On May 20, many towns in Oklahoma surrounding Moore were struck by a class EF5 tornado. The tornado took the lives 24 people, including 10 children, and injured over 230 others.
The tornado reached its peak winds at 210 mph and grew 1.3 miles wide and on the ground for approximately 50 minutes.
At 2:45 PM, the tornado touched down west of Newcastle, Oklahoma. Beginning as an EF0 tornado, it quickly intensified, becoming an EF4 tornado in just 10 minutes. After briefly hitting northern Newcastle, the tornado turned eastward into South Oklahoma, and directly for Moore.
The tornado, then of an EF5 class, hit Briarwood Elementary School. It moved on to Plaza Towers Elementary School and claimed the lives of seven children. The tornado devastated Plaza Towers Elementary, as well as Moore Medical Center, the Moore Warren Theatre, and a 7-11.
The Oklahoma Department of Insurance stated that insurance claims for damage estimate between 1.5 billion to 3 billion dollars.
Citizens of Moore quickly prepared for the tornado. The first tornado warning went out from Oklahoma City, a mere five minutes before the tornado touched down.
Among the injured, third grade teacher Jennifer Doan fractured her sternum and spine protecting her students. Rescuers found Doan with one of her students buried under the rubble.
Doan whispered words of encouragement to the students she protected while trapped under the rubble.
Later, Doan was told that seven of her twenty students did not make it through the storm.
Another teacher, Briarwood Elementary special-education teacher Paula Fauble, covered eighteen students with pillows with three other teachers and laid on the pillows to keep them on the ground. At one point, the school’s roof tore off, and a large car landed just twenty feet from the children.
After the tornado lifted, Moore residents searched the entire city for friends, family, and even strangers in hopes of finding survivors.
The tornado reached wind speeds of about 210 mph, qualifying it as an EF5 tornado—the highest and deadliest level. Meteorologists first thought it to only be an EF4 tornado, meaning its wind speed ranged from 166 to 200 mph. It is estimated that the tornado released at least 8 times more energy then the Hiroshima atomic bombs.
People across the country volunteered to help the people of Moore in any way possible, including Flower Mound High School. On Thursday, May 23 and Friday, May 24, FMHS Student Council members took donations during lunches for the people of Moore. The collected money was donated to the American Red Cross.
