Tornado Delivers 'Direct Hit' on Elementary School

At least 20 of the 91 people killed by a devastating monster tornado that ripped through Moore, Okla., were children, the Oklahoma Chief Medical Examiner said late Monday night, as searchers picked through the rubble of schools, homes and businesses leveled by the storm.

Desperate parents stood around what was left of the devastated Plaza Towers Elementary School, many of them sobbing, as rescuers worked to help pull out school children and faculty.

Authorities said Briarwood Elementary School in Moore received a "direct hit" from the storm and was also destroyed, with its roof and walls blown off.

Children were still in school because in anticipation of the severe weather this afternoon, schools in the Moore area did not release their students at the end of the day, according to Oklahoma Emergency Management officials.

OU Medical Center spokesman Scott Coppenbarger said the hospital and a nearby children's hospital are treating approximately 85 patients, including 65 children, with conditions ranging from minor injuries to critical.

Integris Southwest Medical Center spokeswoman Brooke Cayot said 9 of 57 patients being treated at that facility Monday are listed in critical condition. Nineteen are in serious and 29 others are listed in fair or good condition.

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Update:
Oklahoma medical examiner's office lowers initial death toll from Monday's tornado to 24 -- including 7 children -- citing counting error, as area officials reportedly caution the number still could climb. 

Massive Tornado Devastates Oklahoma

A massive tornado struck south of Oklahoma City on Monday afternoon, ripping apart homes and other buildings in populated areas.

The tornado was estimated to be at least two miles wide at one point as it moved through Moore, Oklahoma, in the southern part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area.

Survivors emerged from shelters to see an apocalyptic vision -- the remnants of cars twisted and piled on each other to make what had been a parking lot look like a junk yard. Bright orange flames roaring from a structure that was blazing even as rain continued to fall.

A massive search and rescue effort is underway, as neighborhoods are leveled. More than 171,000 people could have been in the path of the storm.

McClain County Undersheriff Bill Shobe reports there is significant damage near Newcastle, Oklahoma. Shobe went on to say there are a lot of structures with damage north of Newcastle and in the town of Tuttle. Most of the damage is parallel to Highway 37, he said.

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Tornadoes Slash Through 5 States

A rash of tornadoes wreaked havoc in Oklahoma and the Midwest on Sunday and Monday, destroying homes and tossing trees around like toothpicks.

As many as 28 tornadoes were reported in Oklahoma, Kansas, Illinois and Iowa, according to the National Weather Service, with Oklahoma and Kansas the hardest hit. Some of those reports might have been of the same tornado.

One man was killed in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, where a twister reduced trailer park homes to piles of debris. Dozens of deputies scoured the rubble overnight, Sheriff Mike Booth said. Two people reported missing from trailer park were found late Sunday night.

Twisters were also reported near Dale and Prague, Oklahoma. One apparently touched down in Shawnee, flipping over tractor-trailers on Interstate 40.

Eleven patients were being treated at St. Anthony Shawnee Hospital in Shawnee, Oklahoma, including one in critical condition, spokeswoman Carla Tollett said.

More tornadoes were spotted in Iowa, near Earlham, Huxley and east of Dallas Center, according to the National Weather Service.

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Mid-East Prophecy Update - May 19th, 2013

Pastor JD talks about how the perilous times of spiritual decay in the church today mark these as the last days and in so doing, how it also points to yet another reason that Christ's return for His church is sooner than we may think.

Four Fireballs Seen in Last 24 Hours

In the last 24 hours the American Meteor Society has received confirmed reports about 4 unique fireball events all occurring near 4:00 AM UTC time.

The most recent event occurred in Arkansas and Missouri on May 19th near 3:37 UTC. At the same time 3:37 UTC 4 witnesses reported a fireball in Arizona.

The distance between these two locations would inhibit witnesses from observing the same fireball from both locations.

On May 18th two large fireball meteors were also spotted within an hour of each other, one over the central east coast and another in Colorado.

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Bright Explosion on Moon Visible from Earth

A meteoroid struck the surface of the moon recently, causing an explosion that was visible on Earth without the aid of a telescope, NASA reported Friday. But don't be alarmed if you didn't see it; it only lasted about a second.

"It exploded in a flash nearly 10 times as bright as anything we've ever seen before," said Bill Cooke, of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office.

NASA reports that on March 17th, the meteoroid was about 40 kilograms and less than a meter wide, and it hit the moon's surface at 56,000 mph.

It glowed like a 4th magnitude star, NASA says, thanks to an explosion equivalent to 5 tons of TNT.

"It jumped right out at me, it was so bright," said Ron Suggs of the Marshall Space Flight Center.

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