Joplin Works Toward Tornado Preparedness After 2011 Tornado
As we pass the one-year anniversary of the devastating tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma, we’re looking at lessons learned from another devastating storm, three years ago in Joplin, Missouri. Joplin’s...
View ArticleGroup Hires Ex-Convicts To Rebuild Oklahoma After 2013 Tornadoes
Oklahoma has one of the highest incarceration rates in the country. Each year, the state releases roughly 8,000 people from prison, and many of them are looking for work. One organization now hires...
View ArticleTake Shelter Oklahoma Launches New Initiative Petition
A group that wants to install a tornado shelter in every public school in Oklahoma spent the holiday weekend gathering signatures to get its initiative petition on an upcoming ballot. This isn’t Take...
View ArticleFollowing Oklahoma's 2013 Tornadoes, Where Does Federal Aid Really Go?
After a string of deadly tornados hit Oklahoma in the spring of last year, President Obama signed a federal disaster declaration that paved the way for up to $257 million in aid. One year later, about...
View ArticleAuditing The Storm: Disaster 4117 - Public Assistance Helps Moore Schools...
When tornadoes damage buildings, there are a number of things to account for when it comes to insurance and federal aid: how many square feet were there? Is the building a total loss? How much will it...
View ArticleAuditing The Storm: Assistance Is Hit And Miss For Individuals After 2013...
After last year’s deadly tornadoes, private insurers paid out over $1 billion in claims. FEMA also chipped in $15 million as part of its individual and household assistance program. But nearly...
View ArticleAuditing The Storm: Why Moore Missed Out On Mitigation Funds
When federal aid started pouring into the state after last years’ storms, FEMA designated $4 million for hazard mitigation – a tool used to protect communities from future severe weather through things...
View ArticleAuditing The Storm: HUD Funds Trickle Slowly Into Oklahoma Disaster Areas
In the year since a series of severe storms devastated Central Oklahoma, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded nearly $146 million to the city of Moore and the state to help...
View ArticleAuditing The Storm: Low-Interest Loans Go To Individuals, Businesses
After a presidentially declared disaster like last year’s tornadoes in Central Oklahoma, the U.S. Small Business Administration often steps in, offering low-interest loans to help homeowners and...
View ArticleAuditing The Storm: A Look At Low-Interest Disaster Loans
After a federally-declared disaster, the U.S. Small Business Administration issues low-interest loans to help homeowners and businesses recover. The agency disbursed over $20 million to Oklahomans...
View ArticleAuditing The Storm: Hazard Funds Don’t Always Go To Damaged Areas
As a massive tornado bore down on Moore on the afternoon of May 20, 2013, residents scrambled to find shelter. Some retreated to safe rooms at home or in buildings. Many hid in closets, bathrooms or...
View ArticleVIDEO: Tornado Survivors Share Stories Of Strength
The University of Oklahoma’s Writing Center was one of many groups that stepped up after last year’s devastating storms to distribute water, clothing and other necessities to those who had lost...
View ArticleStudents Return To New Schools After 2013 Moore Tornado
This week marks 15 months since a deadly tornado swept through Moore, Oklahoma, leveling two schools and taking the lives of seven children inside Plaza Towers Elementary. It’s been a long journey, but...
View ArticleMoore, Okla. Waits To Apply For FEMA's Safe Room Rebate Program
After last year’s tornadoes in central Oklahoma, FEMA allocated $4 million in hazard mitigation funding for communities to safeguard against future severe weather.The City of Moore didn’t qualify for...
View ArticleWithout FEMA Funds, Numerous Oklahoma Counties Sit On Expired Disaster Plans
With threats ranging from ice storms to tornadoes, Oklahoma ranks first in the nation in the number of presidentially declared disasters over the past 14 years.That’s why the state says it's important...
View ArticleInsurance Increase: Homeowners' Premiums Skyrocket After Oklahoma's 2013 Storms
After a series of severe storms swept through the state in May of last year, insurance carriers paid out over $1 billion in claims, making it the nation’s most costly disaster of 2013.Most insurance...
View ArticleMoore's Rush To Rebuild Left Hundreds Of Homes With A Lesser Building Code
This March, Moore, Oklahoma became the first city in the nation to adopt a tornado-specific building code. City officials wanted homes to be able to withstand an EF-2 or EF-3 tornado. But six months...
View ArticleUnited Way Tornado Donations Rebuild Homes And Promote Physical, Mental Health
In the wake of last year’s devastating tornadoes, millions of dollars in donations went to The United Way of Central Oklahoma. The non-profit organization also agreed to administer Governor Mary...
View ArticleSchool Shelter Advocacy Group Puts Forth "Last Ditch Effort" For Signatures
A group that wants storm shelters in every Oklahoma school has spent the last 90 days gathering signatures to get its initiative petition on the ballot. Take Shelter Oklahoma is still tens of thousands...
View ArticleJoplin Businesses Bounce Back After 2011 Tornado
When a tornado hit Moore, Oklahoma in May of last year, residential neighborhoods bore the brunt of the damage. But it was a different story in Joplin, Missouri, after an EF-5 tornado damaged or...
View Article
