On May 20, a deadly tornado swept through the suburbs of Oklahoma City, killing 24 people and causing an estimated $2 billion worth of damages.

Crews are currently working to clear the debris and are looking for missing people. Although thunderstorms, damaged roads, and heavy traffic have been making their jobs difficult, rescue workers vowed to continue.
In Washington, President Barack Obama promised that Americans would stand by Oklahoma during the rebuilding process. “There are empty spaces where there used to be living rooms and bedrooms and classrooms,” he said. “And in time, we’re going to need to refill those spaces with love and laughter and community.”

Ten of the victims were children. Some were from an elementary school in Moore, the suburb that was hit the hardest. The school was destroyed, but emergency workers managed to rescue most of the students and take the injured to hospitals.
Oklahoma is no stranger to tornadoes. The state is located in the part of the country known as Tornado Alley, an area where tornadoes occur most frequently. However, this tornado was unusually strong. It measured EF-4 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, the second-highest category. Its wind speed was estimated between 273 to 321 kilometers per hour. And according to experts, the tornado was about 3.2 kilometers wide and lasted for around 40 minutes.