09:29 AM EDT 05/22/2013
Natural Disasters
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Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert Honor Oklahoma Disaster Victims on The Voice
Originally posted 05/22/2013 08:20AM
Oklahoma native Blake Shelton drew on the comfort of his wife Miranda Lambert on The Voice Tuesday night as the couple opened the results show with a touching duet tribute to those affected by Monday's devastating tornadoes.
Shelton, 36, and Lambert, 29, delivered a touching and somber "Over You" as the show called its fans to donate to the Red Cross and its relief efforts for victim families and survivors of the deadly storm, which smashed into Moore, Okla., about 100 miles from the couple's home.
"I think "Over You" was the perfect song for this situation," Shelton said after the show. "The moment was right. I wish things could have been different. I wouldn't have thought about performing a song like that, but it seemed like the right thing to do."
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Oklahoma Tornado Survivor Reunites with Missing Dog On-Camera
Originally posted 05/21/2013 11:00AM
Amid all the rubble and wreckage caused by the Oklahoma tornado, Barbara Garcia stumbled upon a ray of hope.
"I was sitting on the stool, holding my dog – this was the game plan through the years, to go in that little bathroom," she told CBS News reporter Anna Werner while surveying the damage done to her home. "The electric went off in the bathroom, and about the same time, I felt the stool come up out of the floor … I never lost consciousness and I hollered for my little dog and he didn't answer or didn't come, so I know he's in here somewhere."
As she continued to survey the situation with Werner – "This is life in the big city," Garcia said – a member of the interview crew caught sight of the dog struggling to force its way out from beneath the rubble.
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Teacher Saves Several Students During Oklahoma Tornado by Lying on Top of Them
Originally posted 05/21/2013 10:55AM
To be a teacher is already to be a hero, but during Monday's monstrous tornado in the suburbs of Oklahoma City, Rhonda Crosswhite put her life directly on the line after first seeing that several of her students had taken refuge only moments before the twister devastated their school.
"I was in a [bathroom] stall with some kids and it just started coming down, so I laid on top of them," the sixth-grade teacher at Plaza Towers Elementary in Moore, Okla., told Savannah Guthrie on Tuesday's Today show. "One of my little boys just kept saying, 'I love you, I love you, please don't die with me.' But we're okay. We made it out."
All of the children who were with her are now safe, there was one minor injury – a cut to the head, said Crosswhite – and she herself emerged with only some scrapes on her feet, which she called "irrelevant, considering what could have happened."
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Oklahoma Tornado Death Toll Reaches 24, Continues to Climb
Originally posted 05/21/2013 07:20AM
As Monday turned into Tuesday, the Oklahoma town of Moore, a community of 41,000 people 10 miles south of Oklahoma City, braced for another long, harrowing day following the monstrous tornado that struck mid-afternoon Monday and laid the town to waste, demolishing an elementary school and reducing homes to piles of splintered wood.
"As long as we are here ... we are going to hold out hope that we will find survivors," said Trooper Betsy Randolph, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
While the medical examiner's office officially reported 24 dead Tuesday morning, more than 120 people are being treated at hospitals, including about 50 children. It was previously reported that as many as 91 people had died. Officials said the death toll was likely to climb, reports The New York Times.
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Children Pulled from Rubble After Massive Oklahoma Tornado
Originally posted 05/20/2013 07:35PM
A monstrous tornado at least a half-mile wide roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs Monday, flattening entire neighborhoods and destroying an elementary school with a direct blow as children and teachers huddled against winds up to 200 mph.
At least 24 people were killed, according to the medical examiner's office and officials said the death toll was expected to rise.
The storm laid waste to scores of buildings in Moore, Okla., a community of 41,000 people about 10 miles south of the city. Block after block lay in ruins. Homes were crushed into piles of broken wood. Cars and trucks were left crumpled on the roadside.
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NYU Langone Medical Center Evacuates Newborns During Hurricane Sandy
Originally posted 10/30/2012 03:30PM
Hurricane Sandy may have damaged much of New York City, but it couldn't deter the heroic staff of NYU Langone Medical Center.
As the storm battered New York City on Monday, the hospital's basement, lower floors and elevator shafts filled with 10 to 12 feet of water, causing a power outage, CNN reports.
This sudden flooding sent the emergency generators into action, but just two hours later, 90% of the power went out – forcing hospital staff to evacuate patients.
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President Obama to Visit Colorado Wildfires – Find Out How to Help
Originally posted 06/29/2012 11:55AM
President Obama has declared a state of disaster in Colorado, where wildfires have destroyed hundreds of homes and forced thousands to evacuate.
The Waldo Canyon Fire, on the outskirts of Colorado Springs, is also responsible for the death of at least one person. A body was found inside a charred house late Thursday and another person from the same house is missing, according to CNN.com.
President Obama's declaration means that federal funding will be available for the state and local governments, as well as eligible nonprofit organizations.
The president plans to travel to Colorado Springs Friday afternoon to personally assess the damage, according to reports.
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Emperor Addresses Stricken Japan – Here's How You Can Help
Originally posted 03/16/2011 08:30AM
In unprecedented televised address Wednesday, Japan's Emperor Akihito said he was "deeply worried" by the problems at nuclear facilities following last week's devastating earthquake and tsunami, and urged his people to keep hope and be compassionate to one another during the crisis.
"I am deeply hurt by the grievous situation in the affected areas. The number of deceased and missing increases by the day. We cannot know how many victims there will be. My hope is that as many people possible are found safe," Akihito, 77, said.
He added: "I hope from the bottom of my heart that the people will, hand in hand, treat each other with compassion and overcome these difficult times." He also urged survivors not to "abandon hope."
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Japan's Tsunami Disaster: How You Can Help
Originally posted 03/13/2011 09:15PM
A massive earthquake and tsunami hit Japan Friday morning, killing thousands of people and devastating a nation, but relief organizations are stepping up to provide immediate assistance to victims.
Here are some ways you can get involved and help people:
• The Portland, Ore.-based Mercy Corps is accepting donations to help survivors of Japan's earthquake and tsunami through their longstanding partner, Peace Winds Japan. Donations will go to meeting the immediate and longer-term needs of the survivors. You can text MERCY to 25283 to donate $10.
• Convoy of Hope's Disaster Response team is in contact with partners in Japan and identifying areas in the greatest need of assistance. You can donate online at convoyofhope.org or text TSUNAMI to 50555 to donate $10 toward the relief efforts.
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Petra Nemcova: 'We Are All Connected' in a Natural Disaster
Originally posted 03/12/2011 03:00PM
Petra Nemcova knows all too well what it's like to live through a natural disaster.
On Friday, after a devastating earthquake and ensuing tsunami devastated Japan, Nemvoca, who survived the 2004 disaster in Thailand, says it's difficult for her to watch the news coverage.
"It's very hard to look ... at those videos," the model and Dancing with the Stars contestant tells Access Hollywood. "Seeing people trying to escape from their cars and knowing this can be prevented. I think it's such a crime not to have disaster preparedness in curriculums."
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