House approves $45M aid package for tornado victims [The Edmond Sun, Okla.]

May 23--EDMOND -- As rain poured this morning on disaster relief workers in the Moore and Oklahoma City areas, the Oklahoma House of Representatives unanimously approved a $45 million aid package to provide relief to those impacted by Monday's EF-5 tornado.

Senate Bill 249, which directs that $45 million from the state's Rainy Day Fund be sent to the Office of Emergency Management for immediate tornado relief. These funds will match a portion of the federal funds that have been allocated to local governments for their relief efforts, according to a release from the House of Representatives. The bill was approved by the Senate on Wednesday and now heads to the desk of Gov. Mary Fallin for her signature.

"Tragedy has once again fallen upon our great state," said Rep. Paul Wesselhoft, R-Moore. "Communities have been destroyed and lives have been ended, all too soon. The world has been watching and Oklahoma and has proven that we are a brave people able to unite and rise above this challenging time. I give my thanks to my fellow lawmakers for their votes."

Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John Doak has made early predictions that damage could be well more than $2 billion.

As of today, the state says the death toll remains at 24 from Monday's tornado in Moore and Oklahoma City and two deaths from Sunday's tornadoes that struck in the Shawnee and Carney areas. Local hospitals have treated 377 people for injuries so far, according to the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.

Emergency Management officials said today that search and rescue is complete in Moore, Oklahoma City, Shawnee and Carney, but that recovery operations are ongoing. All missing persons have been accounted for, and family and friends are encouraged to use the American Red Cross website, www.safeandwell.org, to locate

Interstate 35 and all but one of the roadways entering the impacted areas are back open, however, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation is asking motorists to avoid I-35 in Moore if at all possible. The clean-up process and ongoing emergency response is being hindered by the heavy interstate traffic, ODOT stated. The remaining closure is the ramp at South 19th Street in Moore.

Law enforcement crews are still restricting access to neighborhoods with only essential personnel and homeowners allowed access, ODOT stated.

ODOT and the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority continue to have about 400 crew members as well as 200 pieces of heavy equipment deployed to the Moore area to assist in clean up. About 60 maintenance workers have been assigned to assist with clearing all major north/south local streets in Moore and southwest Oklahoma City, ODOT stated.

The Oklahoma Insurance Department opened today a Consumer Assistance Command Center at 301 N.E. 27th St. in Moore.

"This is a large-scale disaster that will take quite some time to recover from and we are and will continue to be committed to providing support and help to those who need it," Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak stated in a press release. "We are also working closely with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners to provide support to anyone who calls our toll-free Consumer Assistance hotline -- 1-800-522-0071."

More than 4,000 home and auto insurance claims have been filed with the number expected to rise, Doak stated.

Insurance Department Anti-Fraud investigators responded to disaster sites in not only Moore, but Shawnee, Edmond, North Oklahoma City, Luther, Carney and Little Axe this week. The investigators are available to help mitigate insurance fraud during the recovery process.

"We are sending a strong message that we will not tolerate any type of fraud," Doak stated. "Unfortunately, scams and criminal activity will come up as they always do in disaster situations. We are doing all that we can to provide necessary tools and support to these residents to defend themselves against fraud."

Meanwhile, more than 2,200 Oklahomans have registered for disaster assistance through FEMA. This assistance was made possible after President Barack Obama issued a major disaster declaration for Cleveland, Lincoln, McClain, Oklahoma and Pottawatomie counties. All affected individuals, regardless of income level or insurance policy status, are encouraged to apply for individual assistance.

The same counties were also approved for public assistance to include debris removal, emergency protective measures and direct federal assistance. FEMA will pay for 85 percent of debris removal for the first 30 days after the storm in the affected communities, according to the Department of Emergency Management.

USDA staff also will provide an inventory of unoccupied multi-family housing rental units to FEMA. USDA Rural Development has notified lenders who guarantee USDA housing loans that they may offer a moratorium on mortgage payments to borrowers in the disaster area. Those who have questions about their USDA mortgage, can call USDA's Centralized Servicing Center at 800-414-1226.

Survivors, including homeowners, renters and business owners, can register online at disasterassistance.gov, via smartphone at m.fema.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362.

FEMA disaster recovery centers where individuals can receive face-to-face assistance are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at:

--First Baptist Church, 301 N.E. 27th St., Moore;

--Heart of Oklahoma Expo Center, 1700 W. Independence, Shawnee.

The President's declaration allows the U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to offer certain foreclosure relief and other assistance to certain families living in the five disaster counties. Individuals who were receiving HUD rental assistance before the disaster should contact their Public Housing Authority, multi-family apartment manager or local HUD office for help in locating temporary housing.

Several disaster relief aid agencies remain in the tornado-ravaged areas. The American Red Cross shelters remain open at these locations:

--Moore Community Center, 301 S. Howard Ave., Moore;

--St. Andrews UMC, 2727 S.W. 119th Ave., Oklahoma City;

--Walker Center Dorm, 1400 Asp, Norman; and

--Shawnee Athletic Center, 1001 N. Kennedy, Shawnee.

Food distribution sites include:

--Moore Community Center, 301 S. Howard Ave., Moore;

--St. Andrews UMC, 2727 S.W. 119th Ave., Oklahoma City;

--Walker Center Dorm, 1400 Asp, Norman;

--Little Axe Resource Center, 1970 156th Ave. N.E., Little Axe;

--Emanuel Baptist, 149th and Harrah Newalla Road, Newalla;

--Carney Senior Center, 301 Maple, Carney;

--Newcastle Storm Shelter, 801 N. Car, Newcastle;

--Eastlake Elementary, 1301 S.W. 134th, Oklahoma City;

--Wayland Bonds Elementary, 14025 S. May Ave., Oklahoma City;

--Expo Center, 1700 W. Independence, Shawnee; and

--Shawnee Athletic Center, 1001 N. Kennedy, Shawnee.

AT&T is offering various mobile locations for people to charge their electronic devices such as cell phones. Those locations include:

AT&T charging stations are open and available to the public at the following locations:

--Best Buy, 1409 W I-240 Service Road, Oklahoma City;

--Target, 770 S.W. 19th St., Moore;

--Walmart, 501 S.W, 19th, Moore;

--Mobile AT&T Store, 301 S. Howard, Moore; and

--Moore AT&T Store, 2670 S. Service Road, Moore.

The Salvation Army has obtained 100,000 square foot warehouse space to collect and sort necessary items such as food and water, as well as hygiene products, to distribute to people in Moore and other areas that were impacted by the tornadoes. With much of the city still blocked by debris, Salvation Army canteens, or mobile kitchens, are roving through the impacted area to ensure food and hydration is provided to those who need it, according to the Salvation Army.

HOW TO HELP Those who would like to help people affected by disasters like tornadoes, floods and other crises can make a donation to American Red Cross Disaster Relief. People can donate by visiting www.redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. These donations help provide food, shelter and emotional support to those affected by disasters. Donors are encouraged to give online at www.SalvationArmyUSA.org or by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769). Residents also can text the word "STORM" to 80888 to make a $10 donation through your mobile phone; to confirm your gift, respond with the word "Yes."*

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