More Than 1,000 Oklahomans Have Sought Assistance as FEMA Beefs Up in Oklahoma
By Wednesday morning, the Federal Emergency Management Agency had mobilized 400 people to Oklahoma to coordinate relief efforts in the areas devastated by tornadoes.
President Barack Obama receive updates from his team overnight, according to a White House official. The president spoke with Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa, on Tuesday night “to make clear that FEMA stood ready to continue to support the people of Oklahoma through the immediate response phase as well as the recovery, and to let the Senator know that Oklahomans remained in his thoughts and prayers.”
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is scheduled to travel to the affected area on Wednesday to meet with local officials and see ongoing response efforts first hand, the White House official said.…
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Connecticut Congressman: Approve Tornado Aid Before Memorial Day Break
Rep. John Larson, D-CT, gave a speech on the House floor Tuesday morning calling on Congress to approve aid for Oklahoma tornado victims before lawmakers leave for a week-long Memorial Day break.
“As a member from Connecticut, a state that recently endured the destruction of a hurricane, the tragedy of the slaughter of innocents in Newtown and, most recently, a train wreck this past weekend, we know that tragedy and natural disaster can befall any part of the country at any time,” Larson said.…
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House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi Remarks on Tornado Destruction
U.S. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, of California, delivered emotional remarks on the House floor Tuesday morning about the tornado destruction in Oklahoma and released this statement:
“Our thoughts and prayers rest with the people of Oklahoma today, with the families and loved ones of those killed in this natural disaster, with the men and women injured in the tornado and now beginning the path to recovery.
“This week’s storm left a town destroyed, homes decimated, lives changed and altered forever.…
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U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe Comments on Oklahoma Disaster
“May the Lord be with those who lost family members and friends during the tragic tornadoes that destroyed and took many lives in Oklahoma over the past two days,” Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa, said Tuesday.
“Oklahomans will persevere as we have done in the face of tragedy and loss in the past, but we will never forget the young school children and the countless others who lost their lives in these horrific storms. Kay and I will continue to pray for everyone in Oklahoma and throughout the Midwest who are suffering.…
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Video: Oklahoma Republicans, House GOP Leaders Talk About Tornado
Here is video from the U.S. House Republican leadership news conference on the tragic storms in Oklahoma. Reps. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma City, and Frank Lucas, R-Cheyenne, are the first speakers.
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Rep. Frank Lucas: Challenges Will Continue for Weeks
U.S. Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Cheyenne, made the following remarks this morning at a press conference with House Republican leaders:
“The magnitude of the challenges that our fellow Oklahomans face back home will continue for several days and several weeks _ not just the hope of the next few hours and days perhaps of finding someone underneath those rubble piles alive, but the process of recovering those who did not make it, the challenges the communities will face in rebuilding, that families will go through as they begin to lay their loved ones to rest who’ve been lost.…
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Three Oklahoma Cities Rank Among Least Expensive in the United States
The 2012 annual cost-of-living index released by the Council for Community and Economic Research ranks Norman as the third least expensive city out of 304 in the country. Ardmore was the 4th least expensive and Muskogee was eighth.
The index ranks cities on the cost of six components: housing, utilities, grocery items, transportation, health care and miscellaneous goods and services.
The 2012 index is here.
Only Ardmore made the top ten for the 2011 index.…
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U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn Schedules Town Hall Meetings for Week of April 1; Stops Include Norman and Oklahoma City
Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Muskogee, has scheduled a series of town hall meetings in Oklahoma for the week of April 1.
“I encourage Oklahomans to attend and participate in these town halls,” Coburn said. “With pressing issues pertinent to Oklahoman being decided in Washington D.C. every day, these settings give me an important opportunity to hear directly from the people I am representing. I look forward to hearing the concerns of Oklahomans and informing them of my legislative efforts in the Senate.”
April 1
ADA
9:30 – 10:30 a.m.…
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Rep. James Lankford Mourns Death of Edmond Native SSgt. Rex Schad
Rep. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma City, issued a statement Wednesday about the killing of SSgt Rex Schad, an Edmond native shot in Afghanistan on Monday during a firefight started by a man dressed as a member of the Afghan police force. Schad graduated from Edmond Memorial High School in 2005.
“I am grieved by the loss of another Oklahoma son in Afghanistan,” said Lankford.
“Our hearts are broken to learn that SSgt. Rex Schad was taken from his family at such a young age while bravely serving his country in a hostile environment.…
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First Lady’s Guests for State of the Union Speech
In addition to Oklahoma City teacher Susan Bumgarner, first lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden will have these guests for Tuesday’s State of the Union speech:
Sergeant Sheena Adams (Vista, CA)
Team Advisor & Lead Instructor, Female Engagement Team
A native of Kauai, Hawaii, Sergeant Adams joined the Marine Corps in 2003 and attended recruit training in Parris Island, S.C. In 2010, Sergeant Adams joined the Female Engagement Team (FET) and was deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan from September 2010 to April 2011 in direct support of 1st Battalion 8th Marines in Musa Qal’eh District.…
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