Funds being raised for Oklahoma tornado victims

by Sabrina Salas Matanane

Guam - Lives changed in an instant as deadly tornadoes moved through Oklahoma today, hardest hit the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore where neighborhoods were flattened and homes were blown apart. Several children were pulled from the rubble alive out of Plaza Towers Elementary School. The death toll stands so far at 51, with 20 believed to children. The National Weather Service says the tornado was two miles wide and had wind speeds up to 200 miles per hour.

Here at home, the Guam chapter of the American Red Cross is accepting monetary donations. Chief executive officer Chita Blaise says just like the Japan tsunami and Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, the guam chapter has provided any type of assistance even an ocean away. "If people want to donate and write a check to the American Red Cross on the memo portion of the check they should put 'Oklahoma Disaster' so that we know that it's designated for that disaster," she said.

Moore was hit hard by a tornado in 1999. The storm had the highest winds ever recorded near the earths' surface.