national guard has been activated for this area. it will be a grim day as the death toll does go up through the morning and afternoon. that s right. you want to stay with abc news all morning long as we cover the direct hit on oklahoma. we ll bring you the latest pictures, latest breaking developments live from the storm zone on america this morning and good morning america. coming up this half hour, memories of a similar nightmare in the nation s heartland. remember the deadly tornado in joplin, missouri, two years ago? you ll see how that city struggled to rebuild. that s next in our abc news vault. that s next in our abc news vault. first, some other top stories, including a bombshell in the development from utah in the case of a mother who has been missing for years. you are watching world news now. announcer: world news now weather brought to you by colonial penn life insurance. announcer: world news now weather brought to you by colonial penn life insuranc
with a new safe room, carved out of solid concrete. if you are in here it wouldn t be destroyed. you know what, the fact that you are still alive, god has got something for you to do. something for all of us to do. and i truly believe that. reporter: around the corner this was the howards and what was left of their home. it cost them nearly $150,000 to rebuild. and now their children chase ice cream trucks down the street. there is good days. there is bad days. right now it is a good day. just cherish every moment you got. just hold on to everything. reporter: joplin upgraded their weather sirens, handed out weather radios to families. and today parents and kids broke ground on a new grade school and high school to replace the schools that were destroyed one year ago. steve osunsami, abc news, joplin, missouri. inspiring. you know, that s the kind of story you want to see now, after going through seeing what we ve seen in oklahoma. that s what they can expect from
a warning that, no doubt, helped save lives. this part of oklahoma is no stranger to deadly tornados. downed trees and power lines blocked roads. a roof was blown off this school. reporter: in may 1999 the town was hit by a twister that reached speeds over 300 mile an hour. the top of the scale, an ef-5. some of the fastest winds ever recorded on earth. 36 people were killed. and the storm still ranks as one of the costliest in american history. how long will you stay on the scene in joplin? until everybody is found. until everybody is found. reporter: the new round of deadly storms, two years to the day, that 158 people were killed in joplin, missouri. i felt suction just pulling me. reporter: wednesday marks the two-year anniversary of the storm that also left more than 1,000 people injured. it still ranks as the deadliest. in modern u.s. history. in america s heartland there will be more severe storms on tuesday. but in oklahoma, they re hoping
abc s steve osunsami returned to joplin. the story now from abc s news vault on may 22, 2012. our father who art in heaven reporter: at st. mary s church in joplin where this lone cross is all that was left behind they came to pray today. for the 161 who were killed here a year ago, and for the survivors who keep pushing ahead. you didn t have much of a house? we caught up with jesse younger, who hid in her closet while the tornado tore 13 miles through town. when we first met jesse this time last year, she and her neighbors were just digging themselves out from the rubble and telling their story to diane. i took two brass bells with me that i have. and i thought if i if i m in there and i can t get the door open, i m going to ring those bells when i hear somebody to let them know i m in there reporter: so these are the bells? these are the bells. reporter: today she has the bells in the home she rebuilt with a new safe room, carved out of solid concrete. if you are i
o hare airport yesterday with about 200 people on board. dreamliners were grounded in january after a fire risk linked to battery issues. there were no problems with the new battery which is now better insulated and encased in steel. and we have some good news for the tens of thousands of commuters affected by last friday s train collision north of new york city. around the clock repairs on damaged tracks have gone pretty well. the transit agency now expects service to be back to normal for tomorrow morning s rush hour. amtrak is also expected to be running between new york and boston by tomorrow. good news. coming up we ll return to our top story, the deadly tornadoes in oklahoma. how people from joplin, missouri, tornado zone are already reaching out to help. that s coming up next. announcer: world news now continues after this from or abc stations.