Listen Live
Donate
 on air
Schedule

KCRW

Read & Explore

  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Food
  • Culture
  • Events

Listen

  • Live Radio
  • Music
  • Podcasts
  • Full Schedule

Information

  • About
  • Careers
  • Help / FAQ
  • Newsletters
  • Contact

Support

  • Become a Member
  • Become a VIP
  • Ways to Give
  • Shop
  • Member Perks

Become a Member

Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

DonateGive Monthly

Copyright 2025 KCRW. All rights reserved.

Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
Cookie Policy
|FCC Public Files

Back to To the Point

To the Point

Life and Death in 'Tornado Alley'

With 24 dead and 237 injured, Glen Lewis, Mayor of Moore, Oklahoma, says the town's now gone "from rescue and searching to recovery." But rebuilding will be a long time coming. The tornado that hit Moore on Monday, was rated EF-5 on what's called the Enhanced Fujita Scale .

  • rss
  • Share
By Warren Olney • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

With 24 dead and 237 injured, Glen Lewis, Mayor of Moore, Oklahoma, says the town's now gone "from rescue and searching to recovery." But rebuilding will be a long time coming. The tornado that hit Moore on Monday, was rated EF-5 on what's called the Enhanced Fujita Scale. It stayed on the ground for 40 or 50 minutes — much longer than usual — and it demolished a swath of buildings 20 miles long and more than a mile wide. Two years ago today, Joplin, Missouri, lost 161 to a tornado, and Joplin is still on the mend. We hear from people in Moore, Joplin and elsewhere in what's called "Tornado Alley." What's it like to experience winds of 200 miles an hour? Are more storms like this inevitable? Is it possible to prepare? What does it take to clean up and face the future? And… why do they stay?

  • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

    Warren Olney

    former KCRW broadcaster

  • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

    Caitlin Shamberg

    KCRW

  • Sonya Geis with wavy brown hair wearing a black dress with red accents and decorative earrings against a white background.

    Sonya Geis

    Senior Managing Editor

  • KCRW placeholder

    Christian Bordal

    Managing Producer, Greater LA

  • KCRW placeholder

    Kurt Gwartney

    KGOU

  • KCRW placeholder

    Julie Jones

    University of Oklahoma

  • KCRW placeholder

    Jane Cage

    Citizens Advisory Recovery Team (Joplin, Missouri)

    NewsNationalPolitics
Back to To the Point