The tornado that devastated Moore, Oklahoma Monday has also wrecked the community’s hospital – Moore Medical Center.
Norman Regional Health System, Moore Medical Center’s parent, posted a press release on its website saying that the hospital in Moore suffered “sustained significant damage,” and that the 30 patients at the hospital at the time the tornado hit have been transferred to Norman Regional Hospital or its other campus, HealthPlex Hospital, both in nearby Norman, Okla.
[See also: Preparing for disaster]
The health system also said that all staff and patients at Moore Medical have been accounted for.
National media reports say that Monday’s tornado had winds that could have ranged from 166 to 200 miles per hour. The path of the tornado has been reported as 20 miles long, and it tore up Moore, a community of 55,000 about 10 miles south of Oklahoma City, over the course of about 40 minutes.
Tuesday morning, Oklahoma City officials reported the number of those who have died as 24, nearly half the number than was initially reported. Searchers are continuing to shift through the destroyed community.