lock down on monday but the majority stayed inside as they practiced in drills many times. math teacher rhonda crosswhite was helping her sixth graders with an end of school game when the principal came over the loud speaker and told them to go to the hallway. damien klein is a fourth grader. she told us to get our math book and bag. i will had my bag and we went in the hall. reporter: why did she tell you to get a math book or a bag? so we could put it over our head. reporter: a fifth grade teacher saw the funnel cloud approaches and yelled for everyone to get into bathrooms and closet. said you got to get them in there. i said i ll stay outside. she said you re getting in there too. reporter: she was crouched over four children and did what teachers do. i remember the little boy saying, i love you, miss crosswhite! please don t let me die with you. i said we are not dying! we are not dying today! quit saying that.
we are not supposed to do, but i prayed and prayed aloud. what did you say? i said please don t take these kids today. reporter: the walls still stood. when it was quiet, she sent a small boy to climb up, look out. he got up there, looked out, said there s nothing left. reporter: damien in the same bathroom crouched under a sink. how loud was it? pretty loud. reporter: were you scared? uh-huh. there was a bunch of people screaming. we could hear them from the girl s restroom. reporter: his mom spent an anxious hour wondering if her little boy was still alive. now wonders why the school didn t have a better shelter plan. i think every school in oklahoma should have an underground shelter. it shouldn t take a tornado this size and this many kids hurt, missing, lost their lives to realize they need underground shelters. that was nbc news kate snow reporting. coming up, what happened at
reporter: i said, please don t take these kids today. reporter: when it was quiet again she sent a kid up the bathroom wall to look out. he got up there and he looked down at me and he said, there is nothing left. reporter: damien was in the same bathroom crouched under a sink. reporter: how loud was it? it was pretty loud. reporter: were you scared? there were a bunch of kids screaming. reporter: his mom spent an anxious hour wondering if her little boy was alive and wonder why the school didn t have a better shelter plan. i think every school in oklahoma should have an underground shelter. it shouldn t take a tornado this size and this many kids hurt, missing, and lost their lives to realize that they need underground shelters. that is really the question that so many people are asking
this is it behind me, as i step out of the way, let joe zoom in. this is the front of plaza towers elementary school. this school is basically gone. reporter: in the hours after the tornado, dramatic images, young children were rescued, and with darkness, the search for survivors continued. some children had escaped harm, their parents picked them up before the school went on lockdown monday. the majority stayed inside as they practiced in drills many times. math teacher rhonda crossway was helping sixth graders with an end of school game when the principal came over the loudspeaker, told them to go to the hallway. damien klein is a fourth grader. she told us all to get a math book or your bag. i already had my bag. then we went in the hall. why did she tell you to get a math book or bag. we could put it over our head. reporter: a fifth grade teacher saw the funnel cloud approaching, yelled for everyone to leave and get into bathrooms
i did the teacher thing we are probably not supposed to do and i prayed. and i prayed outloud. reporter: what did you say? i said, please don t take these kids today. reporter: when it was quiet again she sent a kid up the bathroom wall to look out. he got up there and he looked down at me and he said, there is nothing left. reporter: damien was in the same bathroom crouched under a sink. how loud was it? it was pretty loud. reporter: were you scared? uh-huh. there was a bunch of people screaming. we could hear them from the girls restroom. reporter: his mom spent an anxious hour wondering if her little boy was still alive and wonder why the school didn t have a better shelter plan. i think every school in oklahoma should have an underground shelter. it shouldn t take a tornado this size and this many kids hurt, missing, and lost their lives to realize that they need underground shelters.