Red Cross Races to Woodward, Oklahoma

Just hours after a tornado roared through Woodward, Oklahoma, the American Red Cross established a safe shelter for the displaced residents. When the sun came up, it shined brightly on how much the families in this community have lost. Dan Halyburton, a volunteer from North Texas, made his way to Oklahoma immediately to help out. This video is a birds-eye view of what Dan has seen across the area.

To help the families down the street, across the nation and around the globe who are affected by disasters like this, click on www.redcross.org, text REDCROSS to 90999 or call 800-RED-CROSS. We thank you.

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From the Field: Red Cross Surveys Tornado Damage Across Oklahoma

Watch Anita Foster's video of the damage she saw in Oklahoma and see how the Red Cross is helping families.

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Anita Foster From the Field: Twisters Leave Destruction Across Oklahoma

Over the years, I've seen tornado damage more times than I can count. But I will say this. You never get used to seeing peoples lives literally blown apart.

We spent the day yesterday in an area called Choctaw. You could tell that the neighborhood was tight-knit right away, and that they were all in a state of shock.

One woman was in her driveway when we approached. Her husband, an active duty Air Force member home on leave, was in the hospital recovering from his injuries. She told how he had survived several tours of duty in Iraq, but got injured in his own home due to a tornado.

Another woman, Robyn, walked us through the remains of her home. Imagine one of those set pieces used in movies where the doors swing open but there's nothing behind them. That's what the front of her home looked like. There was a front door, but when you opened it, you were met with a 10 foot pile of 2x4s and massive trees. She has no walls, no ceiling, nothing. She and her husband survived in a tiny linen closet that could barely fit a child. It was miraculous and horrifying at the same time. That tiny closet was the only room of the entire house completely in tact.

The stories go on for days. People here in Oklahoma have been through a major trauma and the Red Cross is doing all we can to help. We've been out on the streets with feeding vehicles and damage assessment teams. We've distributed tons of work gloves, shovels, rakes and tarps and we've hugged a lot of these good people.

Today, we turn our focus to Disaster Mental Health counseling. The weather is expected to turn severe this afternoon so we'll be out this morning making sure everyone is aware of the weather threat and we'll be handing out materials that will let the victims know how they will react today when the skies open up. It's going to be a tough day all right.

As always, it is a privilege to serve through the American Red Cross. I have met wonderful families and terrific Red Cross volunteers here in Oklahoma. And I'm always comforted to know that if our community is affected by a terrible storm like the one they endured, these same folks will rush to Texas to help us out. In my opinion, that is what humanity is all about.

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While Deployed: Anita Foster in Oklahoma

Here are a few pictures taken by Anita Foster while assisting with the relief efforts in Oklahoma.

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Tornadoes in Oklahoma

The National Weather Service estimates that 10 tornadoes touched down last night in Oklahoma. Baseball-sized hail was reported in some places. Several people lost their homes and many are currently without power.

Oklahoma chapters of the American Red Cross have deployed Disaster Action Team (DAT) members across areas of south central Oklahoma to begin assessing the extent of the damage.

The American Red Cross of Central Oklahoma has opened four shelters and has damage assessment teams meeting with emergency managers this morning to determine which areas have been impacted.

Anita Foster, Dallas Area Chapter public information officer, headed out to Oklahoma City early this morning and will keep us posted.

Red Cross workers in Dallas-Fort Worth ready to help Oklahoma tornado victims

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