Nightmare in Tornado Alley | It's Here | 2

20:41LaDonna Cobb:No purchase necessary for legal residents of the 50 U.S. states in D.C., Puerto Rico, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Spain who are 21 and older. Sweepstakes end July 19th, 2026. Void where prohibited. Prize awarded if a corner kick goal is scored. For entry details and official rules, visit OneEveryCorner.com. Hey, Dan Taberski here. I'm a podcast host, a journalist, and now with my newest project, the author of my own manifesto. Well, it's a manifesto about manifestos. My search for inspiration in a world that feels more infuriating, more out of its freaking mind with each passing hour.

21:17LaDonna Cobb:Manifestos are a call to action, an artful scream. They capture our anger and they try to do something with it. This is my attempt to take the Manifesto back from mass shooters and nihilists and return it to its rightful place with the warriors, the visionaries, the regular folks with just the right amount of crazy. I compare notes with radicals, secessionists, internet trolls out for a laugh, and punk singers screaming their guts out, all trying to turn their anger into the world they want to see. Listen to Manifesto wherever you get your podcasts. Audible subscribers can binge all episodes of Manifesto early and ad-free right now.

21:52LaDonna Cobb:Join Audible in the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts.

22:04Gary England:Gary England studies the radar screen as the core of the storm deepens from crimson to almost black. As it drives into the west side of Moore, winds are pushing toward 200 miles per hour. The debris is so intense, it's now visible on radar. Fragments hurled thousands of feet into the air, pulled high into the rotation. The ring of debris, what meteorologists call a debris ball, is nearly a mile wide now and growing. Gary leans toward the camera, keeping his voice steady. This is a critical situation. Get below ground if you can. If you can't, get to the center of your house, even a bathtub. Put on a helmet, goggles, cover yourselves with blankets and pillows.

22:56Gary England:On another screen, the feed cuts to the field. Val and Amy Castor are on the west side of Moore, just south of the storm. From Amy's camera inside their truck, the view is chaotic. Windshield wipers whipping back and forth. rain and hail hammering the glass. Ahead of them, the tornado fills the horizon, a massive black wall moving east, swallowing everything in its path. Gary watches closely. Go ahead, Val. Val's voice cuts through, louder than usual.

23:34Amy Simpson:Gary, I can't believe how ferocious this thing is. I'm seeing violent rotations. The sky is full of debris. Everything's flying through the air.

23:44Gary England:Gary listens. Val is known for his steady voice, even in the worst conditions. He and Amy have chased hundreds of storms together, but now he sounds shaken. On screen, the camera tightens on the debris spinning through the air. At first, it looks like small pieces, maybe boards. Then the image sharpens. Those aren't pieces of wood. They're rooftops. Entire sections of houses turning slowly in the air, floating almost like feathers. Val's voice comes back, quieter now.

24:27Amy Simpson:Gary, those are houses in the air.

24:31Gary England:Still on air, Gary lets out a long, audible sigh. I know. For a moment, he says nothing else. He doesn't have to. The heartbreak in his voice says everything.

24:55Gary England:Amy Castor braces the camera with both hands, fighting to keep it steady as Val drives their News 9 StormTracker pickup truck and reports back to Gary England.

25:06Amy Simpson:Gary, it's going right through Southwest Moor. This thing is deadly.

25:12Gary England:Amy can feel the tornado reverberating through the vehicle and into her body. They're just south of 149th Street, heading east, parallel to the storm's path, trying to stay ahead of it. Even from a quarter mile away, their windshield is being peppered with pink insulation, proof that homes are being ripped apart. She has no doubt. This is an EF5. The worst it gets. Amy grew up watching Gary England. She was always fascinated by the weather. After studying engineering in college, she pursued an internship at News 9, where she met Val, who was already a household name in Oklahoma. They started chasing storms together, and a year later, they were married.

26:03Gary England:Over time, they've become one of the most recognizable storm-chasing teams in the state. With her bright energy and precision, she balances Val's rough-edged intensity. Even now, with six kids at home, she hasn't stepped away from storm-chasing. No matter how dangerous it is, no matter how nerve-wracking, it's her passion. She feels it's her mission to help people understand what's coming and give them enough warning to get out of the way. Now, as they drive east, they pass familiar landmarks, places she knows are about to get hit. She just hopes people are ready. Val turns the car north, angling them toward the storm so Amy can get a clearer shot.

26:51Gary England:The sky ahead is dark and hazy. Suddenly, flashes of light explode across the road. Power lines snap, dropping directly in front of them.

27:04Amy Simpson:Val, those are power lines. Back up, back up.

27:07Gary England:Val hesitates, still inching forward.

27:11Amy Simpson:Val, I said back up.

27:14Gary England:He throws the car into reverse, pulls away, then swings onto Santa Fe, the next street east. The rain lets up just enough for the view to clear. And that's when she sees the funnel, fully formed. It's the largest, most terrifying thing she has ever seen, over a mile wide. It's moving slowly, almost crawling, as it grinds through a residential neighborhood. Her heart sinks. Up the road is Briarwood Elementary, and two miles east is Plaza Towers. It's a quarter after three. School hasn't let out yet. There are children inside, hundreds of them, right in its path. Amy keeps the camera steady, holding the frame even as everything inside her is shaking.

28:09Gary England:There's nothing more she can do, nothing she can change. And it's the worst feeling in the world.

28:22Gary England:LaDonna Cobb kneels on the floor in the pre-K classroom at Briarwood Elementary, pulling her young students close. It's going to be okay. It's going to be okay. Even as the tornado sirens wail outside, she doesn't quite believe it could actually hit them. Then, her husband Steve bursts back through the door after stepping outside less than a minute ago. LaDonna braces herself, thinking he's about to try to convince her to leave again. But the moment she sees his face, she knows. Something is very wrong. In 15 years together, she's never seen him look so terrified. LaDonna, you gotta come out here now.

29:08Gary England:You need to see this. Just his tone makes her stomach drop. As much as LaDonna hates to leave her students, she gets to her feet and follows him outside. For a moment, the rain and hail have stopped, and the air is still. Too still. For a split second, she thinks, maybe the storm already passed them by? Until she looks around the corner and sees it. A towering black funnel fills the western sky. It's so close, she can see trees and pieces of houses spinning through the air. She watches as a building in the distance takes a direct hit and explodes into splinters. Her breath catches. It's too late to leave.

29:57Gary England:This thing is actually going to hit the school. They sprint for the nearest classroom door and pound on it until someone opens up. When they stumble inside, they realize it's not the pre-K classroom, with their daughter Erin's first-grade classroom. The children are already in position along the interior wall, crouched beneath desks with their heads down. LaDonna finds Erin among them, drops to the floor, and pulls her daughter close. Then she spreads her body over as many of the children she can reach, making herself a shield. Steve crouches beside her, wrapping his arms around them too. It's going to be okay.

30:42Suddenly, the lights go out. Darkness fills the room, and children begin to cry.

30:49Gary England:Then the sound. At first, a distant rumble. Then it grows, faster and louder. Within seconds, there's no mistaking it. The tornado is here. Huge objects slam into the roof again and again, like bombs going off. The ceiling starts to crack and give way.

31:13Amy Simpson:Hold on! Hold on!

31:15Gary England:The building shakes violently. The roof begins to peel away and wind tears into the room with brutal force. LaDonna feels her body being pulled upward by the suction. She knows if she lets go, Aaron and the other children beneath her will be swept away in an instant. She can't let that happen. With one hand, she claws at the wall, grabbing for anything she can, while tightening her grip on the children with the other. Above them, lightning flashes through the torn roof, creating a strobe effect in the room. A boy beneath her cries out for his mother. LaDonna keeps holding on. It feels like it will never stop.

32:02Gary England:Then, something strikes her head. Hard. And everything goes black.

32:14Gary England:Principal Amy Simpson rushes through the hallways of Plaza Towers, doing everything she can to keep everyone calm as teachers and students huddle along the walls. Outside, the sky has gone dark, and the wind is howling so hard she can hear the old building creak around her. The lights keep flickering on and off, causing some of the younger children to cry. Amy knows they're afraid. She is too. But she can't let it show. She repeats to herself, be strong. Be strong. As she moves down the hall, memories flash through her mind of herself as a child, right here in Moore. Back then, tornado drills almost felt like fun.

33:04Gary England:It was an excuse to leave class and sit with friends while teachers pretended the danger was real. She remembers bringing snacks, a favorite stuffed animal, a tiny flashlight. She wishes this were just another drill. Her phone buzzes in her hand. She looks down. It's a text from her husband, Lindy. Just five words. It's going to hit you. Amy feels a surge of panic in her chest, but she forces it back down. She has a responsibility to every student and teacher in this building. She cannot lose control. Not now. She turns and hurries toward her office. As she passes a side door, she glances toward the back building, the one with the second and third grade classrooms.

33:55Gary England:She hesitates. She hasn't checked on Jennifer Doan's class or the others there in a while. And she doesn't even know how many children are still there. For a moment, she considers running across. But outside, hail is crashing down in heavy, dangerous chunks. And Lindy's words echo in her head. She can't risk it. She needs to get to the intercom. So she keeps moving, faster now. Ahead of her, a mother and father rush down the hallway with their child. Amy calls out, You need to take cover here or leave immediately. They nod and run for the doors to the parking lot. For a moment, Amy watches them go.

34:41Gary England:The doors swing open and the family steps outside. But as soon as they look west, they stop cold and hurry back inside. Amy's stomach drops. She doesn't need to ask what they saw. She turns and runs the last few steps to her office. She grabs the intercom mounted beside her door, lifts the receiver, and forces her voice to stay calm. It's here. Her voice comes out steady, almost too calm. The moment feels like a dream, like she's outside her own body watching someone else's life. Behind her, Penny is already grabbing cushions from the chairs. Amy drops the receiver and follows her and two other women into the faculty bathroom.

35:32Gary England:There's nothing else to hide under, so they crouch shoulder to shoulder beneath the porcelain sink, pulling the cushions over their heads. Amy can smell it now. Freshly torn earth, grass, splintered wood. Confirmation that the tornado is tearing through the neighborhood and almost on top of them. She thinks of the children in the hallways, the only shelter they have, and prays, please let the building hold.

36:11Gary England:Jennifer Doan tightens her arms around as many of her third graders as she can reach. in the back building of Plaza Towers. In the hallway, the 11 children still in her care kneel shoulder to shoulder along the cinderblock wall. If she could pull all of them beneath her, she would. But she can't. She's small, and her reach is limited. She glances over at two of her students, Porter, and next to him is Nicholas, who's crying. The small nine-year-old is usually always smiling, with a bright, infectious grin. Jennifer reaches and places a hand on his shoulder. It's going to be okay, Nicholas. Then the power goes out and the hallway is filled with darkness.

37:00Gary England:More children start crying. Jennifer tries not to join them. Her mind flashes to the life growing inside her, the pregnancy she found out about only a few weeks ago. Nearby, another teacher begins to pray. Please, God, keep these children safe. Please make the storm go away. Then, suddenly, everything stops. The rain, the hail, even the wind. Jennifer holds still, straining to hear any sign of what's coming next. She feels a faint vibration beneath her knees, getting stronger. The waiting is unbearable. And then, she hears it. A distant roar, growing louder. The pressure builds in her ears, like they're about to pop.

37:52Gary England:And then... A violent force slams into the building. Doors burst open. Dust and debris blast inside the hallway, filling noses, mouths, eyes. The sound of tearing metal is deafening as the tornado rips the building apart. Windows shatter. Children scream. A powerful rush of air surges through the hallway as the roof is ripped away. Water pours down from a broken pipe overhead. The walls begin to crumble inward. Cinder blocks break loose, crashing down around them. Jennifer tightens her grip on the children. She won't let go.

38:48Gary England:Glenn Lewis hears it before he fully sees it. That terrifying sound. Part freight train, part jet engine. He's standing just outside the back door of his jewelry store, south of downtown Moore, looking west. The tornado is coming straight at him. He's heard that sound before. In the nearly two decades since he first became mayor, he's seen tornadoes tear through more again and again. Each time he watched people crawl out of the wreckage of their homes, and each time he hoped he would never hear that sound again. But he has, four times now. With a round baby face and easy smile, Glenn is known for his calm, steady presence.

39:36Gary England:He's a jeweler by trade and the part-time mayor by duty. He and his wife, Pam, raised their daughters here. This town is his life. When he first took office in 1994, Moore was struggling. He helped bring in business, grow the economy, and rebuild confidence. Then came May 3rd, 1999, when an EF-5 tore through the city, wiping out entire neighborhoods, killing 36 people and causing a billion dollars in damage. Glenn became the face of the recovery, coordinating relief, speaking to the press, welcoming national leaders. When President Bill Clinton visited, he told Glenn he was becoming the most experienced mayor in dealing with FEMA disasters.

40:29Gary England:Glenn was even able to joke about it, saying, I ran to clean up more. I just didn't know I'd have to do it piece by piece. Still, more endured. After each tornado, it rebuilt. It grew. It kept moving forward, despite all the blows. But now, as Glenn watches the towering vortex grinding toward him, he can hardly believe it. Not again. All day, he's been on calls with city officials, tracking the storm, hoping, like he always does, that more might be spared. Even as the warnings escalated, he told himself it might not be that bad. Now it's here, and it looks even bigger than 1999. Inside the jewelry shop, the television is blaring.

41:22Gary England:He can hear Gary England's voice.

41:24Amy Simpson:Take cover. It's moving into Central Morph, causing total destruction to every home in its path.

41:31Gary England:Glenn's employees are already inside the jewelry vault, huddled together beside trays of diamond engagement rings. But Glenn can't move. He stands there, transfixed, as hail and rain whip against his face. It doesn't feel real. Then the ground begins to vibrate beneath his feet. The roar grows louder. He can see chunks of debris spinning through the air as the massive black cloud closes in. On the TV, Gary is now calling out landmarks in its path.

42:07Amy Simpson:Warren Theater. Moore Medical Center. Lewis Jewelers.

42:12Gary England:That snaps him out of it. He steps back toward the door, then stops for one last look. Something feels off. The sirens. They've gone quiet. A jolt of panic hits him. He grabs his phone and calls the city's emergency operations office. You need to get those sirens back on. The tornado is right here. There's a pause. Then a voice answers.

42:39Amy Simpson:They are on.

42:41Gary England:Glenn freezes. He understands. The storm is so loud, he can't hear them anymore. It's already at his doorstep. He hangs up and runs for the vault.

43:01Gary England:Shayla Taylor lies on a hospital bed, breathing through contractions that are coming faster now. She's nine centimeters dilated, almost ready to deliver. Outside, the tornado is tearing through more. The TV news says it's already carved a path nearly 10 miles long. But Shayla is too far in her labor to be evacuated. Allison, the head nurse, gives her a shot to try to slow down the labor and buy them time. Her husband, Jerome, her mother, and her young son have been sent downstairs to the basement cafeteria, where it's safer. Up here, only about 25 patients and staff remain. She can hear doctors and nurses out in the hall moving quickly, pushing beds, and calling out instructions as they guide patients toward the center of the building, away from windows.

43:57Gary England:Shayla grips the sides of the bed, trying to steady her breathing. I don't want to have a baby in a tornado. A nurse leans in. There's nothing wrong with a tornado baby. We'll take good care of you. Then they move her fast, out of her room and down the hall into a windowless operating room, the safest place they can find. There's no TV, so Shayla pulls out her phone and opens a weather app. It's 3.30 p.m. As she scans the map, her eyes go wide. The tornado is moving straight down 4th Street, right where the hospital is. Her breath catches. She knew it was coming through more. She didn't know it was coming straight for them.

44:43Gary England:Inside the operating room, the floor begins to shake. Four nurses move in right away, covering Shayla with blankets, towels, pillows, anything they can grab. They gather in close around her, forming a barrier with their bodies. Bonnie, the scrub tech, leans over her, shielding her as best she can. Shayla reaches out and grabs the nearest hand. Someone grabs someone else's, and they all hold on to each other, to the bed. And a nurse starts to pray. Lord, let us be okay. Please let us make it through this. It feels like an earthquake. Ceiling tiles crack. Dust rains down. Then insulation falling down around them.

45:33Gary England:Shayla turns her head and squeezes her eyes shut She doesn't know if she or her baby will survive All she can do is hold on and pray The tornado hits The sound is overwhelming Like the building is being ripped apart from the outside in Shayla presses her face into the mattress Keeping her eyes clenched tight in the mayhem In the darkness and then it's quiet not completely silent but different she senses light slowly she opens her eyes and what she sees doesn't make sense where the wall used to be there's nothing it's gone completely blown out she can see the highway and the warren theater across the street She looks around, panicked for a moment, checking the nurses, afraid someone might have been pulled out of the room.

46:39Gary England:But they're all there, and so is she. Everyone's shaken, but alive. Around her, the operating room is shredded. Equipment is overturned. The ceiling is torn open. Cables are loose. The building's guts are hanging out. Shayla places a hand on her stomach. The baby is still inside, the safest place it can be. Relief washes over her. A newborn wouldn't have survived that. But the relief doesn't last. Another contraction hits. This one's stronger and closer. The storm may have passed, but for Shayla, it's not over. Her baby is coming.

47:33LaDonna Cobb:Follow Against the Odds on the Audible app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes of Against the Odds ad-free by joining Audible.

47:46Gary England:From Audible Originals, this is episode two of our three-part series, Nightmare in Tornado Alley. A quick note about our scenes. In most cases, we can't know exactly what was said, but everything is based on historical research. If you'd like to learn more about this event, we recommend the book The Mercy of the Sky, The Story of a Tornado by Holly Bailey. You can also listen to the audiobook version of The Mercy of the Sky right now on Audible. Produced by Audible, I'm your host Cassie DePeckel. Rachel Matlow wrote this episode. Sound design by Jamie Cooper. Engineered by Sergio Enriquez Original theme music Scott Velasquez and 2K for Fries on Sync Produced by Emily Frost Managing producer Desi Blalock Senior producers Andy Herman and Austin Rackless Executive producer for Audible Jenny Lauer-Beckman Head of creative development at Audible Kate Naben Head of Audible Originals North America Marsha Louis Chief content officer Rachel Giazza Copyright 2026 by Audible Originals, LLC.

48:54Gary England:Sound recording copyright 2026 by Audible Originals, LLC.