TUESDAY TOP NEWS STORY:

Nomaan Merchant & Tim Talley, AP
MOORE, Okla. — Search and rescue crews worked through the night after a monstrous tornado barreled through the Oklahoma City suburbs, demolishing an elementary school and reducing homes to piles of splintered wood. At least 51 people were killed, including at least 20 children, and those numbers were expected to climb, officials said Tuesday.

The storm stripped leaves off trees and left scores of blocks in Moore barren and dark. Rescuers walked through neighborhoods where Monday’s powerful twister flattened home after home, listening for voices calling out from the rubble. A helicopter buzzed above, shining lights on crews below.

A teacher hugs a child at Briarwood Elementary School after a tornado destroyed the school in Oklahoma City on Monday.(Photo: Paul Hellstern, The Oklahoman via AP)

As Monday turned into Tuesday, the town of Moore, a community of 41,000 people 10 miles south of the city, braced for another long, harrowing day.

“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.

More than 120 people were being treated at hospitals, including about 50 children. Amy Elliott, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office, said Tuesday that there could be as many as 40 more fatalities from Monday’s tornado.

On Monday evening, families anxiously waited at churches to hear if their loved ones were OK. A man with a megaphone stood near St. Andrews United Methodist Church and called out the names of surviving children. Children and parents hugged as they reunited. Other parents waited, hoping to hear their sons’ and daughters’ names as the night dragged-on.
Read more of this story at Yahoo News

MORE ON THIS STORY:
• Crews Work in Moore Through the Night and Into the Morning Looking for Survivors (The Oklahoman)
• Chaos Reigns at Okla. Schools Struck by Tornado (USA Today)
• Tornadoes in America: The Oklahoma Disaster in Context (The Atlantic)
• Houston Red Cross volunteers Head to Oklahoma (KPRC 2 News)

LOCAL AREA HEADLINES:

• Suspected drunken driver who killed deputy was previously deported (Chron.com)
• Former Teacher Lashes out at HISD Apollo 20 Program (KRIV 26 News)
• Source of E. coli outbreak linked to ground beef from local restaurant (KHOU 11 News)
• Big Buses Are Returning To Houston Streets (KUHF Public Radio)
• West Nile Virus Approaches, Proving Hurricanes Aren’t the Only Danger to Houstonians This Time of Year (Houston Press)
• Theft of metal tree stakes in Houston park overwhelms nonprofit (Chron.com)
• Waller elects its first minority councilman: He was instrumental in convicting corrupt 5 (Houston Chronicle)
• Key Charge Against Ex-BP Official In Spill Case Dismissed (KUHF Public Radio)

STATE HEADLINES:

• Budget Agreement Hinges on Key Legislation (Texas Tribune)
• Key Water Measure a No Show in Texas House on Monday (State Impact Texas)
• House Gives Early OK to Medicaid Expansion Ban (Texas Tribune)
• State Sen. Dan Patrick: ‘The Era Of CSCOPE Lesson Plans Has Come To An End’ (KUHF Public Radio)
• House Backs Mental Health Jail Diversion Program (Texas Tribune)

NATION & WORLD:

• As Immigrants Take On American Habits, Their Health Suffers (New York Times)
• Church Whistle-Blowers Join Forces on Abuse (New York Times)
• Republicans Informed of IRS Investigation Last Year (ABC News)
• Latest Health Hurdle: Buying Insurance Without A Bank Account (NPR)

While along the Texas Gulf Coast we mostly talk about hurricanes, the realities of the tornadoes that have struck Oklahoma on Monday, and struck North Texas last week, remind us of the power of these storms as well.

Red Cross volunteers in Oklahoma are responding already. And volunteers from around the region and nation are being mobilized immediately in order to assist in the recovery. In the coming hours and days we’ll pass along more about what we know via Twitter and through posts, but in the interim we want to ask you to do two things.

1. Consider Donating to the Recovery via The American Red Cross
By following visiting this link to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief website you can direct funds to assist in the response for Oklahoma City. Or you can even donate $10 directly by texting “Red Cross” to 90999

2. Download the Red Cross Tornado App
Prepare yourself in the event that one of these storms ever comes into our area by downloading the free smartphone app designed by the Red Cross. The new American Red Cross Tornado App puts help right into the hands of people who live in or visit tornado-prone areas. Best of all, it’s free and available for iPhone, iPad and Android smart phone and tablet users.The Red Cross app gives people instant access to local and real time information on what to do before, during and after tornados whether it’s in the community where they live or where they love to vacation.

The Red Cross Tornado App is FREE and available for iPhone and Android users.

The app, available in English and Spanish, has a number of features including a high-pitched siren and “tornado warning!” alert that signals when a NOAA tornado warning is in effect. An “all clear!” alert lets users know when a tornado warning has expired or has been cancelled. People who are out of harm’s way can quickly tap the “I’m safe” button to send a message letting loved ones and friends know they are okay.

People across the country can now receive location-based NOAA tornado, severe thunderstorm and flood alerts on their mobile devices and share them on their social networks. Users can share vital information via Facebook, Twitter, text and email. Even if someone doesn’t live in a tornado-prone area, users can have peace of mind knowing they’ll have instant information about loved ones who live in other parts of the country.

Lastly, while apps can help prepare you for disasters and giving your money can help you feel involved, they are not a substitute for training. Red Cross First Aid and CPR/AED training empowers people to know how to respond to emergencies in case advanced medical help is delayed. Go to redcross.org/takeaclass for information and to register.

And if you want to become a Red Cross Disaster Volunteer contact the Houston Area Red Cross for information on how to help in the event of future disasters.

MONDAY TOP NEWS LINKS:

Erin Mulvaney, Jayme Fraser, Chron.com
A 16-year veteran of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office was killed by an alleged drunken driver who ran a red light early Sunday.

Sgt. Dwayne Polk, 47, most recently assigned to the transportation unit, was in uniform driving his tan-colored Chevrolet Silverado around 3 a.m. at the intersection of West Little York and North Shepherd.

Andres Munos-Munos, 22, sped through the red light at the intersection in his white GMC pickup, crashing into the driver’s side door of Polk’s truck, said Houston Police Department spokesman John Cannon. The deputy died at the scene.

“Tough morning,” tweeted Sheriff Adrian Garcia at 6:03 a.m. “The HCSO suffered a terrible loss & we are all grieving. Keep HCSO members & their families in your prayers.”

Followers responded they would indeed pray. One called for stricter drunken driving laws that would more strongly equate the crime to murder. A federal panel last week recommended that states reduce the allowable blood-alcohol content to 0.05 percent from 0.08 percent.
(Read more of this story at Chron.com)

LOCAL AREA HEADLINES:

• Child dies after drowning in apartment pool: Houston police respond to third drowning this week (KPRC 2 News)
• Why Texas Makes Kindergarteners Take Standardized Tests (KUHF Public Radio)
• Jobs Outlook Improves For All But Youngest Vets (KUHF Public Radio)
• Houstonians help fight hunger at 9th annual Empty Bowls (Your Houston News)
• The Final Countdown: Galveston County Puts Up Massive Countdown Clocks/Billboards for Hurricane Season (Houston Press)
• Financial Hurricane Preparations (KRIV 26 News)
• Weather Sucks: Thank God We Only Have Hurricanes to Deal with in Houston (Houston Press)
• Memorial Hermann moving rapidly to get students into clinical training to increase supply of APRNs (Your Houston News)

STATE HEADLINES:

• Bill-passing flurry expected in final week (Austin Statesman)
• New Measure for State Water Plan Heads to the House Floor (State Impact Texas)
• State Left Family-Planning Money Unspent While Clinics Closed (Texas Observer)
• Legislators Devote New Funding to Mental Health (Texas Tribune)

NATION & WORLD:

• Advocates Struggle To Reach Growing Ranks Of Suburban Poor (NPR)
• CDC Report Paints Bleak Picture of American Kids With Mental Disorders (Daily Beast)
• Turning Up The Heat On Civil Rights-Era Cold Cases (NPR)
• Confusion and Staff Troubles Rife at I.R.S. Office in Ohio (New York Times)