact same path too. It also was an EF5.
I had a grandma that lived in Oklahoma City. I remember going to her house, just a couple of weeks after the tornado hit. I never saw tornado damage before, it was very disturbing and sad to see.
It is honestly my worst fear to be trapped without an underground shelter in a tornado and to lose a family member to it. Admittedly, I can't watch the opening scene in "Twister" and listening to these survivors stories nearly gave me an anxiety attack. Tornadoes are certainly marvels of nature, but Lord, are they terrifying!
This is scary. I'm so glad that I live somewhere where we don't get tornadoes/wildfires/flooding ect. I don't ever want to go through something like that. I'm so sorry for everyone who lost someone that day
In 2007, the Fujita Scale was modified to the Enhanced Fujita Scale, assessing not only structural damage, but also the quality of those structures. Also the estimated wind speeds were modified. EF0: 65-85 mph EF1: 86-110 mph EF2: 111-135 mph EF3: 136- 165 mph EF4: 166-200 mph EF5: 200+ mph (EF5 has no wind speed limit)
I have seen a tornado from the door of my tornado shelter. Thankfully, it never touched down. It is also nice that there a tornado warning siren about half a mile from my house.
I feel even sadder for the ppl who survived! At least the ppl who died are at peace! The ones that survived now have to deal with trauma, burying their dead, and rebuilding their lives!
@@silvermainecoons3269 sometimes thats what I think. My brother died in Vietnam, at times I think about the people who survived & what a mess they were.
Same! I had a basement home in mooresville IN when the tornados his a while back. No alarms, nothing. Our home was torn up, fence was totally gone, and my mom and i were outside with no clue what was coming. Had tp run to the basement when the fence started coming up
I lived in Michigan as a kid, and we had a basement. I went through 2 tornadoes 2 years apart. They were nothing like an F5---these were F2s at most. The second one took the roof off our house completely, as well as a couple hundred more in the neighborhood. I and some friends were outside playing---summer vacation just started---saw the thing coming, and ran for my basement, which was closest. We got into the enclosed stairwell. No one got as much as a scratch. (Jan Griffiths).
Disastrous moment brings forward heroic time and loving connection and bonds in between people! It is remarkable video with full of emotional care and self sacrifice toward the hopeless who cannot help themselves. We have amazingly good people among us. That is something which we all must feel proud of!
I and my mother survived from a non-huge tornado a decade ago with serious injuries. Didn't have the opportunity to get in any shelter back then. Soon after that I just saw blood-fall. I found my mother under bricks and tried to keep her conscious. Took her and tried to find a car nearby as ours had fled. For years I have been dreaming of multiple tornados chasing my soul and every single windy day I am really concerned. We are lucky to be here. They might seem nice but they aren't. Keep safe people.
I was born and live in Kansas, just near the oklahoma line. Thankfully within the 20 years,I myself never seen a tornado, but my mom had a story that sent chills down my spine. In the early to mid 70's, when my mom was a young teenager,she and my grandmother where driving in their truck along a country road when an f3 Tornado came barreling near them.. grandmother grabbed my mom after parking, threw her in a ditch off to the side whish was half flooded from rain and litterally dug her fingers into the dirt to her knuckles. The tornado clawed her back with debree,but they both survived...
Oh my god, I remember watching this on CNN from my house in NJ. I was shocked at the monster this tornado turned into. My husband and I were riveted to what we were watching on tv.
My family and I survived a EF4 tornado back in 2019. We thought we were going to die. It was the scariest moment of my life. Thankfully I now know I have a level head in bad situations! 😅
I used to go to my basement during tornado warnings, but I always feared my house collapsing and being buried alive. I like those shelters you can buy that can withstand an EF5 tornado, but also come with a beacon in case your shelter is buried in rubble. You can put a TV and supplies in there, and outlast anything. I don't have a basement in my current house, so when the sirens go off I just sit in a hallway and hold my dogs.
My husband, who is a severe wx engineer, says he saw one of those in Piedmont, OK back in 2011 or so that saved 25 people in an EF5 tornado. wrecked the entire house, but the safe room stood.
@@travkeyes I believe that saying to shelter in the bathtub is no longer valid. Tubs used to be made of cast iron & could actually protect you from a collapse or low flying debris. But today's cheaply made fiberglass tubs wouldn't stand up to a Junior League baseball pitcher's fast ball! Better to shelter in a small space with more structural support, such as an interior closet or under a staircase.
When I was younger, my uncle sent me in a bay window during a really bad thunderstorm with lightning. Obviously they weren't thinking clearly. They thought this would break me from being scared of storms. Long story short years later oh, I'm still terrified of them. Watching this video, gives me chills. I'm glad that everybody survived
When I was growing up in Kansas it was a tradition to sit on the porch and watch the storms for fun. Everbody did it, and no one was scared. You would never think of watching a damn weather report, because you were literally watching the weather yourself. Also, everyone had a basement, and generally people were way less neurotic.
I especially like the music cues, too. Hearing him detail the impact of the Bridge Creek Tornado at 20:29 with that dramatic, hopeless swell in the BGM... that is some good stuff. Gets you drawn into the story.
One mile wide with 299 mph winds. Unheard off. I took humanitarian aid from Tulsa Oklahoma and I counted 22 entrances on the housing complex were gone in Moore.
I remember this tornado. It happened in KC & haff a green hue top it. I remember looking & thinking of Tom & thought to put him & as many we could in the oil pit in his garage. We had never seen green skies. It was incredibly engulfed with the pressure. It was WOW!
Yes that's very true... For some weird reason tornadoes have this very strange green color about them!! And they also sound like a jet engine more than a freight train to me. I survived the March 3rd 2020 Nashville Tennessee tornado. Absolutely something I will never forget.
I’m Australian. I honestly thought that places in the U.S that had tornadoes and hurricanes would have to have an underground shelter. Especially for insurance claims. This is so heartbreaking and scary. My heart was pumping flat out watching this.
Hurricanes give you days in advance to evacuate and because of the flooding that usually happens, a storm shelter really wouldn't be needed in that situation. Tornadoes on the other hand can occur in a matter of minutes. In certain states, the ground isn't stable enough for an underground shelter, on top of being very costly. Some people are willing to spend the money and build them into their homes/businesses/schools or somewhere on their properties, but others do not.
@@SkyCloudSilence Oklahoma is in the south and the reason that many homes in Oklahoma do not have basements is the high water table and sandy port silt loam soil.
Im from Massachusetts and ive been in Houston since the end of 2005 but every time I hear about tornadoes on the news it peaks my attention. Its no excuse to claim a person grew up in New York so they weren't paying attention to tornado warnings.
This one time I got super high right before an F5 hit my neighborhood and once it passed through the only thing left standing on the whole block was my bong, bowl still half loaded. True story.
Rip to every dead person! I want every state even if there are no tornadoes in that state but I want every state to have an Underground shelter even if it doesn’t happen......history repeats itself....🇺🇸😭😢
History has repeated itself for moore unfortunatly I believe an F5 hit them once again in 2013 (not sure of the date or year its around 2013) but it took almost the same path as this one
Pardon me? WHY should the GOV'T build them?? PPL build brand new homes & don't build SHELTERS? AND YOU say GOV'T should do it? I think NOT! 1st. I wouldn't live in a tornado OR hurricane state! 2nd. If I HAD to live there I'd live in a shelter & forget a HOUSE if I couldn't afford to build BOTH! I know they say that earthquakes will one day cause the west coast to be totally flooded out but, at least we live in peace & usual safety til then (I live close to 2 rivers!). But, I think more about DEMS & their NWO wiping us out. Don't think I care to live thru THEIR DICTATORSHIP brand of destruction! I have been self quarantined against covid19 since BEFORE gov't lockdown but, it isn't out of "fear". Just not my idea of the best way to die & i don't want to get it & spread it like many careless ppl do just bcz they are too privileged to miss out on a social life!!
Ive been in 130mph winds and that was bad enough. I live in the far north of Scotland and we get some crazy storms come in from the sea, most houses here are stone built and single story. That storm took part of our roof off, it ranged for almost 3 days so there was nothing we could do. Water was pouring in, the lights were off so we sat there in candle light making a meal on our wood burning pot stove. Its grim and my heart truly goes out to these people.
i think it's really interesting how the people who actually witnessed this tornado describe it as "awesome" or "amazing" when those words are usually descriptors for good things. and even though it left so much heartbreak in it's wake, these people who were directly affected by it use those words. i'm not trying to say they think the tornado is good or they love tornados lol but i think to be able to witness that kind of power from nature up close and live through it would be... hard to describe and you can only have respect for it afterwards
I drove thru Morre OK a day after the tornado stuck. As a truck driver, you see a lot of things. The devastation was so great that my eyes welled up. And I prayed. That God would be more merciful.
So they didn’t find the mom of the family that was driving in the jeep as the tornado approached ? the one who let go of her son to save him? Man that’s sad 😢😟
I’m not sure, but I think they might have changed the names and stories slightly. There’s a memorial page for the victims, and there is a mother on there who died shielding her son on the H.E Bailey Turnpike, and the son was found bleeding heavily from his leg. However, the father wasn’t there. Her name was Kathleen Walton. I found an article from 1999 about her which I’ll link below. I think this might possibly be who they were referring to? www.google.co.uk/amp/s/oklahoman.com/article/315994/mother-sacrifices-life-for-son/amp
@@ToriAnneXx It would be her, the odds are stacked heavily against another mother shielding her son who gets injured, under the overpass. "she quoted Scripture to her 11-year-old son, said "I love you" and let go of his hand. Levi Walton never saw his mother alive again. " Quotes some fake scripture from a book of fables, how about "stay strong son and be a success at anything you do, I love you!"
@@izzylauderdale1483 Seven children lost their lives at Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Oklahoma following the monstrous EF5 tornado that devastated Moore on May 20th, 2013. In a rather bittersweet anecdote; no fatalities occurred at Briarwood Elementary School, which was the first school to be struck by the May 20th tornado.
My heartfelt condolences to all of the bereaved loved ones left behind. Be patient with yourselves as you go through all of the numerous stages and possibly many, many years of healing. XOXO
I drove through Moore the next day down I-35. I knew exactly were the tornado crossed the road, because there was nothing left in this apartment complex. No building, no concrete, no grass, no trees, nothing but a line of dirt that marked the center of its path. The entire area was blocked off by the National Guard. Unreal. I was living in Tulsa at the time and I've been through small tornados but nothing like this one.
On May 3, 1999, I was living in New York State and I remember having some pizza at a local pizza parlor. That pizza parlor had a TV above the counter and all of us were glued to the TV watching this tornado. I remember it like yesterday. I remember it just as I remember September 11.
My sister was in the area when a tornado touched down in NC. She ran into a store, hollering at everyone to take shelter. No one believed her until they saw the debris flying pass the windows.
Only a concrete, windowless basement can save you from an F5. It's amazing that there were only 44 fatalities, tho that is still 44 too many. God bless the people affected by these deadly phenomenon. 🙏🏻💕😢
I’m just amazed at how many people get so complacent about tornadoes. It doesn’t matter how many times you get them, all warnings should be take seriously. Even if they don’t have an actual storm shelter, hopefully they get some kind of underground secure pit-like shelter built for protection. This was horrible! The carnage left behind was jaw dropping. We have hurricanes and thankfully, since I’ve been back home, I live far enough away where I just get the winds and rain only. The damage on the beaches and surrounding areas are just gut wrenching.
Imagine how many would have survived had they paid attention to the tornado watches and warnings blasted all over the news that appearently quite a few people "ignored". This is in tornado alley and it's shocking that there weren't any places underground for these people.
Regardless of the disaster, it seems far too many believe they are invulnerable, especially if they live in disaster prone areas that don’t have huge events. Even making a simple “what if” a family disaster plan is just not of interest until people are seriously affected. Even then, they think about it but as recovery moves forward, they are back in denial again.
This tornado passed within 1/4 mile of my home. We were fortunate to be in a friends underground shelter. The noise was tremendous, debris covered our yards. When I came out I immediately jumped into my turck and moved into the damaged neighborhood to begin searching. I was armed with a crescent wrench in my truck. I can not tell you how many gas meters i turned off as they were spewing gas into the neighborhood. Very frightening.
That was very brave and humble of you. I couldn't imagine experiencing something as traumatic as that!
Thank you for doing that! Most people wouldn't even think of that in all the commotion.
Very Good Samaritan 😊
M ñĵ@@moesmoontv8270
God bless you
I was in a f5 tornado in 2011.. ..one of the scariest things ive experienced. Its blessing to be here today
I can imaging that!
Witch one
You must have been in a underground storm shelter. Where was the tornado at?
@@rhondalynn8758 no but i was downstairs. In Alabama
Sorry to hear. I was in Lawton when that happened
This tornado, I lived through. I was 15 at the time, and I remember everything.
I lived on Gale Street, off of 5th and 12th Street in Moore. We had a neighbor come, banging on our door, telling us that she was gathering everyone to her storm shelter. She said, "The news said we need to be underground to survive this. Get your family, get your pets, and come with us." My family and I grabbed our dog, pepper, and we all went into her storm shelter. There were about 20 people in there as well. After it had gone over us, it hit Janeway and kept going.
When the military came, they shut the city of Moore down. We were told by one of the soldiers, "If you were in the city, you can't get out. If you were outside, you couldn't get back in." The devastation was insane. We saw 3 cars smashed together and thrown to the side. The woman in the underpass, she was never found. And to this very day, we are told never to go into an overpass to hide from a tornado.
My brother was one of the rescuers who decided to help anyone he could. He and his friends were out helping others look for survivors.
One thing I'll never forget is, on the 4th, a day after this happened, there were some people driving around in pick-up trucks. One had 8 cases of water, and 3 others had boxes of snack cakes. They were driving around and saw survivors who lost everything. They had no food, no water, nothing.. These people driving around pulled over to survivors and gave them 2 boxes of snack cakes and 4 bottles of water. They said, "It isn't much, but it'll keep you fed." I remember that because I was one of those who survived this and was given generosity that's not seen anymore. Thank you for reading my survivor story..
So thankful you and your family made it. God Bless your neighbors and the generous strangers.
Am not from the U.S. and I also was 15 going on 16 on May 16th.
I mean it is devastating for persons to lose love ones, homes, anything that was normal before disaster. In the Caribbean we have hurricane seasons and you know it is far worst than a tornado because it does last for days with almost everything destroy and lives lost including livestock. You don't want to be in one of the Caribbean islands during hurricane season. Check out videos with hurricanes and you will see how dangerous it is. The advantage is with tornados, it is quick and efficient in a minute. Glad you survived and your must be 41 years now.
P.S. what is the name of the "Mud Baby's" that the officer found?
Gale Street. very ironic
The lady that was never found was our friends brother & friend. T said he was holding onto her with all the strength he had but it pulled her away & she was gone. She nor any part of her was ever found. A friend's mother in BC was killed and their 6 weekly baby. They found "some" of her. Her insides were gone but her "shell" was buried. Terrible day
At the end of that May of 1999 I had to travel to Utah to help a sick family member. As we traveled north on I 35 we went past the apartment complex that had been hit and saw what was left of it. It was surreal to see the apartments with their exterior walls ripped off and all furniture and etc still in place. I wish they had mentioned the baby girl found in the mud the next day. I cried over that little one reaching her arms up to the police officer that had found her.
I lived in Moore Okla. I was in 6th grade. When it shifted it went just slightly left of my home.
I'll never forget that sound. In 2013 the same area was hit. I moved since but a lot of my classmates stayed and got hit again.
God Bless Gary England. When he got excited I knew it was serious. He is a hero in my mind!!!
I survived the March 3rd 2020 Nashville Tennessee tornado and the sound of it is something that will stick with you that is for sure!! The tornado itself was so loud that it drowned out the sirens sound.
@@hollyh314 sounds like what I would assume hell coming would sound like
I’m sure y’all are gonna say it sounds like a train just bc movies say that 😂 they sound nothing like that.
This tornado went over my gmas apartment when i was 7 years old! Thankfully she had left home and was at a friends home outside of the path. Her home was completely destroyed, leveled. Ill never forget this day !
Thank god she alive dose she have a home?
Thanks to the law enforcement, fire fighters, and paramedics who helped. American heroes always!
Paramedics are a different breed. Hats off to Steve Swoyer.
I would think having underground shelter in Oklahoma would be like having air conditioning in Florida. A necessity! Except way more important !
Paramedics, firefighters, police are very underpaid as are many medical workers. These people do what they do out of a sense of being called to serve and protect people! These are the hero’s not professional athletes or Hollywood!
@@stanleyappleton7508 LOL This is the first time I see somebody copying a comment and pasting it in replies. The comment you copied is way above at the top. Think of something original big guy!
Absolutely ❤
I was in Del City Oklahoma on that crazy day. It was down the street from me. Just missed my late moms house, we will never forget that day. Bless those who did not make it❤🙏
I have been in a few tornados, nothing huge but still pretty dangerous. Everytime I hear a tornado watch I grab my emergency items and put them by the door of my basement, then if there isn't a tornado i put the bag back, but if there is a tornado i instantly go underground. Maybe I'm overly cautious but I'd rather be that then under prepared.
You're not overly cautious, you're intelligent & wise!
Same here my mom thinks I’m crazy for having a phobia of the wind when we have at least one tornado warning a year if not more
@1979 my oba always says there is no such thing as being over cautious just under prepared
Edit for those who don’t don’t know Oba means Grandma in Japanese
@@GothikSlytherin Wise oba.
My in laws house got hit by a tornado. This was in 1979. It twisted the house on its foundation so they had to move. The smell of destruction is still remains in my mind. S
Sadly, this was 1999 and in May 2013, this same town of Moore was hit by yet another EF5 that wiped neighborhoods flat, just like in 1999: the only difference being that when the town rebuilt from 1999 devastation, a lot more storm cellars were built.
Moore was also hit in 2003 I beleive by an F4 Tornado. Bad place when it comes to tornadic stroms.
It’s because there in a place called tornado alley
Rip to the dead people,.....but at least people have built unground shelters
@@anniinthewoods8287 no place in USA is sure fire safe from tornados. People who live here mostly have family plans for emergency Tornado 🌪.
I bet its because insurance helped it along. Having a twister shelter brings value to property and saves life and medical insurance millions every year.
I must have seen these images a hundred times but twenty-five years later I still can't comprehend what happened. My brain simply can't process that level of destruction.
As this storm was approaching, it went thru a little community called bridgecreek, and a toddler was found alive, in a tree. Surprised this documentary didn’t mention that. But it happened.
yaay,, i think i might a heard about it
Wow, I wished it were mentioned. That's crazy!
Was the toddler okay?
Love SteveClark
I believe so. Yes.
@@timchavis731love that the baby was safe and love the name☺
Gary England is an Oklahoma hero. His warnings have saved thousands of lives.
That's his job.
hes a national treasure
Him and James Spann are God's gifts
777777777777777😊😊😅😊😅😅😅😅😅😅@@renstimpy3568
I miss him. We watch David Payne now. We love News9 & so thankful for them all. Val & Amy still runnin n gunnin to keep us all safe now. God bless them all❤
People like the Paramedic, Val, Professor , TV broadcast crew and the Airforce reserve are god sent angels to save people. Such humanity pouring out is rare really rare...God bless us all....
I would think having underground shelter in Oklahoma would be like having air conditioning in Florida. A necessity! Except way more important !
Their water table is so high, there are no basements. There are above ground shelters but few and far between.
Karen Schlesinger We have basements & cellars in Oklahoma. Lots!
But They could say why dont Floridians have hurricane shelters. Noone could prep for a tornado like we do hurricanes in Florida.
After this tornado I remember a company came through bridge creek and installed shelters at every home that didn't have one for free, including ours. I will never forget every detail about this day and csnt believe it happened in our small little town. Two things that have always stuck with me was finally being able to leave to go to my grandparents days later and being told bot to look out the window and when I regrettably did look outside into a pasture I saw cows and goats impaled on broken trees like they were shish kabobs and secondly they used our middle school cafeteria as the impromptu morgue and the superintendent (who was so nice) ended up quitting after that happened which I'm sure had to do with the traumatizing stuff she saw.
@@Jesus-already-won-joy exactly. That along with the fact that most towns here do not offer public shelters due to liability so you definitely have to be so weather aware on those few days a year and have a plan to be safe instead of sorry.
Am I the only one feeling like I'm actually experiencing this as if I was there.heartbeating,cant be still.just anxiety all over! This is crazy!
You've commented alot of times..
I wasnt aware there was limit on how many times u could respond🤷🏾♀️🤦🏾♀️!
I agree why do they not listen ???
Haha u shd ve been the actor.
Yes,I do.why?
Tornado Alley, it's called that for a reason, people should have shelters, feel sorry to thought lost their love ones. The old woman's walker saved her life that day.
I agree. Honestly it's time to redrawing tornado alley. From What I was taught in school,the greater Midwest and plains plus TX made up tornado alley. Now dozens of other states have been tragically destroyed
yea. I grew up in the tail end of tornado alley in Michigan and we had a crawl space under the house with insulated padding all around. We had to use it several times when I was young. We kept basic emergency supplies and camping equipment down there. We had several near misses and we were very lucky to only have to hide down there and not have to suffer a direct hit.
A lot people don’t have money for a underground shelter
@@nataliedeyton6829 True for some, but I think the person is saying you see these nice, big houses...with no shelter. When planning these new builds, why not downsize the house a teeny tiny bit and plan for a more modest house with a shelter instead?????
@@nataliedeyton6829 I don't understand why a few neighbors or communities don't pitch in and build shelters multiple families can share.
The mother who risked her life to save her son by letting go of her husband’s grip so he could use all his strength to hold their son, that’s the truest love of a mother. Honestly got me extremely choked up. 😢
For a person who is raised in Oklahoma City it's a miracle lm alive because of all the tornadoes l have experience.
Time to get the hell out of Oklahoma City.
@@poutinedream5066 ill
I lived in Oklahoma for the most of my life I’m 14 and now live in Colorado close to Kansas. Still pretty awful.
I find tornados really fascinating. We rarely have heavy tornadoes in Germany. In my region there was an F4 Tornado in 1910, in the early 1980s there was an F1 Tornado in my home town. I wasn't born there yet, but my father often talks about it and how this tornado only just missed our home. Roofs and cars were destroyed at some neighbours, trees fell on houses. As if by a miracle, only two people were injured. I can't even imagine the destructive power of an F5 tornado.
In May 2015 there was an F3 Tornado in Bützow/Germany. All roofs and trees where gone
I live in alabama and it was the worst day was April 27th 2011 we had 62 tornadoes touch down across the state in one day varying from ef 1 to ef 4 and a total of 250 died. the ef 4 was over 1 mile wide but winds were just under ef 5 rating I was one of the storm chasers that day and it was also my last there was an infant that was sucked away from the mothers arms the baby was never found
you dont need an EF5 to lose everything. 2007 a mile wide F3 tornado struck my grandfathers city. scored a Direct hit on the only hospital there, and basically leveled the entire city( small city). massive grocery stores left with nothing but the main I beams sticking up from the concrete base. the hospital was a total loss, and what was left was torn down
Pieces of downtown buildings were in his yard 2 and a half miles away
I guess the good thing about social media is that more people may actually pay attention to these warnings since it'll be everywhere on their phone
no..people are stupid
Very true. But they'll still undermine those warnings and rather do live streams for likes in the next life.
No. People will break out their phones to film it and put it on their social media instead of take shelter.
Here in New Orleans we get texts (along with an incredibly annoying beeping) when a really big thunderstorm is coming. Winds can reach near-hurricane strength a couple of times a year but the real danger is flooding. 2"/hr. is not uncommon, streets will be filled to up over the sidewalks and rivers and creeks can, and do, burst their banks. Where we live we are never in danger but can lose power for a considerable time. Last year after the hurricane we lost it for almost 6 days. When you live on the 2nd (top) floor and it is 95 degrees with 75% humidity outside it is 106 degrees with 75% humidity inside. We cooked and not even ice for the gallons of water we were drinking. (When its that hot beer is not really drinkable, it is hotter than your mouth!)
It’s on their phones too with the Emergency Alert System tone blares out like they did during the National period test or during an amber alert. 📱⚠️
Awesome to see Val Castor on here. He is a storm spotter for channel 9 in Oklahoma City and for channel 6 here in Tulsa. The 2 stations work so well together for sharing info. We're fortunate to have them!
After watching these videos, I will never complain again about an appliance breaking down or whatever....just incredible... watching these people that survived & those that didn’t , & how they helped each other is inspiring. Rest In Peace to all those that died.
It should be mandatory that EVERY home have a storm shelter in that area! 🇺🇸
The ground is to saturated
Too expensive.. Humans care more about personal profit than human life...
👌👌👌👌👌
Look at the year that this happened dude. They didn’t have the same building codes and the ground is saturated out there. Do your research
@@ajoytobake5163 I did my research! My brother lives out there and he bought a one piece shelter and had it installed for less than $10,000! 🇺🇸
I was parked near the water tower in Moore that day. I left my home the next spring, and never returned. I never want to see that again.
I lived in Oklahoma for almost 12 years and Gary England was the go to guy during tornado season!! If he said get underground you better know we did or took cover the best we could...best weatherman that ever lived God Bless him.
How weird to be background watching this channel and suddenly realize I was part of this one! Also, for those commenting on the basement thing, the soil in this area is really clay rich and wet and it makes basements impractical and sometimes dangerous. It's not uncommon to have community underground shelters, or special built tornado shelters in garages.
Can you build a house in the side of a hill? Dig the side of a hill and build 2 stories. That's what my Great Aunt Mabel did. There was a really bad tornado where they lived, it traumatized them for life. It had to be in the late 1920's or 30's. I thought that was brilliant.
Very True, Almost Like Drowning.
I tried to explain that to my husband who's from California. He's used to earthquakes, while I'm used to super strong storms living in TX and GA. He couldn't understand why they didn't have basements or shelters so I had to explain to him that it has to do with the soil, and such. I wasn't sure about the water tables being high, that's new! Of course, living in SD now, it's still the same typical really bad storms... but personally, it's more blizzards. I hate blizzards...
Well concrete walls for the basement would prevent the Clay rich soil from being an issue..
Most likely the zoning for new construction doesn't allow a basement for whatever the reasoning. Maybe because of the Clay rich soil is the purpose for not having the zoning to do so.
@@rallerazek5509 you hate blizzards? Ahahahahahaha!
I don't even know what to say about this 😔. My heart goes out to those who lost their loved ones.
Fun fact time
This particular tornado had the fastest wind speed ever recorded on Earth 302 mile per hour the second fastest is the El Reno tornado and that one was also the widest ever
Oh.
Actually, the National Weather Service and the National Severe Storms Forecast Center both received actual wind speeds of 318 Miles per Hour. This was confirmed by NWS and professional Storm Chasers who were on the ground at the time. Also, there's a video here on UA-cam by a man who recorded the actual storm from his porch, and I believe it was audio, but I'm totally blind and can't see the actual footage.
@@heatherstub you're right but you're wrong it was originally rated 318 miles per hour then the official rating went down to 301 and was eventually raised to 302 all the studies were done by dr. Josh wurman and his team
@@ragestorms1942 I take it he was there. Thank you. What I'd like to know is how he came up with that information? I'm really interested in knowing this, because if it's true, how was the 318 MPH speed clocked? Where was it clocked, and how was it wrong? Who clocked the 318 MPH speed, where was that person at the time it was clocked, and where was Dr. J? Something sounds a bit fishy about how the difference in wind speeds was determined. Also, we have to remember that Dr. J. worked for the NWS, and at the time, Reed Timmer was just getting started. I've also wonder just how accurate AccuWeather really is? The real expert that needs to be questioned is Mr. England. Val Caster was there, too, and if I'm not mistaken, it was Val and Amy Caster who determined the wind speed was 318 MPH, but I don't know. I may be wrong. There's a pretty big difference of 17 MPH between the two wind speeds, and I've got to know why the huge gap in credibility?
@@heatherstub yes dr. Josh wurman was there he had to on that particular storm to know how the wind speeds changed takes some knowledge about how radars work they can give you like a rough estimate at the time but you really have to dig into the information to get the actual number if you'd be around you can find lots of information about it
The fact that so many people were desensitized to the threat of a tornado, tells you to not be like those people. Always be prepared no matter what. Better safe than sorry
My heart broke 💔 for all those victims and the families who lost loved ones.
RIP to the boy's mother.☹️💔
R.I.P., all 41 fatalities.
Yeah, So sad.
The house my mom used to live in was hit by this tornado I’m so thankful that she was not home when this happened
I WISH SHE WAS HOME
Devastating... tornadoes are NO joke. I was in one that was just barely an EF-1 and I've never experienced anything like it in my life. It uprooted trees and a massive tree fell only inches from our house and crushed our AC unit flat. We would've been crushed had the angle of the wind just been a little different. Barns were completely demolished and were just piles of rubble and a stop sign pole was bent in half. And this tornado was on the higher end of an EF-0 and the lower end of an EF-1, right in the middle. About 90mph winds. That is a BABY in terms of tornadoes and I couldn't believe the damage it did.
I think it should be mandatory in every state that has tornadoes that they have a safe room and homes apartments businesses you name there should be an underground safety place to go for anyone and everyone in my opinion
I don't know if you realize but that is the entire United States every state has had tornadoes but if you just want to focus on the alleys tornado Alley Dixie Alley and northern Alley that's basically everything east of the Rockies I hope you have a really big checkbook to pay for all that
Agreed
@@ragestorms1942 we were in Oklahoma in 2008 and in new subdivisions they were building tornado rooms under the garage of the house.
@@ilovesteveclark6084 that's good the more the better but not everyone can afford it
Monique Seitz That’s a good idea but not easy to do. Although they’ve starting building or rebuilding the schools with a safe place. I spent a lot of time in my grandparent’s cellar as a child. The county we lived in seemed to always get the storms.
I was only 1 when this happened so I don’t remember it but my mom always tells me the story. I was staying with my grandparents in OKC and she was in Tulsa. She couldn’t reach us for 3 days, so she had no idea if we were okay.
🌹 FAYTHE 🌹 , as a mother myself, I cannot begin to imagine the panic she must have felt. She probably tells the story often because of how much it impacted her, and I’ll bet she thinks often how grateful she is that she didn’t lose you. I have a similar situation with my two kids, but not quite as terrifying as hers, so that’s why I say this.
Omg, the heartbreak of your mother for those 3 days! Were you in the path?
we care.
That sent shivers down my spine! This might sound selfish but I'm so glad that we don't have tornadoes here in Australia. God bless the heroes who helped and saved so many of the victims of the F5 tornado. Thanks for the awesome video xo
Same I'm glad we don't have to deal with that
We have them in NZ :(
Yeah, but you have more deadly animals, spiders, snakes, etc., than anywhere in the world.
Actually, tornadoes have been known to form on every continent except Antarctica, and the single deadliest tornado in the world hit in Bangladesh, not the U.S. (it apparently killed around 1,300 people in 1989). They are a lot less common outside of the United States, but they do happen and people do die to them.
@@LM-hb6yn also some of the worlds cutest animals!
Fun fact about tornadoes: if you see a tornado and it doesn’t appear to be moving, it actually is moving. Moving towards you.
Or away from you or some tornadoes have been stationary before. But, I see this comment everywhere and it blows my mind how people still don't know this.
So very true!
And another thing is if it seems to be gone and very calm and bright that means you just might be inside the 'eye' of it and the back wall of it will be hitting you momentarily.
Yeah, especially if it appears to be getting larger. (Jan Griffiths).
It's a good indication to get the f*** out of the way
47:45 They did an incredible job on Dixie's face!
Rip to all who lost their lives in this terrifying tornado. 😢
RIP to the boy's mother.
As he says "It Will happen again." I sit and watch in 2021 having lived through May 3 1999 and the May 5 2013. Took 13 years but it did happen. It took almost the exact same path too. It also was an EF5.
That is just insane for it to happen with that intensity yet again to the same area!!
From 1999 - 2013 is actually 14 years
And so far, it was the last EF5 in 10 years.
I thought it was May 20th 2013 for the EF5 cause 11 days later May 31st the El Reno tornado hit.
you are correct@@froey198033
I had a grandma that lived in Oklahoma City. I remember going to her house, just a couple of weeks after the tornado hit. I never saw tornado damage before, it was very disturbing and sad to see.
It is honestly my worst fear to be trapped without an underground shelter in a tornado and to lose a family member to it. Admittedly, I can't watch the opening scene in "Twister" and listening to these survivors stories nearly gave me an anxiety attack. Tornadoes are certainly marvels of nature, but Lord, are they terrifying!
This is scary. I'm so glad that I live somewhere where we don't get tornadoes/wildfires/flooding ect. I don't ever want to go through something like that. I'm so sorry for everyone who lost someone that day
In 2007, the Fujita Scale was modified to the Enhanced Fujita Scale, assessing not only structural damage, but also the quality of those structures. Also the estimated wind speeds were modified.
EF0: 65-85 mph
EF1: 86-110 mph
EF2: 111-135 mph
EF3: 136- 165 mph
EF4: 166-200 mph
EF5: 200+ mph (EF5 has no wind speed limit)
I have seen a tornado from the door of my tornado shelter. Thankfully, it never touched down. It is also nice that there a tornado warning siren about half a mile from my house.
It's 2024 and Val Castor is still doing it. The guy is an Oklahoma legend.
I feel so bad for the people who died 😔
I feel even sadder for the ppl who survived! At least the ppl who died are at peace! The ones that survived now have to deal with trauma, burying their dead, and rebuilding their lives!
@@oceanbluelady7760 You think it’s better to be killed than survive a natural disaster? What a weird sentiment.
@@silvermainecoons3269 it's better to be killed and in heaven than be a survivor who has to go through life without their lives one
And the people who lost their homes & loved ones.
@@silvermainecoons3269 sometimes thats what I think. My brother died in Vietnam, at times I think about the people who survived & what a mess they were.
I live in Indiana and WILL NOT move into a home without a basement!!
Feel you on that, from Indiana myself
In tornado alley I’d rather have an underground tornado shelter. They say a basement won’t do much good in ef4/5 tornadoes
I live in Illinois I don't like houses without a basement or storm cellar
Same! I had a basement home in mooresville IN when the tornados his a while back. No alarms, nothing. Our home was torn up, fence was totally gone, and my mom and i were outside with no clue what was coming. Had tp run to the basement when the fence started coming up
I lived in Michigan as a kid, and we had a basement. I went through 2 tornadoes 2 years apart. They were nothing like an F5---these were F2s at most. The second one took the roof off our house completely, as well as a couple hundred more in the neighborhood. I and some friends were outside playing---summer vacation just started---saw the thing coming, and ran for my basement, which was closest. We got into the enclosed stairwell. No one got as much as a scratch. (Jan Griffiths).
These poor people. I can’t imagine what it must feel like searching through rubble to find someone you love.
That day was a real nightmare for us all! Lived through that monster and I still can’t get the image out of my mind 😢😢😢
I was in a storm shelter in the northern side of Moore when this happened. I still have vivid memories of this day.
i love ur hair
❤
Disastrous moment brings forward heroic time and loving connection and bonds in between people! It is remarkable video with full of emotional care and self sacrifice toward the hopeless who cannot help themselves. We have amazingly good people among us. That is something which we all must feel proud of!
I and my mother survived from a non-huge tornado a decade ago with serious injuries. Didn't have the opportunity to get in any shelter back then. Soon after that I just saw blood-fall. I found my mother under bricks and tried to keep her conscious. Took her and tried to find a car nearby as ours had fled.
For years I have been dreaming of multiple tornados chasing my soul and every single windy day I am really concerned. We are lucky to be here.
They might seem nice but they aren't. Keep safe people.
God bless you and your mom 🙏🏼
@@CandiceMMartinez thank you very much 🙏🏻
I was born and live in Kansas, just near the oklahoma line. Thankfully within the 20 years,I myself never seen a tornado, but my mom had a story that sent chills down my spine. In the early to mid 70's, when my mom was a young teenager,she and my grandmother where driving in their truck along a country road when an f3 Tornado came barreling near them.. grandmother grabbed my mom after parking, threw her in a ditch off to the side whish was half flooded from rain and litterally dug her fingers into the dirt to her knuckles. The tornado clawed her back with debree,but they both survived...
Oh my god, I remember watching this on CNN from my house in NJ. I was shocked at the monster this tornado turned into. My husband and I were riveted to what we were watching on tv.
Tornadoes are fascinating but oh so deadly and they can happen anytime anywhere
Best channel ever keep up the good work
Thanks now I know to watch and pay attention to the weather news
Oh my goodness gracious this is a major tear jerker, I can't even imagine how scary and horrible thank god many people survived❤ god bless
My family and I survived a EF4 tornado back in 2019. We thought we were going to die. It was the scariest moment of my life. Thankfully I now know I have a level head in bad situations! 😅
That break's my heart just horrible 😢 rest in paradise to those that lost their lives everyone should have storm shelter 🙏🙏🙏💪💪💪
I wonder why god killed them?
@@simonlloyd7557 god didn’t kill them god doesn’t cause the thunderstorms and tornadoes that’s not something u should blame on god
@@nexzko_7289The man in the sky controls everything.
I used to go to my basement during tornado warnings, but I always feared my house collapsing and being buried alive. I like those shelters you can buy that can withstand an EF5 tornado, but also come with a beacon in case your shelter is buried in rubble. You can put a TV and supplies in there, and outlast anything.
I don't have a basement in my current house, so when the sirens go off I just sit in a hallway and hold my dogs.
My husband, who is a severe wx engineer, says he saw one of those in Piedmont, OK back in 2011 or so that saved 25 people in an EF5 tornado. wrecked the entire house, but the safe room stood.
The house collapsing is why we're told to go someplace like under the stairs.
you should get in the bathtub or closet with them and put a mattress over you incase of collapse
Oh hon, that is no way to shelter! You need to get a shelter, apply for a grant to get a safe room.
@@travkeyes I believe that saying to shelter in the bathtub is no longer valid. Tubs used to be made of cast iron & could actually protect you from a collapse or low flying debris. But today's cheaply made fiberglass tubs wouldn't stand up to a Junior League baseball pitcher's fast ball!
Better to shelter in a small space with more structural support, such as an interior closet or under a staircase.
When I was younger, my uncle sent me in a bay window during a really bad thunderstorm with lightning. Obviously they weren't thinking clearly. They thought this would break me from being scared of storms. Long story short years later oh, I'm still terrified of them. Watching this video, gives me chills. I'm glad that everybody survived
When I was growing up in Kansas it was a tradition to sit on the porch and watch the storms for fun. Everbody did it, and no one was scared. You would never think of watching a damn weather report, because you were literally watching the weather yourself. Also, everyone had a basement, and generally people were way less neurotic.
You must have missed the part that said 44 people died.
I seen that damage with my own eyes 3 days after, i was just 12 but ill never forget the sights and smells, ever.
If you live in some sort of Tornado areas, you need the best prepare: Build under ground shelter and head cover helmet.
May 20, 2013... RIP to everyone who died. Some of them went through both May 3, 1999, and the May 20, 2013 EF5 😞
I'm a sensitive person but I didnt expect for it to affect me like it did.im in tears.smh!
Smh??
@@horseequestrianlove1696 Shake My Head
The announcer.....well done sir, very professional.
I especially like the music cues, too. Hearing him detail the impact of the Bridge Creek Tornado at 20:29 with that dramatic, hopeless swell in the BGM... that is some good stuff. Gets you drawn into the story.
I just met a woman today that survived this. She was found 2 miles away from where she was. Keep her in your prayers.
One mile wide with 299 mph winds.
Unheard off.
I took humanitarian aid from Tulsa Oklahoma and I counted 22 entrances on the housing complex were gone in Moore.
I remember this tornado. It happened in KC & haff a green hue top it. I remember looking & thinking of Tom & thought to put him & as many we could in the oil pit in his garage. We had never seen green skies. It was incredibly engulfed with the pressure. It was WOW!
Who's Tom?
Yes that's very true... For some weird reason tornadoes have this very strange green color about them!! And they also sound like a jet engine more than a freight train to me. I survived the March 3rd 2020 Nashville Tennessee tornado. Absolutely something I will never forget.
We had really green skies in my city the day our town got hit with an F3. Eerie green skies, totally still air before it hit.
I’m Australian. I honestly thought that places in the U.S that had tornadoes and hurricanes would have to have an underground shelter. Especially for insurance claims. This is so heartbreaking and scary. My heart was pumping flat out watching this.
Hurricanes give you days in advance to evacuate and because of the flooding that usually happens, a storm shelter really wouldn't be needed in that situation. Tornadoes on the other hand can occur in a matter of minutes. In certain states, the ground isn't stable enough for an underground shelter, on top of being very costly. Some people are willing to spend the money and build them into their homes/businesses/schools or somewhere on their properties, but others do not.
@@SkyCloudSilence Oklahoma is in the south and the reason that many homes in Oklahoma do not have basements is the high water table and sandy port silt loam soil.
@@jimbotaylor38 Didn't know that... Thanks.
Im from Massachusetts and ive been in Houston since the end of 2005 but every time I hear about tornadoes on the news it peaks my attention. Its no excuse to claim a person grew up in New York so they weren't paying attention to tornado warnings.
Who lives in Tornado Alley has my respect you people are so so strong and brave
The biggest tornado I’ve been in was an f4, it was in Texas when I was there to visit my grandma. Terrifying experience.
My mum was in this she was terrified
•sunny_kate• she ok
This is an amazing documentary!!! Well done!!! God Bless all involved in this terrible tornado!!!
This one time I got super high right before an F5 hit my neighborhood and once it passed through the only thing left standing on the whole block was my bong, bowl still half loaded. True story.
Rip to every dead person! I want every state even if there are no tornadoes in that state but I want every state to have an Underground shelter even if it doesn’t happen......history repeats itself....🇺🇸😭😢
History has repeated itself for moore unfortunatly I believe an F5 hit them once again in 2013 (not sure of the date or year its around 2013) but it took almost the same path as this one
Thank you so much for those that helped the survivors. 💜
How tragic & terrible experience.Maybe the US Government should build storm shelters at the end of every Street or within certain radius?
Pardon me? WHY should the GOV'T build them?? PPL build brand new homes & don't build SHELTERS? AND YOU say GOV'T should do it? I think NOT!
1st. I wouldn't live in a tornado OR hurricane state! 2nd. If I HAD to live there I'd live in a shelter & forget a HOUSE if I couldn't afford to build BOTH!
I know they say that earthquakes will one day cause the west coast to be totally flooded out but, at least we live in peace & usual safety til then (I live close to 2 rivers!). But, I think more about DEMS & their NWO wiping us out. Don't think I care to live thru THEIR DICTATORSHIP brand of destruction! I have been self quarantined against covid19 since BEFORE gov't lockdown but, it isn't out of "fear". Just not my idea of the best way to die & i don't want to get it & spread it like many careless ppl do just bcz they are too privileged to miss out on a social life!!
Ive been in 130mph winds and that was bad enough. I live in the far north of Scotland and we get some crazy storms come in from the sea, most houses here are stone built and single story. That storm took part of our roof off, it ranged for almost 3 days so there was nothing we could do. Water was pouring in, the lights were off so we sat there in candle light making a meal on our wood burning pot stove. Its grim and my heart truly goes out to these people.
Not to mention that 130mph straight line winds is equal to a tornado with winds of only 115mph. That's low end EF2
i think it's really interesting how the people who actually witnessed this tornado describe it as "awesome" or "amazing" when those words are usually descriptors for good things. and even though it left so much heartbreak in it's wake, these people who were directly affected by it use those words. i'm not trying to say they think the tornado is good or they love tornados lol but i think to be able to witness that kind of power from nature up close and live through it would be... hard to describe and you can only have respect for it afterwards
I drove thru Morre OK a day after the tornado stuck. As a truck driver, you see a lot of things. The devastation was so great that my eyes welled up. And I prayed. That God would be more merciful.
the fact that these people are going out here to chase this tornado is awesome cause even in a very small tornado i hate going out to chase it
So they didn’t find the mom of the family that was driving in the jeep as the tornado approached ? the one who let go of her son to save him? Man that’s sad 😢😟
I’m not sure, but I think they might have changed the names and stories slightly. There’s a memorial page for the victims, and there is a mother on there who died shielding her son on the H.E Bailey Turnpike, and the son was found bleeding heavily from his leg. However, the father wasn’t there. Her name was Kathleen Walton. I found an article from 1999 about her which I’ll link below. I think this might possibly be who they were referring to?
www.google.co.uk/amp/s/oklahoman.com/article/315994/mother-sacrifices-life-for-son/amp
@@ToriAnneXx It would be her, the odds are stacked heavily against another mother shielding her son who gets injured, under the overpass.
"she quoted Scripture to her 11-year-old son, said "I love you" and let
go of his hand.
Levi Walton never saw his mother alive
again. "
Quotes some fake scripture from a book of fables, how about "stay strong son and be a success at anything you do, I love you!"
The Ultimate act of a Mothers love 💜😭
When I heard the guy said car I was like is That her?
When the guy was almost close to the tornado
The last F5 tornado Oklahoma City had was really tough with all the children in that school not surviving.
Wym children in that school not surviving
@@izzylauderdale1483 Seven children lost their lives at Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Oklahoma following the monstrous EF5 tornado that devastated Moore on May 20th, 2013. In a rather bittersweet anecdote; no fatalities occurred at Briarwood Elementary School, which was the first school to be struck by the May 20th tornado.
My heartfelt condolences to all of the bereaved loved ones left behind. Be patient with yourselves as you go through all of the numerous stages and possibly many, many years of healing. XOXO
I love Wonder, blessings from México ♥️🙏🤩
I was a kid when the 1999 tornado hit. I was in Edmond. I remember being scared out of mind as I watched in pure horror unfold on tv.
Welcome back. We’ve missed you. !!!!!
I drove through Moore the next day down I-35. I knew exactly were the tornado crossed the road, because there was nothing left in this apartment complex. No building, no concrete, no grass, no trees, nothing but a line of dirt that marked the center of its path. The entire area was blocked off by the National Guard. Unreal. I was living in Tulsa at the time and I've been through small tornados but nothing like this one.
On May 3, 1999, I was living in New York State and I remember having some pizza at a local pizza parlor. That pizza parlor had a TV above the counter and all of us were glued to the TV watching this tornado. I remember it like yesterday. I remember it just as I remember September 11.
I’m glad we do not have these weather conditions in Africa, I could never imagine how we could possibly handle such….
My sister was in the area when a tornado touched down in NC. She ran into a store, hollering at everyone to take shelter. No one believed her until they saw the debris flying pass the windows.
Only a concrete, windowless basement can save you from an F5. It's amazing that there were only 44 fatalities, tho that is still 44 too many. God bless the people affected by these deadly phenomenon. 🙏🏻💕😢
Anything underground will save you from a tornado
It's odd, giant EF5 monsters can tear into a city killing many. But many tornadoes can be well lit and look like beautiful pieces of art.
I’m just amazed at how many people get so complacent about tornadoes. It doesn’t matter how many times you get them, all warnings should be take seriously. Even if they don’t have an actual storm shelter, hopefully they get some kind of underground secure pit-like shelter built for protection. This was horrible! The carnage left behind was jaw dropping. We have hurricanes and thankfully, since I’ve been back home, I live far enough away where I just get the winds and rain only. The damage on the beaches and surrounding areas are just gut wrenching.
Imagine how many would have survived had they paid attention to the tornado watches and warnings blasted all over the news that appearently quite a few people "ignored". This is in tornado alley and it's shocking that there weren't any places underground for these people.
Regardless of the disaster, it seems far too many believe they are invulnerable, especially if they live in disaster prone areas that don’t have huge events. Even making a simple “what if” a family disaster plan is just not of interest until people are seriously affected. Even then, they think about it but as recovery moves forward, they are back in denial again.
This was the year I was born into this world.. such tragedy from beginning… to end
Grew up in tornado alley.saw many tornadoes. Thank you for your kind words about the American spirit - very true!