one of the students that jennifer doan could not save was nine-year-old jeneane hornsby. mark strassman spoke with her family. >> i spent all my time with her, any chance i got to spend time with her, i was enjoying all of it. all of it was special to me. >> reporter: joshua hornsby mied to his daughter's school i herday. she was a third grader at plasma tower's elementary. he got there ten minutes too tte. >> i had to park around a corner from the school. when i hit the corner, where i could see school, the school was gone. and my heart just sank. >> reporter: yolanda hornsby was the nine-year-old girl's grandmother. eu were looking everywhere. ki we were looking everywhere. everywhere that we thought we could look or where they may have said that she may have been taken or we were just... we were reoking. >> and trying not to believe the okint. >> and trying not to believe the worst. >> reporter: at 8:30 this morning joshua hornsby's phone rang. >> it was the medical examiner. he told me that they had my daughter. hd i didn't... i knew what he want but i didn't want to

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 resourc

hornsby was a third grader at plaza towers elementary.rvive the storm. i want to show you how energetic janae was, how full of life. this is home video with family they wanted us to share with you. her dad is a veteran of the iraq war. i had a chance to speak with him earlier today at mount trinity baptist church along with janae's aunt, angela. when you first saw her, what did you think? >> my heart just sank and i started worrying and panicking. i just needed to find my baby. i just kept waiting and hoping that i would find her. i was looking through the other kids that already had gotten out and just waiting. >> when did you get word about her? >> this morning. >> where were you? what happened? >> i was at first baptist church. they had opened a shelter for parents that hadn't found their kids. >> what do you want people to know about your daughter? >> just she was the best kid anybody could have. she was -- she was jenae. she was, you know, a ball of energy. a ball of love. >> your face lights up when you are saying her name. >> that'

last night a viewer saw our interview with jenae hornsby. they wanted to pay for jenae's funeral, we connected them with the hornsby family. we thank them for their big heart. we have a full hour ahead. there's so much to tell you about what's happening here in moore. john king got an up close look at plaza towers elementary school. our first look at the devastation. you'll see what he saw. some of it is beyond belief. amazing anyone survived at all. >>> country music's toby keith showed me the town he grew up in, moore, oklahoma. what makes the sleep what makes the sleep number store different? you walk into a conventional mattress store, it's really not about you. they say, "well, if you wanted a firm bed you can lie on one of those. we provide the exact individualization that your body needs. oh, yeah! wow. once you experience it, there's no going back. at the sleep number memorial day sale, save on the closeout of our classic special edition bed set. now just $1299-a savings of $600. only at the sleep number store. sleep number. comfort

but joshua hornsby, he got to me. this guy was so collected, but so passionate. you could see it in his eyes, when he was talking about his little girl. with you see for yourself. >> she was just sunshine on a riny day, you know. there's no way to explain it. she was just happy. always happy. always outgoing. she was just jenae. everybody loved her. and tried to keep the memories in her. and dot best i can. >> my sunshine on a rainy day. that's how he remembers his daughter. i think so many people can relate. we all know 9-year-olds in our life and to think about the tragedy that the kids went through at that school. it is heart breaking to note that this community will have to rebound and come together around the hornsby family. joshua has one other daughter, gia, two years old. and so, joshua is now a single dad raising his youngest daughter. and again, they have just gone through so much in the last 12 months. i'm not sure how he is keeping it all together. he just said, we spoke off camera, he said, i'm just trying to be calm, because if i didn't, i don't kno

. >> including 9-year-old janay hornsby. >> she was just sunshine on a rainy day. >> they're resilient. they bounce back. i love the spirit of this place. >> this represents the hope that we can be better off. >> yeah. >> because where else in the world could you walk away from this and get back up on your feet? >>> good afternoon. and this hour, local residents in that devastated region of oklahoma are being allowed back to what remains of their homes. and as they do so, the mayor of moore has vowed to push for a new law that would require a reinforced shelter for every new home that's to be built in the town. those comments came as secretary of homeland security janet napolitano arrived to provide federal support and to witness the destruction for herself. she met with governor mary fallin and other local officials just as the price tag for monday's deadly tornado reached $2 billion. putting it on track to become the most expensive tornado in u.s. history. meanwhile, the search for survivors is winding to a halt, with rescue teams saying that every single home and business damaged by

and earlier today nbcnews.com confirmed the death of a 9-year-old girl, jenae hornsby. hornsby was found in the plaza towers elementary school. that is all in for this evening. "rachel maddow show" starts now. good evening, rachel. >> good evening, chris. it has been a long hard day in oklahoma. the confirmed total fatalities in is 24. nine were children. authorities say many of the victims were inadvertently counted twice last night in the chaos of the tornado's immediate aftermath. still, though, even with the lower number today authorities are still cautioning that they expect the overall death toll may still rise if more victims are found. all night long last night and all throughout the day today emergency responders have been combing through the debris, block by you can see markings they use. orange x means no victims inside this vehicle. emergency crews can move on. in terms of whether or not there's hope for finding anybody else alive, the fire chief in moore, oklahoma, today said he is 98% sure that there are no more survivors to recover. he says that every dam

they wanted to pay for jenae's funeral, we connected them with the hornsby family. we thank them for their big heart. >>> we have a very full hour ahead. there's so much to tell you about what's happening here in moore. john king got an up close look at plaza towers elementary school. our first look at the devastation. you'll see what he saw. some of it is beyond belief. amazing anyone survived at all. >>> also country music's toby keith shows me the town he grew up in, moore, oklahoma. pores just by washing your face? [ female announcer ] neutrogena® pore refining cleanser. alpha-hydroxy and exfoliating beads work to clean and tighten pores so they can look half their size. pores...shrink 'em down to size! [ female announcer ] pore refining cleanser. neutrogena.® as part of a heart healthy diet. that's true. ...but you still have to go to the gym. ♪ the one and only, cheerios ♪ the one and only, cheerios >>> welcome back. we're here live in moore, oklahoma. plaza towers elementary school you've heard so much about, where seven children died, really got a direct hit

one was janay hornsby.'re going to hear from her parents, from her dad and aunt next. >> she was the best kid anybody could have. thank you orville and wilbur... ...amelia... neil and buzz: for teaching us that you can't create the future... by clinging to the past. and with that: you're history. instead of looking behind... delta is looking beyond. 80 thousand of us investing billions... in everything from the best experiences below... to the finest comforts above. we're not simply saluting history... we're making it. our seafood dinner for two for just 25 dollars! first get salad and cheddar bay biscuits. then choose from a variety of seafood entrées. plus choose either an appetizer or a dessert to share. offer ends soon at red lobster! where we sea food differently. >>> well, as you know, ten of the 24 people killed here in oklahoma were children. and at a time like this we work hard not to approach parents, obviously, who are grieving experiencing the worst possible thing in their lives. but sometimes p

last night a viewer saw our interview with jenae hornsby. dad and aunt, it moved them so deeply, they got in touch with us. they wanted to pay for jenae's funeral, we connected them with the hornsby family. we thank them for their big heart. there's so much to tell you about what's happening here in moore. john king got an up close look at plaza towers elementary school. our first look at the devastation. you'll see what he saw. some of it is beyond belief. amazing anyone survived at all. >>> also country music's toby keith shows me the town he grew up in, moore, oklahoma. years ago, my doctor told me to take a centrum silver multivitamin every day. i told him, sure. can't hurt, right? and now today, i see this in the news. once again, centrum silver was chosen by researchers for another landmark study. this time looking at eye health. my doctor! he knows his stuff. [ male announcer ] centrum. the most studied. the most recommended. and the most preferred multivitamin brand. the choice is clear. vietnam in 1972. [ all ] fort benning, georgia

last night a viewer saw our interview with janae hornsby's dad, moved them deeply. they offered to pay for her funer funeral. we connected them with the family and thank them for their part. you can contact me on twitter @andersoncooper, i'll be tweeting in the hour ahead, although the service still spotty. a look at the devastation sat towers plaza elementary school. and breyerwood elementary school destroyed. you know that, as well. everybody made it out alive. we'll talk to the principal, just ahead. humans. even when we cross our t's and dot our i's, we still run into problems. namely, other humans. which is why at liberty mutual insurance, auto policies come with new car replacement and accident forgiveness if you qualify. see what else comes standard at libertymutual.com. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? 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. with the innovating and the transformi

. >> reporter: and 9-year-old jenay hornsby loved to dance. >> she was, you know, a ball of energy.ve. she was the best kid anybody could have had. >> reporter: hornsby and davis died along with five other 9-year-olds at the demolished plaza towers elementary school. they are antonia cannedelaria, nicholas mccabe and christopher lake. other children lost their mothers. like angelita santiago whose mother called her to say good-bye. tonchts lose her to something so devastating is just -- it hurts. i had everything a girl could want with her mom. >> reporter: and shannon quick a 40-year-old mother of two. >> i love her. >> reporter: her soul and those are the other victims will be celebrated and remembered in moore. the first of the funerals was held today. heart breaking stories there obviously, jake. the good news is that here in this neighborhood we're already seeing construction workers on rooftops starting to rebuild. jake? >> erin mcpike, trying to convey the sense of loss down there. it's truly devastating. thank you so much. >>> this weekend get an up close look at the storm c

we met jenae hornsby's dad he called her a ball of energy and love. she was 9.out sydney was her smile and her eyes. she die surrounded by love. sydney was also 9 years old. also give you an update on one of our previous guests. if you saw our interview with jenae hornsby's father and aunt and hearing them talk about how sweet she was, it moved them a lot. so much so they got in touch with us and they wanted to pay for jenae's funeral. we thank them for their big heart. this weekend i'm going to take a look at the storm chasers who risked their lives to get that footage of the tornado. my special storm hunters in the path of disaster airs this saturday at 7:00 p.m. right here on cnn. i'll be back of course tonight at 8:00 and 10:00 with "ac 360." our special coverage from moore, oklahoma, continues with wolf blitzer right after a quick break. this day calls you. to fight chronic osteoarthritis pain. to fight chronic low back pain. to take action. to take the next step. today, you will know you did something for your pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is a pain re

gionet hornsby when her school took a direct hit. the field of debris you're looking at, that's the school after. 7 children includin including gt their lives. >> i remember the little boy saying, i love you. please don't let me die with you. >> i'm like, we are not dying, we are not dying today. >> the plaza tower elementary school is not one of the schools that has reinforced emergency shelters. >> some of those people from oklahoma were here in the bay area when the tornado struck. tonight they're heading home, not knowing what to expect when they arrive. nbc bay area's terry mcsweeney joins us from sfo this evening, where he spoke with a man this evening who should be touching down in oklahoma city right about now. terry? >> it sounds like something out of a science fiction movie. the man left his home a few days ago to return here to a home that will never be the same as the one he left. he's going home to the oklahoma city area this evening. he knows it will never be the home he left last week. he has seen these pictures of the

the father of jenae hornsby another third grader, spoke of the search for his daughter. >> i was just hoping maybe she might have just been unconscious. i hoped she was alive. >> reporter: matt lauer got a firsthand look at the devastation inside the school, and the toll it took on first responders. >> once we have the first responders that come in contact with the bodies, especially children, they are offered different counseling. >> reporter: there is no rhyme or reason to why some lived and others didn't. the tinker federal credit union before the tornado and after. the heavily reinforced vault is all that's standing. it is where jan davis and theresa price took cover with 20 others. >> even through the closed door you could hear the disintegration of what we are standing in now. there was no doubt in any of our minds that the building was gone on the outside. >> to me that was the only option. >> reporter: this homeowner heard an interior room was the fastest place to shelter in a pinch. he and his wife chose this closet. >> all i heard was a -- and it was quiet. i sat there -- we

among them 9-year-old janae hornsby. these sisters took their own children from the school just minutes before the tornado hit. >> we had turned on the radio in the car, and they said something about a child. i can't even remember her name. that she's alive. she's at a hospital in norman. and i told my daughter, mia, is that your friend? she started crying. mom, that's my friend. but she's alive? she's alive. >> reporter: in 40 petrifying minutes the landscape of this suburban town was changed forever. >> i have blood in my hair from my friend. she was on top of me. she was bleeding because she got hit pretty hard. >> reporter: at this 7-eleven, four bodies were recovered today including a 3-month-old baby. the moore medical center, where patients were evacuated, now looks like this. entrances blocked with crumbled cars tossed during the storm. this neighborhood once dotted with trees, swimming pools and cul-de-sacs now completely obliterated, unrecognizable. the twister's devastating path 17 miles long. >> the streets a

in all ten children were killed including 9-year-old janae hornsby, her father was on his way to pick her up and school and he couldn't get to her in time after being caught in traffic. >> when i got to the school, it was completely gone. it was just rubble. >> reporter: president obama is scheduled to visit moore this sunday. the twister caused more than $2 billion in damage. the mayor of that town says he will now push for shelters in all homes. back to you. >>> well, seen the outpouring of support for the people of oklahoma. yesterday morning we told you about bobby's potties teaming up with the wendy's in joppatowne to get donations. now it's filled up with cases of water, food, blankets and flashlights and you name it. they are now on the way and they will soon be on the way to oklahoma. >>> the man who killed yeardley love now faces more legal problems. the american international group is suing george huguely because he's refusing to answer questions for insurance investigators. the insurance company believes that gives them the opportunity to get out of paying damages in the wr

later the twister also leveled nearby plaza towers elementary, killing seven children, clegg jennae hornsby. >> words can't explain losing your child, their little one. there's no way to explain it. >> reporter: in the wake of such staggering loss, the residents struggle to cope. and the death toll remains today at 24. however, the number of children killed has been upped to 10, that includes two infants. meanwhile all but one of the victims has been identified. in moore, oklahoma, back to you. >> thanks. people in the bay area looking for ways to help these tornado victims. a couple of businesses have already taken action to provide relief to those this need it. kristi smith joins us live in palo alto where she spoke with one of those businesses today. kristi, good morning. >> good morning to you, marla. if you've heard of sprinkles cupcakes, chances are you're a foodie. they use things like belgium chocolate. today they are selling something different. that is the red cross red velvet cupcake to help in the recovery effort. this hits close to home. one of the founders is actually from okl

je'nae hornsby. officials in moore also identified a 65-year-old tornado victim who was separated from his wife when the tornado hit. she survived. as for the tornado itself, the national weather service said at least one area had ef-5 damage. that means winds that surpassed 200 miles per hour. it traveled on a 17-mile path of destruction. we know on monday afternoon. i want to bring in chris jansing who, i don't know how you do it, not only with the news but also with the amount of work you've been doing. you've been here since monday night. now we have a situation where it's, what do we do now? so when we look at this, what do we do now? >> there's always the question after a disaster like this. do i rebuild or not? in cases like this, this is not a question of, can these properties be fixed. you look miles and miles and see they were decimated. some of them literally have nothing left. so the question for the residents becomes, do i want to rebuild here? and, obviously, you start with insurance. y

the hornsby family and all of the families are in our prayers in the difficult days, months and weekshead. for days, the teacher has been telling her sixth graders to finish strong this year. that was their motto. yesterday, they and she certainly did just that. they hunkered down in a closet and other students in a bathroom. >> it's great to see you both here. when you knew this storm was coming, tell me what happened. >> i knew it was coming because mark was sending me texts. he said you need to get out of the hallways and into smaller places. we actually knew it was getting ready to hit when the lights started flashing. and that's when we all didn't just stay in the hallway, we went into the bathroom. >> you were watching it on tv. >> i was at home watching it on television. >> the weather guys said this is going to develop. by the time i get back into the house, it's already huge. and the reporter, the weather man was saying this thing is going to develop. it's going to drop. it's going to be a monster. if you're in the new castle, south oklahoma city area, you need to get out rig

there 237 reported injuries. 9-year-old janay hornsby was one of the children who died.vere weather. it is located near the heart of tornado alley. as tom costello reports, they are raising new questions about how they can better prepare for potential disaster. >> another devastating tornado and so many people are asking why aren't there more basements where people need them most. many who managed to get underground survived. >> it ripped open the door and just ghasz and debris. we thought we were dead. >> the soil heavy with cla i and water makes everything prone to flooding and mold. most homes are build on concrete and can only with stand 90 mile per hour winds and not 200. >> we don't design homes the same as o long the coast. >> a residential tornado safe room can be installed in the ground or the home itself. a reinforced box like a bank vault built to fema standards. they are $8,000 to $10,000 each and last year 500 homeowners were chosen out of 1600 ap canne cants. the city complained that the program was delayed because fema standards were a constantly changing

one was ja'nae hornsby. her aunt described her as always smiling.t morning her father has raised from his office in oklahoma city to pick up ja'nae and her little sister before the storm hit, but there was so much traffic on the highway, that before he got there the school was gone. all that was left was a pile of rubble. ja'nae was just nine years old. briarwood elementary was also demolished, but all of the students there survived that's because it had a so-called safe room. oklahoma politicians have long resisted a state-wide requirement that schools have safe rooms. but funding varies widely by district, so installation of those rooms have been uneven across the state. that doesn't look likely to change. today governor mary mallen responded to questions. >> if someone chooses to do that, we would like to encourage it. and if people would like to donate to a sufficient room fund they can do that. >> michael: if fema is giving money to rebuild this whole city, i think they should rebuild them with safe rooms. this happened before. this is not the

and for families like the hornsbys, it is an especially painful time. 9-year-old jenae did not survive with her father, an iraq war vet and also her aunt. >> when you first saw it, what did you think? >> my heart just sank. and i started worrying and panicking. i just needed to find my baby. i just kept waiting and hoping that i'd find her. i was looking through the other kids that were already gotten out. and just waiting. >> when did you get word about her? >> this morning. >> where were you? what happened? >> i was at first baptist church. they had opened a shelter for parents that hadn't found their kids. >> what do you want people to know about your daughter? >> just she was the best kid anybody could have. she was -- she was jenae. she was a ball of energy, a ball of love. >> your face lights up when you say her name. >> yeah, that's my baby. >> you're nodding your head. >> because, i mean, there is no other kid like her. we're a unique bunch and she is all of our uniqueness balled up into one. and she's the sweetest thing, the bossiest thing, the most fun. always trying to make

a short time ago the first victim was identified as ja'nae hornsby. >> keep these people safe. >> reporter: what this storm chaser first suspected and what we now know is that hundreds of people were injured and dozens dead after the two-mile wide tornado left a 17-mile path of destruction through moore, oklahoma. population 41,000. the city's hospital was destroyed. 7 children were killed at plaza towers elementary which took a direct hit. >> it's a tremendous debris field. it is massive. it was surreal just to walk upon that last night. there were hundreds of people. they had sledgehammers. they were desperately trying to get under the debris. >> reporter: at nearby briarwood elementary an emotional reunion of mother and child. elsewhere massive devastation to neighborhoods. families that survived in storm shelters as this video shows, emerged to see their neighborhoods gone. >> all houses around me are >> reporter: al boggs shared one of many stories of survival. he says he found shelter just in time. >> i went and got in the bathtub center of my house. all of a sudden it hit like a roa

. >> reporter: 9-year-old janay hornsby loved to dance. >> she was a ball of energy.ld have had. >> reporter: hornsby and davis died along with five other 9-year-olds at the elementary school. they are an tonia, sydney, emily, nicholas mccabe and christopher lersgg. a mother called this girl to say good-bye. >> so devastating. it hurts. everything a girl could want with their mom. >> reporter: and shannon quick, a 40-year-old mother of two. her soul, and those of the other victims, will be celebrated and remembered in moore. the first of the funerals was held today. now, obviously, some really sad stories there, wolf. when i was a sophomore in high school, there was a tornado that went through my hometown and it ripped through some of the high school's grounds. and did kill two people. and people talked for at least a year about how hard it was. but it was nothing like this. >> where was that? >> that was in cincinnati, ohio, in sycamore high school. >> you still remember it vividly all these years later. >> i sure do. >> erip, thanks very much. >>> still ahead, the f

a 65-year-old died when the tornado simply levelled his home and 9-year-old jenae hornsby died when thewister demolished the plaza tower elementary school. neither of the schools has an emergency storm shelter. >> we'll have continuingi coverage including a live report from christie smith at oakland international airport where some people are headed home to oklahoma for the first time since the tornado struck. we'll e check back with our own jody hernandez talking to survivors in the city of moore coming up at 6:45. >> weather related natural disaster out there. months and years before we get that close to straightened out. christina reminds us how fortunate we are with the weather. >> really very fortunate. hate to bring it up. june 1 we start atlantic hurricane season. it could be a bad one based on the princess catherines i have seen so far. we are getting into that time of year. in the bay area, we are getting into the transitional period between spring and summer. just one month away now fro the official kickoff of summer. we had no may gray. we have an area of low pressure sitting

. >> reporter: jenei hornsby was in doan's classroom when the tornado hit. on tuesday her family got a call from the medical examiner confirming their worst fears. >> it's like taking a piece out of my heart and just, like, stomping on it. >> reporter: walking through these neighborhoods it's hard to imagine how anyone could survive the tornado. rubble and mangled cars are now scattered where neighborhoods once stood. >> one minute i'm fine and it's like everything is fine. and then the next minute it's like just want to cry when you realize all the memories. >> reporter: linda myers tried to put her loss into perspective while she stared at a lifetime of possessions, now gone. >> but then you know, the poor people that lost their lives, that's where my heart really goes out to. i have no problems, you know, compared to theirs. >> reporter: it's a feeling many here share this morning. and officials say funding is part of the reason why two of the schools hard hit by the tornado didn't have storm rooms or safety rooms or shelters, although the head of oklahom

>>> tonight we're hearing from families who lost family members in the tornado. 9-year-old ja'nae hornsby was the first victim identified yesterday. the third grader always had a smile on her face. her father talked about getting the call from the medical examiner's office and about how faith is helping him to stay strong. >> and then he told me that she had passed and they had her there, and just -- rage just came over me. she was telling me that, you know, it's going to be okay. not to dwell on it, you know, not to let it get me down. she's always going to be here with me. >> six othertudents from her school also died. news4's erika gonzalez spent the day talking with people in the hardest-hit areas in oklahoma. she joins us live now with more. what are you finding out? >> reporter: doreen, things are still a wreck here in moore. i mean when you take a look around behind me, there's still wood all over the place. you've heard me say it before, it looks like a lumberyard exploded in moore. you've got pieces of wood all over the place, pieces of metal just thrown about. we've been told em

authorities say ten were children, including 9-year-old janae hornsby.as one of the first victims identified in plaza towers elementary school. her father spoke earlier today. >> what was your daughter like? >> she was -- she was loving, caring, fun, energetic. she was just sunshine on a rainy day. >> another victim identified 65-year-old hemet bhondi. his wife survived. now, the news, craig, which we expected, the president will be there sunday. >> yeah, he is going to be here sunday visiting families and first responders. you mentioned janet napolitano. one of the interesting things that came out of that news conference, she indicated six people were still unaccounted for, tamron. at this point, it's not clear whether they've been found and they just haven't contacted officials yet or whether there are still folks trapped under the rubble. that would conflict with what we heard a few hours ago where the searchers said they found everyone. you mentioned the little 9-year-old girl, third grader, famous for having a smile that's been described as contagio

janae hornsby. she died along six of her classmates at the plaza towers elementary school, a building now almost completely flattened. the stories of those who survived are just starting to be heard. >> i had to hold on to the wall to keep myself safe because i didn't want to fly away in the tornado. >> we had to pull a car out of the front hallway off a teacher. i don't know what her name s but she had three little kids underneath her. good job, teach. >> another elementary school named brir wood was reduced to rubble. that's where they were able to determine the speed of the storm, but every single person there made it out alive. more than 100 people have been pulled alive from the rubble left behind from the tornado. cadaver dogs were out helping today in the recovery efforts. some residents risked downed power lines to try to pick through their homes. we want to show you this video that we were able to obtain, shot from inside a car. you can see the storm, debris flying around, the pieces like s

late today we learned the name of the first victim of this story. 9-year-old janay hornsby who was found at plaza towers. our prayers go to her family and all the grieving families, the victims of this terrible storm. the governor talked about the school. >> our hearts and prayers are certainly with those that have lost their loved ones. it has been a very, very hard experience. a heartbreaking experience. especially the loss of children in the schools themselves. it was very surreal coming upon the school because there was no school. there was just debris. >> president obama declared a federal disaster area and promised victims will get help on the path to recovery. >> you will not travel that path alone. your country will travel with you. fueled by our faith in the almighty and our faith in one another. so our prayers are with the people of oklahoma today, and we will back up those prayers with deeds for as long as it takes. >> new nasa video taken from space shows the massive tornado system as it spawned on monday. the national weather service now says it was the most powerful level o

also, an totonia, and janae hornsby, we've been hearing her father and aunt talk about what a ball of energy she was when they were talking to anderson cooper. those are three of the children we do know died at the elementary school, wolf. >> it's such a painful subject to even deal with. and i know, folks, just in the few days that i've been here they're having a tough time coming to grips with what happened at the elementary school. there were about 500 children who normally would have been there pre-k through sixth grade, fifth or sixth grade -- fifth grade, i think. and the stories i've heard especially from the volunteer parents there who saved young kids lives, it's really amazing. and inspiring to a certain degree the way the parents and the volunteers just put their bodies over these young kindergarteners and first graders. i assume, stephanie, you're hearing stories like that. >> there are stories like -- there's almost too many stories to hear. it's too much pain these people are going through getting there to try to help as many kids as they could pulling them out. it's not

we know that there are at least 24 victims, including 9-year-old jenae hornsby. 9-year-old sidney anglentonio candelaria and a mother and her child at a local 7-eleven that is absolutely flattened. i want to bring in oklahoma state representative mark mcbride. you've been very kind to wait with us. >> thanks, chris. >> there has been so much positive attitude in this neighborhood. and we've talked about it a lot how people say they're planning to move forward that this is a resilient community. but there is some grieving ahead that's going to be difficult. >> right. there's nothing like this is easy. the loss of everything. i know my parents lost their home. and i haven't been able to talk to them much. that's tough on my mother and father. they're just in a pile now. >> how are they doing? >> i think they're doing fine. i've been so busy here in moore, i talked to them on the phone. i flew over their home yesterday in a helicopter, it's in the path. i could see them coming out with some things. >> as you know, janet napolitano is coming out today. and as you look around, we have the co

now, this morning, the family of another young victim, 9-year-old jenee hornsby that died at the plaza towers is sharing what they are going through. she lost her mother just last year. so it was very hard. >> janae was a special kid. knowing we won't see her no more. >> devastating. it's hard. jenee was nine. not to mention, we just buried her mom a year ago. to go through this again is hard. it is. >> are you guys there? i am not sure if we are still connected. >> yes, we can hear you. >> reporter: it's very stormy out here. the children of plaza towers will also be reuniting today. a parent tells me the children and their teachers are going to be meeting up at another school later this morning to close out the school year and comfort each other. that will certainly be an emotional for them. this is the first time the children will be coming together. we are told that's going to be taking place at another school later this morning. again, right now, we are seeing severe weather rolling through moore, oklahoma, putting the cleanup efforts to a halt at least for the time being. reporti