Victims of Oklahoma Tornado Get Help From Near and Far

May 23, 2013

In the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, the recovery from Monday's deadly tornado is picking up speed, even as locals mourn the loss of at least 24 people, including 10 children. Funerals will begin Friday in Moore, and President Obama plans to visit the town Sunday. Resources are pouring in from all over the country to help those in desperate need.

The devastation of her home brought a bitter twist of irony to Linda Berna. She helped with search and rescue efforts here after the May 1999 tornado.

“We kicked down doors to see if there were any survivors, and now here I am on the other side. I never thought this would happen,” Berna said.

Hundreds of people like Berna are coping with loss and trying to survive.

To help them, Moore's First Baptist Church offered its large property as a center for relief operations.

For people in Moore who lost their homes or had homes heavily damaged, state and local officials, as well as private groups, have set up a command center here to provide them with food, and shelter if necessary.

But most people don't need to come here because volunteers load up trucks with water and food to distribute around town.

Donations have poured in from around Oklahoma and from many other states.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, is on hand; so is the Red Cross.