CNN "Erin Burnett Outfront" - Transcript - Oklahoma Tornado Aftermath
Interview
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BURNETT: All right. Ken, thank you very much. I hope everyone got that information for those who watching in Oklahoma City. And we know that many people are still looking for family members, for friends and for children and schools. We have the information there which will make available on our website as well.
I want to bring in Congressman Tom Cole now. He joins me on the phone. Congressman, you live in Moore, Oklahoma. I know you're on your way home right now. What you are hearing about that rescue effort that we're looking at live for our viewers where they're trying to find the children between kindergarten and third grade at the Plaza Towers Elementary School?
REP. TOM COLE (R), OKLAHOMA (on the phone): It's just devastating. Mile-and-a-half from my house. I know the school very well. And the people who live there.
The -- I've been this touch with both local officials and the governor's office. And sadly, we're very good at this. You know, we -- these are not infrequent occurrences. Moore has been hit four times in 15 years. In '98, '99, '03 and now, this one. And so people on the ground, the police officers and the firefighters, first responders are very good. And the neighboring areas mobilize, Oklahoma City and surrounding areas very quickly. The governor's got the National Guard is deployed. They're very good at this. And frankly, people are excellent at responding as friends and neighbors, going out to help.
We know there are injuries. I'm not going to speculate too much beyond that. But I've lived through enough of these things. You see something this size, even when people do all the right things, if you're not underground and, you know, an F-4 or F-5 packs a tremendous punch. And so we can get out of this with only injuries, that will be an unbelievable blessing.
BURNETT: Yes, well, we're just learning that this storm could be different from all those other ones you mentioned in that in other storms there's been some warning. Maybe up to an hour about the -
COLE: Well, there was in '99 -
BURNETT: -- in this case, eight to 12 minutes of warning
COLE: Yes, that is actually normal. In this case, what -- the National Storm Center is just south of there. They gave us about 16 minutes. They're the best in the world. They're very good. We actually get tremendous help from them.
But that's not -- I mean, most tornadoes are not like '99, which stayed on the ground for 80 miles and did over an hour. So you're not going to get an hour worth of warning very often. We certainly didn't in 2003, when we followed almost the same path as it did in '99.
This is actually very close. That's one of the unusual things. In '99, we were told it was a once in 400-year event that you'd have one that closely. And this is pretty close again. So, we just clearly have had a tremendously difficult situation here over a number of years.
BURNETT: All right. Congressman Cole, thank you very much. And we wish you the best of luck as you head back to your home, as he said just a mile-and-a-half away from the Plaza Towers Elementary School. Governor Fallin of Oklahoma just told one of our affiliates, KOKH, that she believes as much damage has been done here in the Oklahoma City area as was done in Joplin. And Joplin, of course, 161 people died in that horrible tragedy, which was two years ago this Wednesday.
Still to come, a storm chaser on the ground right now coming up to Moore, Oklahoma. Comes OUTFRONT with what he is seeing. The pictures of watching this approach are some of most stunning you'll see.
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