here in moore on day two, a dawning of a new normal for many people here in this city. we've moved locations, closer now to the intersection of southwest 4th and telephone road. you'll recall that's across the way from the 7-eleven where four people perished in early reports from this storm. there are stories of hope, stories of survival coming out of this. i've had an opportunity on the ground here to speak to so many people, so many wonderful people who have been kind enough to share their stories. stories of what they've seen, but stories of their appropriate shell shock about just how much they've had to bear witness to, but the fact that they were able to walk away, many of them with their families intact. >> i just dove under the sink and felt something fall on my back, maybe the stuff fell on my leg, pinning my feet and i felt the sink fall and hit my head and shoulder. >> what was going through your mind at that point?

>> that that might be it. they're going to find me like that. >> the emotions are still so raw here for so many in and around moore, oklahoma. the death toll standing at 24, you'll recall initial reports had it at a much larger number. but medical examiners, they scaled that number back to 24 and that's where it has stood for some time with 20 deaths here in moore, four in oklahoma city, and nine of those deaths being children. 200 plus people were injured from this fierce storm that has been defined as an ef-5, the highest category storm with 210-mile-per-hour winds. it's 600 times bigger than the energy used in the explosion of hiroshima. i was speaking to the lieutenant governor's office who said at the medical center to my right, the front of that building looks like a bomb went off. basically looks like a place

where a civil war had happened. the scene is just amazing there. and seeing for themselves today will be janet napolitano, homeland security secretary will be in the area. as you also may know, yesterday there was a tour with the governor and all congressional leaders from oklahoma as well as fema director who was here, as well. but there have been some other people who have come into this area to show their support. lend their good wishes. one of which is hometown hero toby keith and i had an opportunity to talk to him briefly last night. we're going to talk about that coming up a bit more in the show. the more important things are remembering those that we lost. and we have 3 of the 7 people confirmed who they were. those names kyle davis whose age has not been released yet. haymath bondi, and janae hornsby. we're hoping to speak with her

father, he'd made a commitment to be here to join us and we're going to try to effort that interview with us. obviously it's a sensitive time for the hornsby family and we hope he'll join us this hour. but i did have an opportunity, as well, to speak with the governor yesterday in a one-on-one interview when she came with those congressional leaders i mentioned. and she had so much to say in regards to what she thinks about the supports she's received and the fact that the president is behind her 100%. >> governor, how does everything look to you today? >> terrible. just terrible. >> you did the flyover? >> i was here last night walking through the various neighborhoods. it just looks devastating. takes your breath away to see the destruction that's been done here. >> what do you think of the president reaching out to you and the support he's given? >> i absolutely appreciate it. it's the right thing to do and

we're very grateful he's offered any resources that we might need and we appreciate him signing our emergency declaration for federal assistance so quickly. >> governor, what's your message to the families and parents especially to those who lost loved ones? >> well, it's heart breaking. our hearts hurt for those that lost loved ones, especially the school children and the families that have lost other loved ones too. and we're going to continue to lift them up in prayer to support them and try to provide the resources as quickly as possible they need to be able to get back on their feet. >> joining me right now here on location is cheryl johnson. cheryl is a teacher at briarwood elementary school. being one of the five schools here in the area hit so hard when the storm came through. and is basically, cheryl, almost what would be considered ground zero because that's where the national weather service went yesterday to release their initial reports and their findings that they found damage there consistent with an ef-5 tornado.

luckily, though, you and all the other kids there and parents and teachers alike were able to walk out. tell us what it was like when you knew the storm was coming. >> well, luckily we were in our safety mode on the ground covered. i was trying to keep -- i was down to nine students out of 25. and just trying to keep them joking. and you could hear this sound like a freight train, and we just were ducked down and it continued forever. and when it finally subsided, i turned around and looked up and there was a car hanging above us. you know, then we started hearing gas leaking and we could smell it. so we knew we needed to get out and luckily we heard voices saying come on, come on get out. and we climbed over and under and everything and the room was crashed in the middle. >> you brought the front page paper of the "oklahoman."

with you here, i just wanted to -- the context of who these individuals are, this is an iconic image with these two parents carrying kids out. we see the mom there bloodied and battered. this was taken in the moments right after the storm system went through. who are these people? >> this is ladonna cobb, and you can see she's pretty battered, and this is her daughter jordan cobb, and i believe my coworker had to carry her out because they thought she broke her leg from a cinder block. and that's her dad once they finally got her connected to her parents. >> i think all parents look at this picture and their hearts go out to all the parents in this area, certainly the ones who have lost a child in this tragedy. how were you able to save the kids? >> i don't know. we got them down, the school was built well, it's old, not very

pretty, but my four walls were still up. just the roof was gone. i just think it was built really well. and we were down there. the school kept telling us to be prepared. and they got the people out of the portables into the classroom. and the kids were amazing. they were crying but they listened. they were very amazing kids. >> you talk about the school, the structure itself, but what's the training you go through as an educator? and what the kids go through to know to be prepared when something like this was coming. there was warning because of what happened in shawnee on sunday and the tornado touching down there killing two people. >> well, we go through fire drills and tornado safety drills at least once a month. we practice them at random times. and we immediately get up against a counter. we were facing the north wall and there was, you know, our door and our window was there and then we were along that wall all tucked under, somewhere under a computer table and then just, you know, we do that, and

we just stay there and i've lived in oklahoma all my life and, you know, it's -- you've seen some of this, but you've never lived through it. you've never been in the tornado, and i kept thinking it was going to suck us out and trying to block it out and the kids were crying, but they were doing amazing. they listened to everything we asked of them. >> one thing i've recently heard is that the school systems here in moore, they're done for the year now. kids are going to be able to go to their respective schools tomorrow from 10:00 till noon to pick up their belongings at the school where they'd be functionally allowed to go inside and do that. has this sunk in yet? looking around now at where you're standing, what you're seeing and what we're learning about what people went through. has it sunk in? >> well, no, and yes. yesterday i went back to the school to get my purse and my phone, and they -- i got to crawl back through the way, the

path that we took out. and i took some pictures of my classroom and my husband with with me. and we don't know how we survived. i truly don't. i do know it was gone. but it's amazing we were able to survive. i just want to say for my school and for plaza that we're going to -- we're going to bond tomorrow with our kids and hopefully see a lot of our kids. you know, once we got them out, they kind of got to safety. i'm looking forward to seeing them. >> i can imagine. >> i think that'll help bring some closure. >> they're going to be excited to see you, as well. and thank you for making time for us today to share your story. >> my sister-in-law was at pl a plaza, so i didn't know if she was alive. and she's the one that was with the three kids underneath the car. so both of us in our family survived, you know, very fortunate. >> well, i know there are a lot of families out there that are

thankful for you and your sister-in-law. thanks for joining me today. >> thank you. >> we'll be back with much more from on-site here in moore, oklahoma, and also we're going to take you to capitol hill for developing news coming up after this quick break. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. new car!

hey! [squeals] ♪ [ewh!] [baby crying] the great thing about a subaru is you don't have to put up with that new car smell for long. introducing the versatile, all-new subaru forester. love. it's what makes a subaru, 150 years. from the civil war era, right up to today. and through it all, the california teachers association has stood strong. for the legislation that established california's free public schools... ensuring funding for all students... the first law to reduce class sizes... and establishing community colleges. our schools may have changed, but our commitment to california's children never will... because we know quality public schools make a better california for all of us.

we are back to moore, oklahoma, in just a moment. we're back here in new york city at msnbc headquarters, watching the story coming out of washington, d.c. the irs official at the center of the storm over targeting tea party groups, conservative groups, moments ago about an hour ago telling congress she

did nothing wrong. as expected lois lerner pleading the fifth. but she did make an opening statement proclaiming her innocence. take a listen. >> after very careful consideration, i've decided to follow my counsel's advice and not testify or answer any of the questions today. because i'm asserting my right not to testify, i know some people will assume i've done something wrong. i have not. >> let's go to nbc's kelly o'donnell who is on capitol hill and you and i have been watching this, kelly. not necessarily expected what she did before pleading the fifth. >> we had been told she would assert her constitutional privilege. and typically that means a witness won't say anything perhaps beyond acknowledging her name and taking the oath. making an opening statement was a surprise. and there was some reaction because you have on a committee like this, a number of people who are lawyers and they were sort of applying the rules of the court if you make a

statement professing your innocence, you would be to cross-examination. here's a moment after she was initial lly excused from the hearing for not answering questions, another member of congress said, wait, she waived her right. let's look at that. >> mr. issa, mr. cummings just said we should run this like a courtroom and i agree with him. she just testified. she just waived her fifth amendment right to privilege. you don't get to tell your side of the story and not be subjected to cross-examination. thatst n that's not the way it works. she waived her right by issuing an opening statement. she ought to stand here and answer our questions. >> you get a sense of the animated moment there. and there are questions about what might happen down the line with lois lerner.

offering her the possibility of narrowing the list of questions, she still declined. and since that time, the former irs commissioner douglas schulman has been questioned repeatedly by both democrats and republicans who are clearly frustrated that once he did know about this targeting of conservative groups that he did not alert congress, members of congress say he had an obligation to do that. schulman says no, he didn't, but there is enormous frustration playing out here today. richard? >> kelly o'donnell. as that hearing continues at the moment, we are now going to go back to thomas roberts live in moore, oklahoma, following that continuing story you have better weather today, thomas. i remember yesterday during the show, it was rain and windy. >> yeah, a much better day here, richard. and actually turned around in the late afternoon where it got warm and we saw a lot of people got back out to their homes, today being optimal, longer hours where people can get out in the morning time and start to

come back to their places. we've seen incredible stories here, richard. and we're going to thank you for getting us to capitol hill. and i'll go back to you if we need to go back up to yto you i need to speak to kelly. they're trying to figure out how best to serve this community. neighborhoods have been completely wiped out, obliterated, wiped off the map. and questions remain today about what can be done in the future to help shore up and make sure the kids neighborhoods and schools will be safe and there won't be such a loss of life in tornado alley. are shelters the really big question here? and can they be made more affordable to people living here in oklahoma in light of this recent tragedy? joining me right now is oklahoma city mayor, thanks for joining me. you've been making the rounds and making yourself available to talk to everybody about the latest updates. we heard from the insurance industry the initial estimates that this damage is going to be around $2 billion. what's your first reaction to hearing that?

and do you think in light of that that people are going to be looking to reach out through insurance and the federal government should be helped so they can make proper storm shelters. >> well, i think that's probably -- that number's probably in line with what i'd heard. i heard 1.5 billion in property value in the area. that's not damage estimates, that's the value. 33,000 people impacted, 12,600 homes affected. you know, your question about storm shelters is relevant today, it's a conversation we have off and on a lot of people have safe rooms built into their homes. there has been more and more state and federal money for people that want to start a transition into building them in schools. and certainly we have built new schools in oklahoma city and safe rooms into that new construction. but still, you're left with if dozens if not hundreds of schools that have older construction and it's not as easy to come in afterwards and put a safe room into a school that's not being built from scratch. >> one thing, in the last hour,

my colleague, chris jansing had an opportunity to tour what one of those shelters looks like across the way where a man and his family survived. they were able to let in their neighbors at the last minute. they survived, as well. and, cheryl johnson who we just spoke to about briarwood, elementary, she says it's an old school. it's it helped them survive the storm. there's a catch-22 about the situational aspects of the storm and the way it approaches because so many people have said because you're underground from an ef-5 doesn't mean that you will survive. it's the best to get out of the way. >> but keep in mind a couple of things. first, ef-5s are extremely rare, our city's 130 years old, this is the second one we've ever had. even when you have a serious tornado, it's extremely rare to have it during the daytime. so to have one during school hours is highly unusual. both of those events coming together at one time. i understand the conversation and the emotions right now in this conversation, but there's a lot of things to consider. >> we're learning now from the

medical examiner that they've just updated the numbers earlier, we knew it was nine children confirmed who had perished in the tornado now saying it's ten children who died including two infants, one of which there was an infant who perished in the 7-eleven across the street here. so for parents out here hearing this and for those people across the country, you know, that are concerned with their hearts going out to oklahoma, we know that moore has been our subject to this. what do you want to see from the president, from fema, from the federal government that give the people here a better choice? if they do want to invest in a storm shelter. should they have access to help? >> i think the thoughts and prayers are what we need right now. longer term, i'm not necessarily suggesting the federal government needs to start building shelters and safe rooms all across the country. if that's a good idea, they need to do it themselves. i'm not convinced they'll not. it may spur us into greater

action in those areas. but i think the emotional aspects of this event still haven't hit us. we as elected officials and the people of the citizens of the city are still very captivated by the physical damage. what we can see, what we can touch. i think when we start burying these kids, the ones that died in tgrade school and the infant that died at the convenience store, that's where it's going to hit us and start later in the week and until we get past this event, you know, there's very little semblance of order here and there's hardly a sense that we're moving on. i think right now, we're dealing with what's happened. >> mick cornett, thank you for making time for me. i understand you are a local legend because of your years of working in tv news. >> well, i don't know about that. >> that's what i'm hearing from on the ground here, sir. >> it's really appreciated. >> it's our privilege to be here and i have met some of the kindest people in your fair state. thank you again, sir. we have more ahead on the people and the companies who are feeling the need to show what they can do for the folks here

in oklahoma, including kevin durant, he made a formidable donation. and then my one-on-one interview with local hometown hero toby keith coming up. >> my son-in-law went to plaza towers and dug people out before the first responders got there. turned his truck over getting in there, got electrocuted, run a nail through his foot, emts had to fix him up, he helped dig people out. how many simple ingredients

does your dog food have? 30? 20? new purina one beyond has 9. the simplified purina one beyond. learn more about these wholesome ingredients at purinaone.com accomplishing even little things can become major victories. i'm phil mickelson, pro golfer. when i was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, my rheumatologist prescribed enbrel for my pain and stiffness, and to help stop joint damage. [ male announcer ] enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections.

serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, nervous system and blood disorders, and allergic reactions have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. you should not start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if you have symptoms such as persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. since enbrel helped relieve my joint pain, it's the little things that mean the most. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. [ doctor ] enbrel, the number one biologic medicine prescribed by rheumatologists.

[ doctor ] enbrel, the number one biologic medicine your chance to rise and shine. with centurylink as your trusted technology partner, you can do just that. with our visionary cloud infrastructure, global broadband network and custom communications solutions, your business is more reliable - secure - agile. and with responsive, dedicated support, we help you shine every day of the week. welcome back to moore, oklahoma, everybody. i wanted to show you up close the devastation and just how bad it is. it is so amazing when you see it for yourself. the amount of damage and the fact that brick and mortar, the cinder block walls that are reduced to rubble right now. and most of the people inside of them got out okay except for over there across the street

which is now a main media center is the former 7-eleven that was leveled in and of itself. if we can show everybody. this is the day care center if you go a little bit further left with all the blown out windows right on the side of the moore medical facility, inside there, kids and their day school teachers were under mattresses to shelter themselves from the storm. when you walk through there, it's nothing but rubble and a mess. the ceiling completely caved in. and that's right next door to the moore medical facility. the moore medical facility being newly opened roughly about two years ago and it certainly was a beacon of hope for this area of really lovely suburban area here in the city of moore. who certainly have had their fair share of disappointments when it comes to tornadic activity. 1999, we know of a deadly storm that passed through then, it was an ef-5, now this classification of the storm that passed through here, an ef-5, as well. but we do have great news about what hope means for the city of moore. and so many people who have come forward to spread their love and

support for this city. kevin durant from the oklahoma city thunder, the basketball player. he's donated $1 million and there have been matching gifts from the nba, as well as other basketball players, walmart has come forward to donate services and goods to people who are struggling in this area. truck loads coming in. also, home depot around the corner has also donated their parking facility to serving food to the first responders those on the scene talking more about what people are doing here in the city. take a listen to this. >> i call oklahoma my home now. it's tough to go through, but we're a city that comes together. we'll bounce back from this. the sun's going to shine soon, we've got to stick together. >> that is kevin durant who is a

local hero. i was talking to people who were from oklahoma city who say that they believe he is just as good as lebron james. there were some people that would argue with that, but anyway, he's a local hero here in town. the vice president reached out to durant to express his support and thanks for that by tweeting that he'd reached out to the basketball star to say thank you. but another person in this area who is really well known and well beloved is toby keith. the country singer. he has family who lives in this area. this is where he grew up. and he feels very connected to this part of the country. and that's why he was here yesterday talking about what it means to be from this area and what it means for the people of moore to rebound. take a look at my one on one. >> what does this look like to you? you've got to be in utter shock to see your hometown look like this? >> well, it happens here quite a bit, you know, four or five years you get to see something like this. and this was on the ground a long time like the one in '99.

but in between there, the same places that '99 caused and they built back, hit two or three more times with smaller versions. people are resilient, they bounce back. neighborhoods helping neighborhoods, they come together and that's amazing. that's part of the reason i live here. i love the spirit of this place. >> you were talking about family being in the area, your sister, this is certainly very personal for you. >> yeah. >> what's going on your family? >> she's fine. we had a tornado here yesterday, everybody's not talking, there was a tornado the day before this one that come south of my house and hit shawnee. >> yeah. >> knocked all the stuff out there. tennis ball-sized hail, hit there and then this one comes through a day later, i fly to nashville and have to come back because my sister lives straight east of here about two miles. her neighborhood looks like this but she was on the edge of it and it didn't take her whole house away. >> so many family members are

helping out each other. not too many people are going to the red cross shelters. seems like the community's taking in their own. >> you know, i'm telling you, a long time -- the media helping, resources, to get ahold of everyone. my son-in-law went to plaza towers and dug people out before first responders got there. turned his truck over getting in there, got electrocuted, run a nail all the way through his foot, had the emts fix him up and helped dig people out. there were other dudes around that were just people see a disaster and jumped radio i eeee middle of it. >> but your son-in-law's okay? >> yeah. he's a knuckle head. >> okay. >> how do people rebound from this? especially when they know it may happen again? >> well, it's definitely more difficult when people lose their

kids, like in plaza towers over here, and you lose people, and you lose a life, someone you love, you've got to overcome that on top of rebuilding your physical life, you know, stuff around you. but they do. they'll bounce back. you come back here a year from now, and this place will be vibrant, it'll be rocking. it's been devastated like this before. and the spirit of this place was amazing. and that's why i never moved to l.a. or nashville and, you know, i did my career for 20 years from right here. >> toby was such a nice guy, a compelling figure, so open and honest. you've got to love it when a father-in-law calls his son-in-law a knuckle head. for the injuries he sustained for running in. inside that school to help out there at plaza towers. we're going to make sure you can see the full interview because there's a lot more to what toby keith had to say online later today. check it out by going to tv.msnbc.com. we'll be back with much more.

fo. can i get the smith contract, please? thank you. that's three new paper shredders. [ boris ] put 'em on my spark card. [ garth ] boris' small business earns 2% cash back on every purchase every day. great businesses deserve unlimited rewards. read back the chicken's testimony, please. "buk, buk, bukka!" [ male announcer ] get the spark business card from capital one and earn unlimited rewards. choose 2% cash back or double miles on every purchase every day. told you i'd get half. what's in your wallet? told you i'd get half. an intense burning sensation i woke up with this horrible rash on my right side. like somebody had set it on fire. and the doctor said, cindie, you have shingles. he said, you had chickenpox when you were a little girl... i said, yes, i did. i don't think anybody ever thinks they're going to get shingles. but it happened to me. for more of the inside story, visit shinglesinfo.com

are you still sleeping? just wanted to check and make sure that we were on schedule. the first technology of its kind... mom and dad, i have great news. is now providing answers families need. siemens. answers.

welcome back, everybody. we are learning more about those who lost their lives in this tornado. many of the victims being extremely young. and we have now gotten new information about just how many young victims there are. the medical examiner's office says there are ten children who perished in the tornado from monday. among the dead is a 9-year-old. a young girl named jenae hornsby. two of the other children were infants. one of which perished across the street at the 7-eleven. others include 65-year-old bondi that was also killed and the family was saying he was separated from his wife when that tornado hit. his wife did survive theç stor. and then there is 9-year-old jenae hornsby. the first victim identified and one of the students who died in plaza towers elementary school. joshua hornsby is jenae's

father. joshua, first, our heart felt condolences for what you and your family are going through. when did you realize she might have been in danger? when did you know to go to the school? >> well, i was getting phone calls saying that the tornado was headed toward the school. probably around 2:45, 2:50 something like that. >> and you rushed right to the school but traffic got in your way? >> yeah. >> how long did it take you to get there? >> probably about 30 minutes. >> by the time you got there, what did you see? >> the school was gone. it was just a pile of debris and everything. >> were you trying to be part of the first response team to get in there? what did you do? how did you react? >> the first response team was already in action when i got there. but i just was looking for my daughter and if i could help anybody, i was trying to help, but mostly i was trying to find my daughter. >> when were you notified? >> yesterday morning.

>> and at the time, i know when i arrived here late monday evening, we were listening to the radio as we were driving in and local anchors and announcers were talking about janae and many of them were posting her picture because she was missing at the time. so there wasç hope that your daughter would be found. did you expect, did you fear that phone call might be coming the longer time went by? >> no, i was always hoping for the best and i felt like everything was going to be all right until i got the phone call. >> what was janae like, your daughter? >> she was -- she was loving, caring, fun, energetic. she was just sunshine on a rainy day. there's no way to explain it. she was just happy, always happy, always outgoing.

just janae. >> your family, as i was reading up on what you'd gone through, you lost your wife several years ago. >> last year. >> last year and now to go through this. and you have a 2-year-old daughter gia who is at home. >> yeah. >> i mean -- how are you going to talk about your wife and your daughter to little gia? what do you want her to know about your daughter and her mom? >> just to know they were good people and everybody loved her. try to keep the memories in her and show her theç best that i can. >> well, joshua, our hearts go out to you and to gia. thank you so much for making time for us. we're so sorry for your loss. but the smile that comes across your face when you talk about your daughter and that she was your sunshine, it really shows. thanks so much. we're going to be back after this. thanks.

you hurt my feelings, todd. i did? when visa signature asked everybody what upgraded experiences really mattered... you suggested luxury car service instead of "strength training with patrick willis." come on todd! flap them chicken wings. [ grunts ] well, i travel a lot and umm... [ male announcer ] at visa signature, every upgraded experience comes from listening to our cardholders. visa signature. your idea of what a card should be. ♪ i don't wanna be right [ record scratch ] what?! it's not bad for you. it just tastes that way. [ female announcer ] honey nut cheerios cereal -- heart-healthy, whole grain oats. you can't go wrong loving it.

i honestly loved smoking, and i honestly didn't think i would ever quit. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke.

it put me at ease that you could smoke on the first week. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. tell your doctor if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, or if you develop new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. with chantix and with the support system it worked for me. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. constipated? yeah. mm. some laxatives like dulcolax can cause cramps. but phillips' caplets don't. they have magnesium. for effective relief of occasional constipation.

thanks. [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life. phillips'. welcome back, everybody. over the last 24 hours, boy, oh, boy, have we gotten incredible stories of survival. people that have made it through this storm and survived what is a monster and killer storm now. i got a chance to speak with amber, she is a woman who lives just across the way. and she and her husband have such a unique story. they were able to ride out the storm with their three little girls wearing motorcycle helmets and in the bathtub of their home. and miraculously they survived unscathed, but the house, it's completely gone. >> amber, explain where we're standing right now. >> this is the middle of our living room. and the dining room's right

there and he's almost at the front door. >> lods any of it look recognizable? >> the floors and the bushes. the bathroom is the only thing that is on top of the floors, it's where it should have been. and that's where we were. >> walk us over. so the bathtub was the saving grace? this is where you -- >> it was right behind the kitchen. >> so your husband and three little girls were all in the one single bathtub? >> yes, we had the three girls in the tub and we had couch cushions behind them and then my husband and i were knelt down in front laying over them with a mattress over us. and we all had helmets on and we just huddled together, you know, locked arms and just right there. >> as you look at the devastation what's left of the house, can you believe that you guys survived? you rode this out in the family bathtub? >> no. i think it's a miracle. i don't know how i'm standing here.

>> well, so as survivors like amber and her husband, their three little girls, they're trying to return to some type of normalcy. they sought family shelter, traveled to the north to be able to stay with loved ones and come back briefly to pick up tangible items yesterday. what they were really searching for was something for their 6-year-old little girl. they were able to keep their blankets with them in the bathroom, but their 6-year-old doesn't have2anything from their former home. there were so many on the ground now looking for assistance having to register for help. we know that 1,000 people have already registered for assistance from fema. joining me now the emergency response manager for americares. dan is the spokesperson for the american red cross. i'm going to ask you to come in here, talk to me, great to have you both here. we've seen each other a lot on the road over the last couple of days.

kate, i want to start with you. what's the type of response you're giving? what's the need that people are asking for? >> meeting the immediate health needs of residents affected by the storm. providing water, hygiene supplies, vaccinations particularly for tetanus and medicines. we're working with local clinics. these are asthmatics without inhalers and diabetics without insulin. so we're working with these fantastic, amazing medical professionals so they can offer these much-needed health services. >> dan, one thing i know after seeing one of your representatives on the streets last night talking about the four different shelters set up in the area that they are not lacking for -- they are lacking for people coming. thousands of meals are being served. there wasn't a hard number or hard figure that we could know definitively last night. is there more on)pá today? >> on the shelter population, it's been relatively low throughout. it's kind of a tradition here in moore. they've been tested before and stay with friends and family.

but we're keeping the shelters open, they're there. a lot of people come in for the day, get air-conditioning, get supplies and then get back into the neighborhood. >> i've got to say the phrase we take care of our own really fits well here in and around oklahoma city. >> it does. >> and it seems that's what's happened. family members, loved ones, friends have opened up their arms and embraced the community members that have been displaced. kate, though, as you talk about the fact you're trying to help with people's health care needs, you've also been in these types of situations before where americare goes in. now it's classified as an ef-5, can you believe your eyes, especially, when the -- we only have 24 people that lost their lives, and we say only because in similar storms the death toll has been so much higher. >> it's extremely gut wrenching and every life lost is extremely tragic, but early warning signals were critical in this situation. we have over 30 years experience of responding to disasters just

like this. and it's still always amazing with every disaster what the damage is. >> and i know you guys do great work, long hours, trust me, really long hours for these folks. dan, explain to everybody at home if they're interested in donating. so many people, they want to do something, they see the stories, heartbreak, courage, and resilience of these people, they want to push everyone along. >> you feel the immediate need and do something physical. that means what can i bring? and the reality is because organizations like this and the red cross, we're all working together. we've really got the materials in many cases that we need. and that comes from the contribution. we go in, we buy the things we need for each disaster that meet the need here. and if we need something special, we'll certainly give a shout out and let people know what that might be. >> how do you guys keep your strength up? especially the emotional strength that you need to do this for the people you're talking about and challenges you're facing. >> it is extremely complicated.

but the people that are around and the gratitude that they have for the services that are offered is really incredible. and you see the best of people at the worst of times. >> how about for you? >> yeah. i tried to just stay focused on the people themselves. when i hear the stories, it really gets me. >> yeah. it's what do we got to do right now? we even do that with people as they deal with their losses. what are you going to do today? what are you going to do in the next few hours? you focus on those things now and there'll be a time to deal with other issues down the road. >> thank you so much, dan, i know you've been working long and hard hours. great folks, thank you very much. we appreciate it and longç and hard emotional work. we're going to have much more coming up here. and if you'd like to make a donation, there are ways to do that to the red cross relief effort. text the word redcross to 90999, that makes an instant $10

donation charged to your cell phone bill. also an instant donation to americares by texting live to 25383. and again, that's for americares. and you can log on to their websites, redcross.org and americares.org. up next, we'll pay tribute to some of the heroes from the tornado that touched down here on monday and changed so many lives. also, teach you how you can send a message to the people of moore.

i didn't think it was anything. i had pain in my abdomen... it just wouldn't go away. i was spotting, but i had already gone through menopause. these symptoms may be nothing... but they could be early warning signs of a gynecologic cancer, such as cervical, ovarian, or uterine cancer. feeling bloated for no reason. that's what i remember. seeing my doctor probably saved my life. warning signs are not the same for everyone.

if you think something's wrong... see your doctor. ask about gynecologic cancer.

let me say before i begin, echo your words, that our hearts go out and our prayers are said for the people of oklahoma, particularly moore, oklahoma. secretary napolitano and the commandant was scheduled to be here. i met with her yesterday relative to the situation in oklahoma, and she asked me to extend her apologies, but secretary napolitano is doing her job. she's in moore, oklahoma, leading fema and the first responders to that region, and

doing everything to assist the brave citizens of oklahoma. >> there we have it, vice president joe biden making remarks about fema and the tragedy here in oklahoma, giving a keynote address at the u.s. coast guard academy of new london, that ceremony taking place in connecticut right now. very heartfelt words from the vice president concerns tornadoesç victims. so many stories emerging, but a lot of people have wanted to do something other than a donation. so we had a question -- do you have a message of the people with moore? we've created a hashtag inspired by a class in tampa, florida. together they created this project. under that hashtag, submit us message for moore, you can upload that onto our web page. i'm at thomasaroberts.

many great people, so many stories, resilience is the one thing i keep hearing, but it's going to take months of that for these residents to really recover here in the town of moore, the suburb of oklahoma city. likely it will hold on the -- the glue that will hold these communities together is their resiliencies, the residents like so many that i have talked to, the act of kindness, heroism emerging from the ruins that we've been seeing from street corner to street corner, like teacher rhonda crosswhite, who used her body -- her body to shield three kids from the screaming winds and flying debris there, all the while telling them they would be okay, they would make it through. animal rescue workers, like dozens of pets and their owners after pulling them from the rubble. we saw many pets reunited with

their owners. then matt spaulding, who sought shelter in the new imax theater, just down the road here. then when he emerged with his father and brother, they then saved 18 people trapped in the nearby medical center. that's the building that's right here on my right. when asked about how matt feels about being a hero, here's what he said to nbc's brian williams. >> do you feel lucky you get to walk around knowing there are 18 human beings alive today, you have a hand in that? >> it does feel good. you know, there was a guy about 70 years old that we picked up out of there, and just hugging him, because, man, are you okay? where are you hurting? and he said, all over. and, you know, thinking about it last night, i could hardly sleep. that felt pretty good to help those people. >> just one of the many stories from here in moore. stories that are just

heartbreaking, also inspiring, but they tell the truth of what the real power of mother nature can be like. this community as we've heard from everybody, will rebound and come back. that wraps thing up for me today. thanks for joining me. i'll see you tomorrow. don't go anywhere, "now with alex wagner" comes up next. in d to support strong bones. and the brand most recommended by... my doctor. my gynecologist. my pharmacist. citracal. citracal. [ female announcer ] you trust your doctor. doctors trust citracal. and didn't know where to start. used a contractor before at angie's list, you'll find reviews on everything from home repair to healthcare written by people just like you. no company can pay to be on angie's list, so you can trust what you're reading. angie's list is like having thousands of close neighbors where i can go ask for personal recommendations. that's the idea. before you have any work done, check angie's list. from roofers to plumbers to dentists and more, angie's list -- reviews you can trust. i love you, angie. sorry, honey.

in that time there've been some good days. and some difficult ones. but, through it all we've persevered, supporting some of the biggest ideas in modern history.

so why should our history matter to you? because for more than two centuries, we've been helping ideas move from ambition to achievement. ♪ and the next great idea could be yours. ♪ in disaster's wake, the long process of recovery has begun again. it's wednesday, may 22nd. this is "now." 17 miles long, nearly one mile wide, that is the strip of destruction. this video shot by a resident gives a sense of what the tornado felt like. the national weather service reports the twister was an ef-5, the highest category on the