breaking news, oklahoma communities in shambles. neighborhoods leveled. hospitals go into crisis mode as tornadoes take aim at classrooms. >> the blackboard is still up. oh, my gosh. >> the widespread damage and incredible disbelief. >> we saw the circulation and went and hid underneath the closet, underneath the stairs. >> the human toll, the frantic search for those missing as the storm zone faces more danger today. it's tuesday, may 21st. good morning, everyone. let's get right to that deadly storm that tore through a suburb of oklahoma city, at least 51 people were killed. more than 100 injured, but those numbers are expected to rise.

many of the dead were children whose elementary school took a direct hit. >> the president has declared the area a major disaster clearing the way for federal help. crews have been working through the night looking for those who are still trapped. >> and those who survived are telling harrowing stories of the moments those 200-mile-an-hour winds hit. >> we begin our coverage with abc's marci gonzalez in moore, oklahoma, now. good morning, marci. >> reporter: good morning, diana and john. the destruction so severe that so many of the homes here in moore are just unrecognizable and the same for the elementary school that once stood right over here. we want to show you, there's a brick wall that you can see still standing over here. that used to be the cafeteria, and that is just about the only thing that is left that is recognizable about this school. if we can pan over to the left and show you this huge pile of debris that blew over and then further to the left is where the command post is set up. you can see nothing standing there, and that is where we're

told the main part of this elementary school once stood. rescuers have been searching listening for the cries of anyone possibly still trapped beneath the rubble. overnight, a painstaking search for victims and survivors. >> we're going house to house very detailed digging under everything, debris, closets, shelters, backyards, anything we can find. >> reporter: the monster tornado cut a path of breathtaking destruction 12 miles long and 2 miles wide. neighborhoods flattened, homes and schools destroyed. >> let's look at it as an introspective. that's about like a two-mile-wide lawn mower blade going over a community just wiping out everything in its path. >> reporter: the twister packed winds of up to 200 miles per hour. a terrifying site as it bore down on this family home just outside of oklahoma city. hours later they emerged from shelter to a different world. >> the lord giveth, and the lord

taketh away. >> reporter: the destruction includes two elementary schools that were packed with students when the storm hit. the violent winds flattened walls killing dozens. >> i was on the ground, and i just -- my ears just went beep, and i couldn't hear anything except cracking and kids screaming. >> reporter: frantic rescuers raced to pull children from the rubble. this morning officials fear more young victims will be found inside. >> our hearts are just broken for the parents that are wondering the state of their children that have been in the schools that have been hit today. >> reporter: more than 100 people, many of them children, remain in local hospitals. across the storm zone, tens of thousands of homes are without power. and the death toll now stands at 51, but with so much destruction and the search, rescue and recovery efforts still under way, that number is expected to climb. john and diana.

>> marci, let's talk about those two words, rescue and recovery. we heard the governor of oklahoma talk about it being more of a recovery than a rescue. but you're there on the scene. do you see any evidence of them looking for people right now trying to rescue? >> reporter: it's hard to see from the distance where i am, but i believe that they are still holding out hope that they'll find someone in this rubble. i don't think they're ready to give up just yet, especially with just a few hours to go before daylight. i think that will be their next best chance at starting to try to find victims, hopefully alive. >> marci, i think around the country everyone is praying for just that. where you are, have you seen parents or other loved ones who have tried to approach the area, maybe start digging with their own hands? i'm sure every parent who's still missing a child wants to do exactly that at this time. >> reporter: yeah, i don't know about digging with their own hands, but i'm sure that that's what many parents want to be doing right now. there's a lot of security in the area. the national guard is here.

we have seen a few people coming towards the scene being escorted by national guard members but we're not sure how close they're actually being allowed. >> all right, marci gonzalez from the scene, thank you. all right, with more than 100 people injured, doctors and nurses and hospital staffers have been working for hours trying to treat those incoming patients. >> brooke cayot, the spokeswoman for a large trauma unit updated us. >> right now we've seen at integris a total of 60 patients. not all of those are still at the facility. we have 9 lists in chris cal, 19 in serious. those are obviously still at the hospital. we have seen 29 that were in fair or good condition. some of those have been released. i'm not sure on the number. but they are leaving the hospital after being treated. unfortunately, we did have one fatality. it was a 65-year-old man. he was actually injured prior to the storm. he was running to a storm shelter, he fell, hit his head and then later succumbed to

those injuries. all of the preparations were made in advance. we had the staff ready, the equipment ready. we just -- it was kind of a wait and see scenario. everything just happened very quickly. we received our last patient roughly around 9:00 this evening central time. i'm told that it was a teacher from one of the schools that was hit. i can say that she's in fair or good condition, so that's great news. but our tornado influx is definitely slowed as of now. we see several tornadoes in oklahoma. of course, may 3rd being the worst until today. we're hopeful that we do receive more patients because i know that there are several people that are still unaccounted for, so we hope that this stays a rescue effort and not just a recovery. >> moore, oklahoma, is getting a helping hand from a city that knows all too well what they're going through. joplin, missouri, has sent down a support team to help in the aftermath of the tornado including police officers and firefighters.

in 2011 joplin was devastated by a monster twister that killed 158 people. joplin officials say they want to help others the way they were helped. and more severe weather is threatening that disaster zone. >> accuweather's jim dickey has a look at what's ahead. >> good morning, john and diana. still tracking strong to severe thunderstorms here through these early morning hours. that line stretching from the great lakes all the way down back on to the plains watching storms reform here just off to the south of moore where a severe thunderstorm watch is in effect until 7:00 a.m. central time. this is likely where our action is going to start here for our tuesday. another active day on tap. same ingredients in place as we saw monday. drier air sweeping out of the deserts. a cool, dry air mass being brought in out of canada while humid air, deep moisture being drawn off the gulf of mexico.

the three draw together, air explodes violently upwards and we see these strong thunderstorms form. tornadoes the threat around the arklatex. damaging winds as far north as chicago. john and diana, back to you. >> jim, thank you. overnight many have been writing in asking how you can help the folks in oklahoma. start with the red cross. here's the info you need. their website is redcross.org. >> if you want to donate, you can add $10 by texting them. just send the word "redcross" to the number 90999. that's of course, redcross to 90999. >> all right, an example this morning of the power of social media. >> a facebook group is trying to help tornado victims get their belongings back. because the twister blew documents and photos many, many miles away, people are posting pictures of the things that they have found on facebook. >> it's quite amazing, isn't it? right now the group has more than 7200 members and has even posted pictures of pets, both lost and found. >> that is just incredible. you know what, leave it to social media to start up right away. >> it can do some great things in tough times. >> uh-huh. when we come back, we will speak with abc's mike boettcher at the scene of the devastation. >> we'll be right back on

"america this morning."

and welcome back. we continue our coverage of that deadly tornado that has devastated the community of moore, oklahoma. >> abc's mike boettcher lives in the area, and he joins us on the phone this morning. good morning, mike. >> reporter: good morning, diana. >> now, you're right near one of the schools that was damaged. >> reporter: tower plaza. damaged is not the word for it. destroyed, it is totally destroyed, and as i walked by it

earlier today, the first thing that popped into my mind was the devastation of another building in oklahoma back in 1995, the murrah building. this building wasn't as big, but the devastation is as complete. we were just given a short tour of the recovery operations underway at this elementary school where several dozen members from all armed forces, emergency medical personnel, police and firemen have been assigned different quadrants of this school, and we're told that they have to go layer by layer because the building was actually, it looks like, lifted up and then brought back down and compacted, so they're going through layer after layer

looking hopefully for survivors, but we're told by high officials in oklahoma that this is a >÷kvw recovery operation now looking for the bodies of children who were trapped in that school. >> that's so disturbing, mike. you know, everybody wants to believe with so many people unaccounted for that that will get rescued, as well as recovery today. are you seeing any evidence of the crews there that you're talking to holding out hope of rescue? are you seeing things like dogs at all or anything that might imply that they're really looking for people that might still be under that rubble? >> reporter: well, there was one sign that was a good sign, and that happened about four hours ago. they found a dog alive in the rubble of this school, and it gave some hope to these rescuers, but we were told by a military official here from the oklahoma national guard that emotionally this has been tough

on these emergency workers digging through the rubble. they're finding backpacks, and they're finding jackets and little mementos of students, and it is tough for them. there was a chaplain here for much of the day. >> all right. abc's mike boettcher, we really appreciate your time on the phone from moore, oklahoma, this morning. >> all right. stay safe, mike. we appreciate that. our coverage of the oklahoma disaster continues next with a closer look at the rescue efforts under way. >> and the scene inside that elementary school that took a direct hit. you're watching "america this morning." "taking in the scenery" and "hey, they're taking our stuff," no need to panic. walgreens has over 8,000 stores across the country with all your prescriptions on file and just about anything else you might need along the way. because you never know what the road will bring.

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they've been searching through rubble right there looking for victims. 51 people are confirmed dead, but the medical examiner is expecting that to go up by as many as 40 more bodies. >> the tornado sirens sounded 16 minutes before the storm hit giving residents like melissa newton a chance to hunker down. >> now that i'm out and looking around, i mean our neighborhood is covered in debris. there are shingles and pieces of sheetrock and wood in our yard and all across our neighborhood. some homes completely gone. it's devastating. >> the same area was hit by a historic tornado back in 1999 which had the highest winds ever recorded near the earth's surface. 41 people died. thousands of homes were destroyed in that twister. >> all right. we're going to take a closer look at the power of the storm and frantic search for survivors. abc meteorologist ginger zee is on the ground in moore this morning. >> reporter: at 2:40 p.m. local time, the first tornado warning went out. >> this is horrible. >> reporter: and just 16 minutes

later, the darkening skies over oklahoma turned deadly. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: churning with winds up to 200 miles per hour. >> stop, stop, stop, stop. shut it down. shut it down! >> look at that. oh, my gosh. i honestly do not know if people lived in that. >> reporter: hundreds of homes and buildings have been obliterated. frantic groups of rescuers could be seen digging through debris within minutes of the tornadoes passing by. more than 50 people are reported dead. among them, children from the plaza towers elementary school. one of two schools filled with students that lay directly in the tornado's path. dozens of first responders continue that search. students had remained at the schools despite the tornado warnings because there were safe areas where they could be protected. >> i was on the ground, and i just -- my ears just went beep and i couldn't hear anything except cracking and kids screaming. >> reporter: first grader

canden was there when his mom trenda showed up. she was overcome with relief to find out that her son was safe and sound. this is still such a raw situation. you can see right behind me we've got the search and rescue dogs, plenty of firefighters and just complete and utter devastation. helping with the search and rescue, 80 national guard members deployed by oklahoma governor mary fallin. >> it's just -- it's like a battle zone. there's nothing standing. no trees, no houses for any way around. no landmarks. you don't even know where you are or where you're standing over there. >> reporter: ginger zee, abc news, moore, oklahoma. >> just amazing. and we are getting more images, new ones from people who captured this enormous twister from all angles as it approached. >> the man behind the camera can be heard shouting "oh, my god" as he captured the twister tearing through the city of moore on his cell phone. >> oh, my god! >> all right.

here's another one, an ominous view taken with a cell phone as the tornado got even wider. as you can see, the twister's winds rising like a mushroom cloud over there spreading on to the untouched land just moments before the catastrophe struck. no doubt we will see more pictures as the day goes on. >> uh-huh. up next, we'll have a live report from the tornado zone on what we can expect later this morning. >> stay with us. we'll be right back. tis the better choice for him, he's agreed to give it up. that's today? [ male announcer ] we'll be with him all day as he goes back to taking tylenol. that was okay, but after lunch my knee started to hurt again, and now i gotta take more pills. ♪ yup another pill stop. can i get my aleve back yet? ♪ for my pain, i want my aleve. ♪ [ male announcer ] this may, buy aleve and help those in need.

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softens the enamel so it can potentially erode. once that enamel is gone, it's gone. my dentist recommended pronamel. pronamel protects your teeth from the effects of acid erosion. i don't have to cut out the things that i love in my diet. all right, let's return live to moore, oklahoma, now where abc's marci gonzalez has been all night. >> marci, please describe the scene right now.

what are authorities expecting in the hours ahead? >> reporter: john and diana, the search crews are still out here. we're standing very close to where plaza towers elementary school once stood. if we can push in and show you, this is where a staging area has been set up. the search and rescue efforts still under way. crews listening for voices, trying to determine if anyone is still trapped beneath the rubble there. they have these huge lights set up trying to aid in that process, but, of course, waiting for the sun to come up hoping that they'll be able to have a little more success then. >> marci, we heard earlier today such a nightmare chaotic situation with the power out, with the roads snarled, with debris, traffic backed up. has it seemed -- obviously the power still looks like it's not on there, probably generator power, but have the roads gotten a little better where rescuers can get into these places? >> reporter: it seems rescuers are able to get into many of the areas. i'm not sure if there are still some that are impassable.

they've been doing their best since the storm hit to try to clear the roads, but beyond rescuers, for anyone else trying to come and go throughout moore, any other areas hit, a lot of the roads are closed down. they're just trying to keep everyone safe. there are still downed power lines, still a lot of debris in the road. >> now, marci, we've had a lot of focus on the school. obviously we're talking about children. everybody wants to know if these children are going to be okay at the plaza towers elementary school, but there is an enormous amount of devastation where you are outside of this school, as well. >> reporter: oh, absolutely. well, the school is here and there is this neighborhood here and you truly cannot recognize some of the homes here and the same outside of this neighborhood. as we pulled into town today, we were absolutely stunned by the level of destruction. it's damage like i have never seen before, and i've covered many tornadoes in the past. >> all right, marci, thank you. >> appreciate it, marci. we'll be right back.

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>> live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news. >> good tuesday morning. >> we begin in tornado-ravaged central oklahoma. crews have been looking for more survivors of a deadly tornado a huge tornado that flattened parts of an oklahoma city suburb. the death toll is 51 including children at an elementary school that took a direct hit. >> overnight, a search for victims and survivors. we have to be very detailed, under all the debris, anything you and find. the monster tornado cut a path of breathtaking destruction, 12 miles long and two miles wide. neighborhoods flattened. homes and schools destroyed

>> that is about like a two-mile wide lawnmower blade wiping out everything in its path in a community. >> it packed winds up to 200 miles per hour. a terrifying sight as it bore down on this family home outside of oklahoma city. hours later they emerged from shelter to a different word. >> lord gives and the lord takes away. >> the destruction includes two elementary schools that were packed with students when the storm hit. the violent winds flattened walls and killing dozens. >> i was on the ground. my heres popped. i could not hear anything but cracking and screaming. >> rescuers raced to pull children from the rubble. this morning, officials fear more young victims will be found inside. >> our hearts are broken for the parents that are wondering the fate of their children that have been in the schools that have been hit.

>> 100 people, plenty children, remain in local hospitals. tens of thousands are without power. >> that was a report from moore, oklahoma. >> mike nicco the meteorologist has more to see if the same ingredients exist today. >> they do. there is a moderate risk, a slight moderate and high risk is how the storm prediction center categorizes the conditions. they are under "moderate." there is a good possibility we will see damaging thunderstorms and hail and tornadoes again. yesterday, the storm was into arkansas ravaging the northern part of that state. you can see this bow echo so there will be damaging straight-lines winds opposed to tornado. if it hooks in a comma shape, then we have the possibility of