heard reports of the approaching tornado and ran to the school where his 5-year-old foster son aden attends classes. the man believed they would be safer there. and he in a quote now, about two minutes after i got there, the school started coming apart, he said. the students were placed in the restroom. now we watch from the live camera above and from a ground from ground pictures below, the unimaginable devastation with the knowledge that the sun will soon set that there is no power, that there is no cell phone or telephone communication of any kind, and that they have a very long night ahead of rescue and recovery efforts in and around moore, oklahoma. while we walton wait for that news conference to begin we watch from above at plaza towers elementary as it is our understanding a recovery effort is underway to remove those children who lost their lives today.
i want to thank all of you coming out tonight. it s a very go very sad day for the state of oklahoma, a very hard day and tremendous disaster that has hit this community of moore and other areas of the state beginning yesterday with a terrible storms that passed through so many different areas and certainly today there was big tornado that came along in the same path as the may 3rd tornado in 1999. it s hard to believe it could happen to moore again. first of all our prayers and thoughts are with the okay families that have been hit hard by this terrible storm the past two days and in particular our hearts are just broken for the parents that are wondering to say to their children that have been in the schools and businesses and facilities that
swirling in the air. debris from places that had already been destroyed was flying over his city. and there was no way for him to know at that moment that minutes from then and certainly now we all know much of his town would be destroyed. the medical examiner s office now confirms 37 people are dead and warns us to expect that the death toll will rise. 8 minutes from now a scheduled news conference. the first news conference of the day from moore, oklahoma to give us what they can about the damage which has hit their small town. on the right-hand side of your screen, i believe video from earlier of the path of this storm. i don t have to tell you path this tornado took. as you can see, wider damage on the ground than others. live pictures from plaza towers elementary school
more. but at this moment it s a local matter for the locals to handle along with great help from the state including the national guard. some of whom have responded here. much of the force from oklahoma city. fire rescue police. and others from oklahoma city have come to help as well there is a house-by-house search underway right now to try to make sure that anyone who needs help gets help that requires going from spot to spot to spot and physically checking because it s our understanding there is no power in any of the affected areas. no telephones, no cell phones a, and the governor has lamented that the most difficult part of all of this for rescue authorities has been communication. specifically, if you find someone who needs help, getting word to those who can help where to go. the most basic of concerns unable to be answered in moore, oklahoma. this evening. back to the live shot now
the moment unnecessary resources. i assume that means those who are off duty at the moment or who could help have gone to moore, which is a suburb to help with rescue and recovery efforts. excuse me. and through the reporting of the oklahoma newspaper, we know. that the oklahoma county sheriff, john wetsel has confirmed there are fatalities but won t say how many. his deputies are assisting oklahoma city and moore officials. right now they are doing a house by house search to make sure that there are no people there who need help. so house by house by house, combing the area in and around moore, oklahoma. to make sure that all of those who need assistance have been able to get assistance thus far. i have been told to check the top of the lightning bolt, the associated press wires. but i have no new updates on the state medical