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. so swing by walgreens today for all your summer must-haves like snacks and sunscreen, right here. at the corner of happy and healthy. >> announcer: introducing the great weekend sale at hotwire. for a limited time, get up to 70% off any weekend hotel stay anywhere when you book a hotwire hot rate. the great weekend sale won't last-- book today. >> chorus: ♪ h-o-t-w-i-r-e, hotwire.com. ♪ [ female announcer ] discover weightless shine. suave professionals i

. >>> this week we watched abc's mike boettcher, walk the streets in oklahoma, his home state.g to tell us why 200 mile per hour winds cannot shake something he loves. the spirit of the people at home. >> reporter: standing a half mile in front of sunday's violent storm, watching yet another tornado plow through red dirt and the houses built on it, i silently wondered "why do i live here?" the answer is rooted in dust -- i'm an okie. the o word of the equivalent to a racial slur during the 1930s dust bowl. but okies, like country muisic superstar toby keith, a moore native, who still lives here, now define okie with words like resilient and tough. >> they're just persistent, tenacious will to survive and call this home. they're going to save their possessions. they're going to board their house up. not be a whole bunch of cry babies. it's just not -- these people are just going to be tough, get up and get it done. >> unbelievable! >> reporter: that resiliency was proved after the 1999 moore tornado. and the 1995 oklahoma city bombing. even newcomers like nba star kevin durant t

. >> reporter: abc news contributing correspondent mike boettcher, who lives in oklahoma, was at thed elementary. >> the good news now is that students in the school and adults associated with the school tell us that no children died. that tornado passed right over that school. we were less than a mile from it when it hit the school. and you can see the explosion and the debris once it hit that large stone structure. >> reporter: outside briarwood elementary school i ran across this woman still trying to find her niece. >> i'm glad that everybody's okay. looking at that it's hard to believe. >> reporter: when the tornado came through and you found out it hit the school. >> when i saw it, a picture of it on the news, i was at work. i was in tears. and my house is on the same block as the school. so i knew at that point that -- i was going to come home to this. >> reporter: this is still such a raw situation. you can see behind me we've got the search is rescue dogs, plenty of firefighters, and just complete and utter devastation. helping with the search and rescue, 80 national guard m

the school mike boettcher was talking about, not plaza towers.hat is the school everybody is focusing on, plaza towers. hoping some unaccounted for, later today, may turn up in a shelter or relatives house. that's the hope. >> there are 24 students who are missing. an elementary school. kindergarten all the way through eighth grade. we also know it is kindergarten through third graders mostly unaccounted for at this point. >> the governor of oklahoma saying at this point this really is truly becoming a recovery effort more than a rescue effort. we will hope maybe we get one of the remarkable stories today. >> let's hope. >> the tornado in moore, oklahoma, the second deadly storm in the area this week. two people were killed in shawnee, a tornado roared through the mobile home park, sunday, wiping it off the map. the governor visited the areas, and hours later the same area, south of oklahoma city was hit again by another round of deadly storms. >>> also a big clean-up job? central iowa. volunteers there out in force in the city west of des moines

>> thank you so much, mike boettcher reported in for us tonight from moore. >> and we are hearing reports of victims being rushed to nearby hospitals. moments ago i spoke to a hospital 12 miles from moore, oklahoma, where the injured are being cared for right now. brook, thank you so much for talking with us tonight. give me a sense, how many patients do you have per minute still coming in? >> we're receiving patients literally, minute by minute. at last check, we received a total of 37 patients. they range, we have ten in critical condition right now. 12 in serious. and 15 are listed in fair or good condition at the moment. >> what kind of injuries are you seeing? >> we're seeing everything from just minor lacerations to severe head injuries and abdominal wounds. most likely from punctures from flying debris. >> we've heard so much about those children in the two schools, who were inside. any of your children from those schools, and what about their condition? >> we received a total of five children of those 37. i know that two of the 37 were from that school. >> and is it possible, with

mike boettcher was there. mike? >> reporter: absolutely. and i saw what happened there.l guard took me to the perimeter of the plaza towers elementary school. and we saw scores of military men, oklahoma national guardsmen. also, emergency workers. divided into quadrants as they go through the sections of that building. a long process, looking for the missing children and teachers. and i can remember as we were following this tornado through, i covered the 1999 tornado here. and i thought to myself as we were a half-mile to a mile in front, as it was passing through these neighborhoods that this can't be happening again. it can't be happening again. and it did, josh. >> it's hard to believe. again, mike boettcher, remembering the first responders who truly are the real heroes this morning. thank you for that, mike. and we'll check back with you again later this morning, as well. >>> we also will check back in with sam. he is also there in oklahoma. he'll have the complete forecast coming up, as more storms loom today. >>> in other news, now, the two irs officials who have

mike boettcher, abc news, moore, oklahoma. >> pretty amazing stuff, right? >> yeah.official said, they checked all the houses once. the fire chief vowed they will check each home at least three times. talking all resources there. firefighters, volunteers and, of course, the guardsmen. they're going around using thermal and night sensors, one guardsmen believes first time used in a tornado recovery effort. this is probably why we have a fire chief one day after this happened saying he is 98% sure everyone is accounted for. >> this is the equipment they use in afghanistan. >> yes. >> the highest tech equipment. they go in self-sufficient the teams. six teams divided. they have their own water packs, their own food. amazing. >> yes, self-sufficient, self-standing rescue operations walking around looking for anything. we have heard this throughout the day also, they're listening for whimpers, cries, not just looking for humans. they're looking for trapped pets which continue to emerge. they're looking for anything they can find. like he said -- finding nothing is the bes

the school mike boettcher was talking about, not plaza towers.l that everybody is sort of focusing on right now and hoping that some of these unaccounted for will maybe later today turn up in a shelter, turn up at a relative's house. that's the hope. >> but we do know there are at least 24 students who are missing. this is an elementary school, so kindergarten all the way through fifth or eighth grade, depending on the school. we also know it is kindergarten through third graders mostly unaccounted for at this point. >> so sad. the governor of oklahoma saying at this point this really is truly becoming a recovery effort more than a rescue effort. we will hope maybe we get one of the remarkable stories today. >> keep those prayers coming in. >> yes. >> it's important to note the tornado in moore, oklahoma, was the second deadly storm in that area this week. two people were killed in shawnee, a tornado roared through the mobile home park sunday, wiping it off the map. the governor visited the areas, and hours later the same area, south of oklahoma

oklahomans insist no matter how much damage left behind no storm, mike boettcher, an oklahoman, he explains. >> reporter: a half mile in the violent storm and watching a tornado plow through red dirt and houses bil s built on it i silently wondered why do i live here. the answer is rooted in dust t. i am an okie, the o word, a racial slur in the 1930s dust bowl. but oakies like country music star, toby keith, a moore native who still lives here, define okie with word like resill yenlt, tough. >> persistent, tenacious will to survive. and call this home. they're going to save their positions, going to board their house up. >> unbelievable! >> reporter: resiliency was proved after the 1999 moore tornado. >> the explosion. this is a federal courthouse. >> reporter: 1995 oklahoma city bombing. even newcomers like nba star kevin durant take pride in okie resiliency. >> we'll bounce back from this. we'll come together. it is tough right now. but -- ♪ >> reporter: a feeling shared by superstars and anonymous victims alike. >> we have done it once already. we can do it again. >> oklahomans are stro