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Oklahoma Tornado: Finding Aid, Giving Aid

Aid groups are mobilizing relief efforts to help victims of the storm. Here, Candice Lopez, left, and Stephanie Davis help clean debris from Thelma Cox's mobile home near Shawnee, Okla., after it was destroyed Monday.
Brett Deering
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Aid groups are mobilizing relief efforts to help victims of the storm. Here, Candice Lopez, left, and Stephanie Davis help clean debris from Thelma Cox's mobile home near Shawnee, Okla., after it was destroyed Monday.

Residents of Moore, Okla., are searching for survivors and coming to terms with a massive tornado that left dozens of people dead and injured more than 200 others Monday afternoon. As aid and recovery groups search for victims and try to reunite loved ones, they're also seeking donations and coordinating housing:

  • The American Red Cross of Oklahoma City offers several ways to help, online or by phone. Sending a text to 90999 with the message REDCROSS will result in a $10 donation.
  • The Red Cross also has a "Safe and Well" service that allows survivors to register themselves online and lets family members check on the status of loved ones.
  • For victims of the storm, FEMA offers a guide to applying for federal help, as well as an online application for aid, at its Disaster Assistance website. For those who can't reach a computer, there's also a mobile version.
  • In Oklahoma City, news services such as KFOR TV, NewsOK, and KOCO TV have provided their own lists of local aid groups, to help residents coordinate relief and donation efforts.
  • On member station KGOU's Twitter feed, our colleagues are posting news and updates that include places where families can reunite and where to find emergency housing.
  • Also on Twitter, the City of OKC provides updates on things from the status of the city's water (it's safe) to road closings. The National Weather Service - Norman tweets updates on conditions.
  • If you're in an area that could be hit by a tornado this year, FEMA has recommendations for how to prepare for the powerful storms. The list of tips includes what to do before, during, and after a tornado.
  • We should note that our list of links isn't meant to imply an endorsement by NPR of one agency or organization over another.

    Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

    Bill Chappell is a writer and editor on the News Desk in the heart of NPR's newsroom in Washington, D.C.