News Stories

Wall Street Journal - Corey Boles and Janet Hook

House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) said Tuesday that House lawmakers would work with the Obama administration to ensure that victims of the tornadoes that ripped through a suburb of Oklahoma City receive the emergency disaster relief they need.

But the Republican leader declined to answer specifics about how big of a disaster relief package would be required, how quickly it would come together or whether the House would insist on offsetting budget costs to defray its cost to the taxpayer.

ABC News - Abby D. Phillip

Republican Rep. Tom Cole, whose district took a direct hit from a powerful tornado on Monday, said the residents of the tornado ravaged towns in Oklahoma need help, not a political battle over funding in Washington.

“Once a disaster starts, to me that’s the end of a discussion. Now we need to focus on the Americans that are in a difficult spot,” Cole told ABC News in an interview today. “They don’t need to be watching a big political battle, they need to be sure they’re getting help.”

BBC News

At least 24 people are confirmed dead, including seven children, and many are missing after a tornado tore through Oklahoma City, US officials say.

Worst hit was Moore, south of the city, where neighbourhoods were flattened and schools destroyed by winds of up to 200mph (320km/h).

About 120 people are being treated in hospitals. Earlier reports said more than 90 people had died.

President Barack Obama has declared a major disaster in Oklahoma.

Associated Press - Andrew Taylor

Top lawmakers and officials said Tuesday that the federal government has plenty of money on hand to pay for recovery efforts in the wake of the devastating tornado that struck Oklahoma.

The government has more than $11 billion in its main disaster relief fund. Recovery costs in the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore are expected to be a relatively small fraction of that amount. The devastating 2011 tornado that wiped out much of Joplin, Mo., for instance, required about $750 million in federal disaster aid.

Politico - Breanna Edwards

Rep. Tom Cole grew emotional on CNN on Monday while surveying the damage of the tornado, which wreaked havoc in the neighborhoods surrounding Oklahoma City.

The Oklahoma Republican, who calls the city of Moore his home, was shaken as he pointed out barely recognizable areas in light of the destruction.

MSNBC - Aliyah Frumin

An enormous tornado at least a mile wide with winds as strong as 200 mph ripped through Oklahoma City suburbs on Monday, killing at least 51 people–including 20 children–and flattening entire neighborhoods.

Huffington Post - Timothy Stenovec

When Leslie Hagelberg went outside of her West Tulsa, Okla., home on Sunday evening to check the weather, she noticed what appeared to be insulation and pieces of paper falling from the sky.

But it wasn't until she found a photograph near her mailbox that it dawned on her what was happening: debris and belongings from the tornado that had struck in Shawnee -- 90 miles away -- had made their way to her yard.

CNN - Kevin Liptak

The tornado that swept through the outskirts of Oklahoma City Monday destroyed parts of U.S. Rep. Tom Cole’s hometown, the Republican lawmaker told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.

Speaking by phone, Cole said he recognized familiar landmarks in Moore, Oklahoma, as he was watching television images of the destruction, including roofs ripped off buildings and entire blocks leveled.