Media

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.

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.

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.”

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.

CBS News - Stephanie Haven

After a ferocious, deadly tornado flattened Moore, Okla., Monday, President Obama Tuesday affirmed the nation's support for those affected by the storm, guaranteeing aid for victims in the destroyed 20-mile-long path.

CNN

Monday afternoon's devastating tornado in the Oklahoma City suburbs brought to mind a May 1999 EF5 twister that killed 36 people and smashed some of the same communities.

On May 3, 1999, a total of 74 tornadoes pummeled Kansas and Oklahoma, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The states counted a total of 46 dead. Thirty-six died in Oklahoma City.

Christian Science Monitor - David T. Cook

Washington is responding to the devastating tornado that hit Moore, Okla., on Monday with speedy aid, statements of support, and political maneuvering.

President Obama, who signed a disaster declaration for the area Monday night, promised Tuesday morning that federal disaster representatives already in place in Oklahoma will remain on the ground "beside them as long as it takes."

NPR - Morning Edition

Rescuers are still combing through the rubble Tuesday morning in Moore, a suburb of Oklahoma City. More is the hometown of Republican Rep. Tom Cole. He encourages everyone to remember that people in the area will need long-term help.

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