Two Days in Moore, Oklahoma

Have you ever wanted to touch the sky?
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Audio Assembly by / veganassvalerie
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Music List:
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[@asparagusoffice]

gets hit by two f5's and puts up a water tower asking for moore

[@Ballin4Vengeance]

“We ain’ heard no darn bell” -City of Moore, Oklahoma, collectively.

[@jasonstraight1320]

Going full “Lieutenant Dan during the storm in Forrest Gump” here

[@H.V.C_Shino]

Hahaha

[@BedeGeneris]

under rated comment

[@ownedmaxer607]

Humanity; a fearful, yet stubborn race on this planet. Each cross with the forces of nature never seems to dampen that stubborness for long. The fear will remain, but it only begets a sort of resentment; nothing but the young and old alike shaking their fists at an unflinching sky.

[@sergioescobar1391]

People in Florida when the sky turns dark: "Man, that's the third thunderstorm this week!" People in Oklahoma when the sky turns dark: "I am going to fucking die."

[@bigsoulja73]

Most Oklahoma residents are pretty chill with tornadoes, they happen so often that you get kinda used to them. A lot of people will sit outside and watch them, even if they’re just a couple miles away.

[@heavy0119]

actually, it's more like *pulls out lawn chair*

[@KaiserMattTygore927]

@@bigsoulja73 True, but some days are weirder than others.

[@ReFrostByte]

​@@heavy0119 Stoat

[@Scronks_McDonks]

Never met someone here that's afraid of them actually

[@Jm-ki4su]

"the neighbourhood is GONE, Mike!" the visceral emotion in that sentence really hits me

[@gamertimertrue]

Thats what happens when the weather decides reality.

[@ChummiaChan]

Sure made me tear up a bit, one can only imagine the sheer horror these people must've gone through, after all they did not choose to be there, or at least most of them didn't. 😢

[@alrightyaphrodite5653]

I'm 18 and I've lived in Moore almost my whole life. I was a 1st grader at Briarwood Elementary when the May 20, 2013 tornado hit. I can't even put into words the absolute terror I felt, even as a small child, hearing the fear in the weatherman's voice on the radio, my mom quickly rushing us all into the cramped shelter. When it was all over, it felt like walking out into another world. We were one of the lucky ones, just some roof damage and broken windows. To this day, just a couple streets down from my house, there are unnatural looking empty spaces where houses were destroyed, and just never got rebuilt. My school was leveled. The image he chose to show Briarwood wasn't the most accurate, as this one is how it looked after being rebuilt after the storm. Before, it wasn't much more than a few metal buildings connected by flimsy paths and roofing. Yeah, no surprise it was absolutely decimated. I'm so thankful my mom was able to pick me up from school early that day. Some of my childhood friends who were in the school when it happened were left with lifelong trauma after that day. Thank you for covering this.

[@elizabethmarielunacordoba9956]

A plaza towers elementary victim named Xavier Delgado took his own life due to the trauma of that day 😢

[@WestPictures]

I just realized that this is the 25th anniversary of May 3, 1999. Well played, Emp.

[@Noobwater]

yeah, no shit

[@SporkyMcFly]

On my name day, no less.

[@weggesaurusrex6007]

I didn’t even realize that! Truly Well played, Emp

[@Bad-Humor]

yup

[@WyanoPenna]

@@SporkyMcFly bro thinks he's Westerosi

[@Prod.PalmTree]

My father hid behind the couch, my mom and my two sisters, and I hid in the closet on May 3rd, 1999. The tornado destroyed my home, ended my parent’s marriage, and left my dad with permanent PTSD. Our street was on the Guinness Book of World Records while it was the most damaging tornado in history until Joplin. A truck fell on the closet where I was, and my dad lifted it up through his adrenaline and pulled us all to safety. None of us had shoes on and I was only 9 months old. Hell of a life folks.

[@Prod.PalmTree]

Funny how his timeline started too, I am a Creek tribal member.

[@ghoulbuster1]

Ride the storm my friend.

[@chemergency]

You were definitely in a worse place than we were that day. I can't imagine being above ground while that monster was wreaking havoc at my grandma's. Sorry for your losses.

[@KaiserMattTygore927]

After a certain point during the night my parents grabbed me and my sister and had us hide in the bathtub with a mattress over us (for about 10 minutes before the all clear was given) freaky ass time period. (I was almost 6 during may 3rd '99)

[@DeconvertedMan]

wow.

[@turtle2fast684]

You know it’s gonna be bad when your local meteorologist starts stuttering and pausing.

[@stizanley3987]

I love that the Fujita Scale describes F4 as Devastating and F5 as Incredible. Like it's so overwhelmingly lethal and powerful that it deserves to be marveled at.

[@carterdain2878]

As an emplemon fan from Moore Oklahoma, this might be the greatest day ever

[@MoreDebris234]

Same, I’m a student at OU right now and with the recent storms I’ve been looking into the weather. Super excited to learn a little bit more about the wild climate of the area

[@xXSKY64Xx]

I will never forget the piss smelling house. I went back to the coffee smelling house.

[@blindonabudget6953]

dude I was in Moore during the tornadoes and I remember hearing that we were going to get hit by a tornado. the tornado changed paths and we were safe but still it's crazy that Emp made a video on it

[@chemergency]

You're not the only one here either.

[@jesse99martinez]

Im from blanchard Oklahoma formaly south okc

[@qjames0077]

Just when we want Emp to give us Moore, he does

[@micheal5117]

✍️✍️✍️✍️🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@joe_mama__]

that's just cruel💀

[@XjhX-xf6uc]

💀

[@benjan9779]

💀

[@Gregman654]

Bruh

[@lemmehxthat]

"What you're watching is ordinary people like you and I loosing everything. Homes, vehicles, precious keepsakes, all converted to rubble in seconds" That part hit me different

[@dominicjohnson7972]

Emp, i still cant believe where we are after me finding you. From old gamecube games, to cartoon sitcoms. Now you are pumping out 9.5+/10 quality long-duration-video essays. I hope you go places, man. Keep it up.

[@SwegleStudios]

They guy who inspired me to make tornado KZbin videos literally made a tornado KZbin video.. This is amazing.

[@theshiggityshwa4359]

I LOVE your work, man.

[@Rod-Ellis]

Two of my KZbin GOATs right here. Love the work you both do on here

[@Gettenhart]

opened your channel, scrolled back down and the RCR/slapsh0es thumbnail vibe on your old videos made me feel right at home. will watch later

[@queuedjar4578]

They turned EmpLemon's downward spiral into a real catostrophic weather event

[@averagecoasterenjoyer]

Oh yeah, it's all coming together

[@TekharthaMondatta]

Oklahoma resident here. There's 2 kinds of people in this state, and you can tell them apart when the tornado sirens start blaring: those who look like they've seen a ghost and immediately start thinking about precautions, and those who literally shrug it off because they're X years old and never been hit by one. It's night and day.

[@maximumpink8487]

Crazy how accurate that is 💀

[@therebelcostumer]

And the third being those who are raised by the first group and who prep for the worst whenever the tornado likelihood hits 3 out of 5. 😅 I love this state but MAN, I never thought I would live in the place with all the tornadoes I grew up hearing and learning about.

[@lordfrz9339]

You forget the folks who live in trailers and understand there is 0 chance a direct hit spares them so why stop watching the tv.

[@ElijahCiali]

Tulsan here, it’s a family tradition to grab our lawn chairs and watch it

[@epic_gameryt523]

Ong

[@chipredacted]

I can't believe this YTP making gamer ended up making some of the greatest documentary content we could get on KZbin. Thanks for your hard work EmpLemon

[@caelirosetv]

Watching this in Moore, Oklahoma while the thunder and winds start picking up, waiting for it all to happen again. Eeriest feeling ever

[@krajt1999]

I heard about that warning from half a world away, it's what got me to watch that video. Stay safe girl, I hope it won't cause any harm.

[@StaraptorEagle]

Hello from Edmond. You all right?

[@MooncricketsInc]

Did you get another f5?

[@genericsmithson2870]

Not in Moore, we just got he 120+ mph wind alert at midnight.

[@MooncricketsInc]

@@genericsmithson2870 So, no f5 trilogy? The white bison lied to us...

[@glamazon6172]

When I was a small child, I asked my mother why tornadoes always tracked north into Moore. Her response: “God loves Norman.”

[@devonburkhalter9840]

This happened 5 or 6 times when I was at OU.

[@dingusfinance8931]

My wife from NY asked about why, when we moved to the metro after I got out of the Army, but intentionally avoided Moore, I explained that God didn’t like Moore.

[@Spid3yTCG]

My mom said God hates Moore 🤷‍♂️

[@booze1412]

I was told the same thing lol

[@lilbirdmuse8938]

I like to call it a magnet, keeping the ‘nadoes away from me.

[@Joe_Blow_]

"If you tried to describe a tornado to someone who hadn't heard of one, they might not believe it was real." In college, I had a professor that grew up in the Soviet Union, and moved to the US sometime in the 80s. She would often tell us stories of how otherworldly it was there. She was telling us one day that the state media there would report on tornadoes when they happened in the US, and nobody believed any of it. They all assumed it was just state propaganda, they literally did not believe tornadoes were real. Hit the nail on the head, Emp.

[@brendanjrice7307]

As a meteorologist, watching this is kind of like watching a middle school classroom being taught about weather and just getting to sit back for once and not do the explaining 😂

[@AcerNet1007]

My father’s house was destroyed by the May 3, 1999 tornado, and my whole family saw the May 20, 2013 tornado.

[@jonathantunnell3993]

So we had another white bison born 6 days ago, and now Oklahoma is about to get rocked by a huge front that's going to produce a ton of tornados tonight...

[@WompWompWoooomp]

Yeah. As an Okie there's a non-zero chance that Emperor Lemon is going to have to make a sequel.

[@chrissmith9167]

Sulfur got flattened last week. We can only hope that was the worst of it.

[@vozera723]

​@@chrissmith9167I don't know if you've seen what's happening today

[@chrissmith9167]

@@vozera723 Oh I know. I’m livin it.

[@kronosis2767]

@@chrissmith9167what’s happening!?! (Pa resident)

[@JohnSmith-np3cd]

It truly is insane how not one, but THREE F5 tornados can touch down less than one mile from each others’ paths in less than 15 years…

[@Alex-vm6ef]

I mean it kinda makes sense, the climate and geography conditions are what makes tornadoes common/possible and contributes to the likelihood of different strengths. Even if the conditions to cause such a powerful one are rare, that the conditions there allow for it implies that there would be repeats

[@MrPolandball]

HAARP does very wonders for sure

[@TheSkyGuy77]

​@@MrPolandball Harp isn't even a thing anymore lmao

[@probablygeorge6489]

2 of the top 10 most damaging tornados in human history, which includes a fire tornado in china that killed an estimated 3-5 thousand

[@flamingcheetopuff8434]

@@MrPolandball Hipsters alcoholics anonymous role playing?

[@thedwagonborn2891]

At the time of writing, I live in Moore and tornado sirens are going off. Wonderfully eerie lemon.

[@sokdz6850]

This has to be one of your creepiest/scariest video yet. Just because it's real and so incomprehensible.

[@PyroBun_2844]

“Forget the live pictures, GO GET SAFE!” Hearing Mike’s words while watching all that debris fly.. it really just shows how small we are compared to the forces of nature.

[@user-su3nt4vb4u]

Even worse is in 2013 when he said "This is May 3rd, all over again"

[@flashdr1ve]

we really are ants when it comes to the forces of nature

[@uLWillyG]

@@user-su3nt4vb4u it really was, was in my history class in mustang watching the news and my teacher said the same thing, the paths were super close

[@Heckpup]

“It takes unimaginable wisdom to savor the mundane.” Is the single greatest sentence I’ve heard in a video essay

[@oblonghas]

That or faith

[@fentanylfrog8403]

Type of line that can change your life, Emp really was put on this Earth to tell stories.

[@BDJones055]

This hit hard. Helped me put certain things into perspective. Got laid off during the pandemic. After 3 years of fighting tooth and nail to get back on my feet, I found myself sitting in the moment while I was doing house chores the other day. While my two kids carried on in the background and I toiled away with chores it started to dawn on me that I was home with my children after a good day of work. A paycheck that finally met the bills... a wife who had just finished cooking dinner. The kitchens a mess but we are full, we are happy and we are alive. It takes unimaginable wisdom to savor the mundane...

[@whatif3271]

34:48 "Only after experiencing such tremendous hardship can you truly appreciate what everyone else takes for granted. *It requires a great deal of wisdom to savor the uneventful."* That's the exact quote. I think it's interesting how our brains sometimes forget the exact, but can reconstruct it semantically. It's really cool.

[@fentanylfrog8403]

@@whatif3271 I think it means the message resonates with people even if they forgot the exact details, which is beautiful.

[@kyler247]

I went to elementary school at plaza towers and lived right by it. I always felt so safe and cared for there. It was a wonderful school. The idea that those poor kids passed away in a place that was supposed to be safe for them is so devastating. I hope they're resting in peace.

[@wheatsourdough]

Houston resident here. We just had an EF1 hit the town and now over 1,000,000 people are without power. The fact I watched this video at work, then began coming home, to be rocked and required to take shelter for only an EF1, it’s a terrifying reminder. What a story to know. Thanks for the amazing content, Emp.

[@Nirvashicus]

The Moore hospital that was destroyed in 2013 is the same company (Norman Regional) that I work for currently. When that hospital was destroyed, they salvaged everything they could from the rubble. One of the things salvaged is a Minuteman KS35 floor sweeper. Think of it like a lawn mower but it sweeps and vacuums carpets. To this day we still use that sweeper in the norman hospitals.

[@jimmyredd]

I know what I'm hiding under next time a tornado hits Norman.

[@cyan_oxy6734]

I can't be the only one reading "minute man" and immediately thinking you pulled a nuclear warhead out of a hospital.

[@DogsRNice]

Minuteman? I've gotten word of another settlement that's been hit by a tornado, I'll mark it on your map

[@glamazon6172]

It should have a plaque or something.

[@Papaconstantopoulos]

Dudes rock

[@nullpha]

When the Muskogee tribe is brought up you know Emp cooked a banger.

[@obamacare2916]

I swear, he always be roping things in, and they always connect perectlely. I had no idea how he related native americans to nascar, but he did it.

[@Xer0sama]

EmpLem- "The Muskogee Indians..." Me- "Oh Jesus, what now?"

[@astupidlylongnamethatstoolong]

@@Xer0sama Everything bad in American history can be traced back to the Muskogee Indians /s

[@FalloutSeeker]

@@dapperbunch5029yeah I don’t get some of these essay KZbinrs. And the comment about open spaces? What?

[@noisekeeper]

Lol always gotta be these bigoted meatheads in the comments. "Look we took out 90% of the Indian population, but they got some casinos so it's not THAT bad geeze!"

[@Souplord1]

I was 6 during the 2013 tornados. Me and my sister were huddled under a blanket in the backseat. Occasionally we would look out the back window and see a stop sign being plucked from the ground. Those sirens make me freak out.

[@edwardbottomsworth366]

Insane. I looked up Moore OK tornado and there is currently an active tornado watch in the area

[@shiteyanyostan9922]

theres one rn too, central oklahoma used to geographically be the worst area for nadoes

[@Stellos812]

Lived in Oklahoma and Moore specifically for my entire life, and I'll never forget that day in 2013. It lives rent free in my head like a bad dream. I was just 11 in Houchin Elementary in Moore when the tornado struck. We had just recently moved and the school let me and my siblings finish out the year there instead of being transferred to another school, that school being Plaza Towers. I remember by the end of the day, everyone in class had taken shelter, kids were freaking out, scared and terrified. I'll never forget one girl in particular, a friend of mine, having a full blown panic attack because of it. Her voice and expression are forever burned into my mind, and I hope, wherever she is now, that she's okay. My stepdad managed to get all of us out of school, and none of us were taking it all too seriously until, while we're in the car, he yells and tells us that "Plaza Towers is gone!" Our new house was in the direct path, literally just a couple blocks away from the school itself, and my mom was home alone that day. We ended up going to our grandparents for a bit, before my actual dad and his wife came and took us in for awhile when things had finally calmed down. I didn't see my mom for a couple days, and I was worried. Eventually we found out she was okay, but the house was in disrepair. I don't remember how long it was after, but eventually we all went back to our house to see the damage ourselves and I just... Cried. I didn't know how else to feel seeing it all like that. I was just a kid who thought storms were such a cool thing, but the moment I saw the damage for myself and how it had almost completely destroyed our lives... It's not something you can just explain. In the end, we were lucky. We didn't lose anyone and our house could be fixed. What Emp didn't mention here was that 7 Third Grade students died in Plaza that day. My little brother and sister were in the Third Grade at the time, and if the school hadn't said we could finish the year at our current school, it's possible they wouldn't be here today. We were lucky.

[@tbsyo123]

Holy shit. You might be one of the luckiest people I heard of now.

[@click_beatty_]

Whoa....0k, I live in Tulsa and **I**, too, was 11...!!(?) Cool coincidence

[@johnshumate8112]

I was in second grade, Bryant elementary. My house didn’t get hit, and I don’t know anyone that died. But I did know people that had friends and family that died.

[@Yuhyuhmuhmuh]

WOW! I hope you feel better now and god bless you

[@chance9512]

Blessings and prayers from Kansas. Hard weather makes hard people and you've had more than your share. Thank you for telling your story.

[@axelcordova8262]

Tornadoes really are the closest you can get to Lovecraftian monsters.

[@custardgannet4836]

I had my first footjob in a tornado shelter 🌪️

[@michaelrobertson4298]

The Sun is pretty much a eldritch being.

[@TheSkyGuy77]

Tornadoes get their power from the Sun

[@thelordofcringe]

You haven't been in the middle of a hurricane on the coast then...

[@axelcordova8262]

@@thelordofcringe sure, other disasters are a lot more deadly. But then again, they don't creep up to your house in the dead of night, and destroy everything around you. Just look at what happened in Sulfur, Oklahoma, last week.

[@standard-carrier-wo-chan]

I like to think that Fujita was personally holding back the F6 tornado from ever conceiving. His death was not just a sad event or an omen, but a moment where the gate broke down and all hells broke loose.

[@carsondutton2686]

My Dad went to Westmoore high school. I’ll never forget when I visited my family there after 2013 and seeing the damaged theater that I used to go all the time with my grandparents, miles of stripped trees, and buildings I used to recognize completely disappear. Okies are strong and resilient people.

[@dabombthautamurge]

When I was 13, my church youth group took a trip to Moore (this was for the 2013 F5 tornado) to work with cleanup crews. I remember the first day, it was 110+ degrees and no one wanted to wear full coverage clothes like they recommended. Everyone was just happy to hangout with eachother on the bus ride from our camp site to the cleanup area. Once we started getting close though, everyone got quiet. We went into a suburb that looked entirely normal, but once we turned up one particular street, it looked like we were in a warzone. All around was total devastation. Our goal was to break down the homes that couldn't be rebuilt and try to recover valuables such as copper, and other personal belongings. Multiple times, I can remember taking a sledgehammer to a wall to start taking it apart, only to break it away into what used to be the room of a child. Their toys, their books, even their backpacks would still be where they left them. We would always collect this stuff for the family to come back and get, and sometimes we even met the people who lived in the homes. Nearby was a school, it was very damaged but we didn't think much about it, but later we learned that 7 children had drowned in the basement when they took shelter from the storm, and that it was very possible some of those kid's rooms we had taken apart, and the toys and valuables we found in them, were for children who had passed there.

[@sonic23233]

A well-known storm chaser lost his life that day

[@zrkch]

The visualization of cutting through a wall that looks like it’s been through a nuclear blast, just to see children’s items and toys, is unfathomable. Gave me chills….

[@TheLocalLt]

@@sonic23233not true, that was the May 31 event near El Reno that is described near the end of this video. No storm chasers died in the May 20th Moore event

[@yallneedjesus8584]

That made me choke up. How very tragic

[@k__t__140]

From someone who had their house destroyed that day, thank you for helping.

[@SnipingIsAGoodJobMate]

Imagine barely surviving the first F5 just to be killed by the second one, what a horrifying event.

[@garethfuller2700]

That was the unfortunate fate of Tanner, Alabama on April 3rd 1974 - Two F5's hit the *same town* on the *same day* about 30 minutes apart.

[@Kaiserboo1871]

@@garethfuller2700 Your Governorship, there’s a second Tornado coming.

[@Ballin4Vengeance]

Nature really was like “You will NOT live here!”

[@baristafaith9198]

I’ve never seen one of your videos, and I’m only 5 minutes in. But let me say, your intro is one of the best context-giving/land acknowledgment/history lesson I’ve seen. Kudos, that shit is rare on KZbin!

[@deadsirius3531]

Good lord. I've never seen this channel before, but this came across my feed and the title intrigued me somehow. Honestly I had no idea what it would even be about but decided to "take a gamble" as it were. This is just one of the best things I've ever seen on KZbin. I really love how it takes these tangents into separate but related subjects before very satisfyingly bringing it back to the core topic. That's really all I wanted to say, from a new fan

[@Saekaichan]

The 2013 tornado had my dad at work watching his own house get hit on live TV with his family in it. Can you imagine? I was at Moore High School which was originally part of the path before it turned west to hit my house instead. Nobody came and got me past 6pm and none of my texts were going through. I tried to walk home in the debree, houses, and light poles. The only thing standing was the specially built cement shelter we had. I pray nobody has to experience this. I felt so bad for the elementary children, and a lot of people didn't have insurance on their homes. It came out of no where.

[@Saekaichan]

NEVER leave your home. As yall can see trucks get warped around trees- you're best bet is pulling over to the 7-11 and praying for the best.

[@crj205]

I was also at the moore highschool, one of my friends couldn't get ahold of their mom and I was so caught up in trying to comfort them I didn't realize my cousin came into the cafeteria to tell me everything was okay and they're there to get me. Had to walk about a mile north towards 12th street. There was house insulation all over the street. I'll never forget that day and the el reno tornado just a short while later

[@nilesyensel7516]

@@crj205 Was the friend’s mom alright?

[@gavingotback]

I was in that tornado too was at elementary school and now I'm in a random Arkansas town and found out that my roommate and my friend both were in that same school same time😂 been wild

[@asparagusoffice]

not having home insurance in the middle of tornado alley is kind of insane

[@maximumpink8487]

Oklahoman here. I cannot stress how accurately you encapsulated the fear and dread of a tornado in the form of a video essay. I've been living here my entire conscious life, and my fear of tornadoes stays the same. The stress of packing your things 2-3 hours before a storm in preparation for a possible tornado will never get easier. It doesn't matter how many times I hear the EAS alarm, it'll always strike a primal fear into my heart. While I've never been victim to losing anything because of a storm I'm afraid that one day I will. Everyone here has their own personal scary story about an encounter with the weather. Oklahoma isn't talked about very much online, so I'm very happy you shed light onto the state and shared the tragic stories that it holds.

[@frankyystein]

LITERALLY THISSS when we get a tornado warning i like to keep my turtle in my hoodie. my old house even had a storm shelter built into a closet its crazy

[@pepper4169]

I still remember the green black skies in 2013. My 4th grade teacher took us outside around noon to look at the beautiful blue sky, but you could just feel the impending doom

[@coolkid006]

we're always prepped with a bug-out bag haha, you won't catch me messing around with that EVER 🤣

[@HappyPsychoBunny3]

I live in Germany, where all people ever do is complain about the weather, because of how annoying it is when you get caught in the rain. I cannot fathom this feeling you describe. This video opened my eyes in a new way, and I’m thankful to you for sharing your story. Take care of yourselves

[@smeagolplaysgames4517]

Wishing you Oklahomans the best today, looks like y'all are under the gun for another potential tornado outbreak this afternoon. Stay safe

[@nyanbinary1717]

The radar image of the 2013 tornado is truly a thing to behold. It’s hard to emphasize how perfect that hook echo is and how rare it is to see BLACK on radar. Truly one of the best essays I’ve ever seen on KZbin, man. I hope you’re proud of it.

[@MichaelLovely-mr6oh]

The moment you see black on the weather radar; you know that shit has officially hit the fan.

[@nyanbinary1717]

@@MichaelLovely-mr6oh I don’t think I’ve ever seen that much black other than those images.

[@MichaelLovely-mr6oh]

@@nyanbinary1717 Me neither. One meteorologist who had been personally affected by the May 20th, 2013 tornado was Damon Lane; the chief meteorologist at Oklahoma City's ABC affiliate KOCO channel 5. Damon lives in Moore and the tornado that day was headed straight for the neighborhood where he lives. In an interview for a show on The Weather Channel called "Tornado Alley: Real Time Tornado" Damon explained that he was juggling two roles on May 20th: chief meteorologist and husband. Damon was text messaging his wife and urging her to get herself and their dogs into the storm shelter. Fortunately for Damon and his wife; they didn't lose their home.

[@nyanbinary1717]

@@MichaelLovely-mr6oh I remember watching that. I feel for the meteorologists who broadcast through storms like these. I can't imagine trying to keep my composure in that situation.

[@MichaelLovely-mr6oh]

@@nyanbinary1717 It's even worse when a tornado ends up hitting the TV studio. During the EF-4 tornado that struck Washington, Illinois on November 17th, 2013 the tornado hit the studio of Peoria's NBC affiliate WEEK TV channel 25 with two of the meteorologists inside: Chuck Collins and Sandy Gallant. While the studio was not directly impacted by the funnel (thank God) there was quite a bit of damage to vehicles in the station's parking lot.

[@JJMcCullough]

What a masterpiece of storytelling this video is.

[@matthewtwitter5172]

Oh hi there

[@thenator46show14]

Oh hi there

[@Luigi023]

Hey JJ love your videos

[@winkpoke1576]

As someone that grew up in Tornado Alley, tornados are so normalized to me that I really never realized how ridiculous they are.

[@justaguyonyoutube4592]

The ironic part is that I grew up in Oklahoma, where I was practically in the middle of Tornado Alley. But I never went through a twister before and I plan not to.

[@barackobreezy]

yeah even if you live in tornado alley you rarely ever physically see one (most folk havent) and you really hope not to

[@moonasha]

I grew up in new york, and I was always terrified of tornadoes, and just my luck we had an F2 or 3 a mile down the road. Luckily it only carved up a bunch of trees but it didn't do much for my phobia. I'll never forget that green sky color, my dad saying to hide in the bathroom, and my mother obliviously baking during the whole thing as some way to handle the stress

[@dexlovesgames_dlg]

I’ve seen one off in the distance, but what was way scarier is I saw a funnel cloud form right over my house one time, and was frozen in horror before it dissipated and I went inside and went to the basement. Tornados are freaky deaky. But I kind of love the chaotic nature of them. Idk. I have nostalgia for sitting outside in that unique atmosphere . It felt so otherworldly. Born and raised in South East Nebraska.

[@RePeLSTeeLTJe--]

As a Dutchie, it's honestly insane to me how often tornado's happen around there. We rarely have them, and if so, they usually are very small coming from the coast and dissipate after 5 minutes or so. Then again, i live 6 metres under the sea-level. Guess we all have our natural enemies. I respect the hustle. Despite the horror's, it's truly heartwarming to see how people can help one another in need.

[@Ascetimancer]

As an Oklahoma resident, I was not alive for the May 3rd 1999 tornado, but I was alive for the two 2013 tornados. I would describe that week that those two historic tornadoes hit as being the week that made me really wake up to the natures of the world. It taught me that the real, natural world is brutal and unforgiving, but more importantly, it taught me that the only thing in Oklahoma stronger than it's tornadoes is the spirits of those who reside here. People tend to forget that Oklahoma is here. Thank you for remembering us.

[@thelibyanplzcomeback]

Stay safe, dude.

[@KaiserMattTygore927]

I was, though I was a kid for the may 3rd one, if anything that made that one worse, literally a foundational memory is watching the news broadcast while turning to stare at a black triangle (through lightning flashes) distantly out your parents living room window is.. something for sure.

[@nicestoriesnottherealstori3006]

Eh, that same year, my town had to deal with a mass shooting and a flood, but the Torandos were much worse than both of those things.

[@Maya-ls3ky]

I lived in Oklahoma for a year, nothing made me more excited then seeing emp lemon make a video about Oklahoma It may not be the best state to exist but holy fuck the people in Oklahoma were extremely nice people

[@Batch00]

This is one of the best made videos i've seen on KZbin in years. So many tangents that draw a web of thematic links that gives us so much insight into the history of Oklahoma, tornadoes, the people that study them and those unlucky enough to have experienced the sheer power of nature. To capture the feelings, attitudes and fears of people, throughout centuries, with such depth is something you only see in truly excellent documentaries. Well edited, narrated and even the shot selection is insane. Finishing on an image as thematically consistent as the one at 40:45 is fucking sublime. To call this a YT video and not a documentary feels like a disservice to the amount of work and talent that has gone into it.

[@CoxDannyJ]

I grew up in the Midwest and I never really understood the power of a tornado until I saw it with my own eyes. I was going to university in Pittsburg and went to Joplin the day after the 2011 tornado to try and help. The houses gone, piles of rocks that used to be buildings, cars thrown around like toys, insane stuff. The image that always stuck with me was a tree impaled into the road. It's impossible to describe.

[@ecrusar5216]

Almost-lifelong Moore resident here. Lived through the 2013 tornado, and got really damn lucky too. Didn't get hit, but we got roof damage from the debris, and the neighborhood just down the street from us was completely flattened. It's one thing to see images of a tornado's damage, but it's a different thing to walk right down the street you grew up on, and see house upon house leveled to their foundations, spouting water into the streets. We had no power for a week straight and school got cut short right before finals. My dad is still reminded of that tornado whenever he sees the new homes that were built where the tornado torn down the old ones; the difference in architecture is really visible if you know how to look for it. Everyone I know still clearly remembers and is affected by that day, too. The memory of the 1999 tornado has been almost entirely supplanted in the younger generations by the 2013 one. That being said, I can safely say that there's one real reason people are still moving and living here: Plain ol' economics. The cost of living in Oklahoma is drastically lower than a lot of other parts of the country, and the whole reason my family came here in the first place when I was really young was because they got jobs. Yes, the danger the sky poses is present and real, but when people have to balance the danger of getting hit by a tornado versus the danger of going hungry, they're more likely to focus on the latter, because it's easy to think tornados won't happen to you. Which is exactly how it ends up happening to you. The first chance I get, I intend to move out of this state (I've always hated it here lol), but that's way easier said than done when just about everywhere else to move would be more expensive, and finding a job is just getting harder these days. This city, but especially this whole state, is like a fucking fly trap. Once you land it it, you're stuck, whether you like it or not. That's all there is to it. They made it a rule after the 2013 tornado that every home should come with a storm shelter, so a lot of people are safer now than they were then. But that being said, it's funny you posted this at the time that you did, because we might be in for the first especially rough storm season in a while. There was already a tornado outbreak a week back that hit across the state and very nearly went into Moore; at the time that I'm typing this, the outlook for tomorrow is especially rough. So wish us the best of luck. Yes, the people here are used to it by now, but taking the dangers tornadoes pose for granted is how you become one of the victims.

[@flamingrubys11]

if your looking for somewhere with a cheap cost of living i doubt its cheaper but i suggest mississppi (i lived here most of my life and i still cant spell the states name right) rent is usually very low and food like most places is a bit pricey but if your lucky you can find a savealot and get a bunch of cheap deals

[@porkyminch1640]

well even if you dont have to use it, at-least those storm shelters will come in handy if and when the sirens go off for their original purpose...

[@incognitoburrito6020]

@@flamingrubys11 Idk call me a city slicker, but I can't imagine that someone who wants to move out of Oklahoma would have Mississippi high on the list

[@Soonerfrk11]

@@flamingrubys11I’ll wave as you leave!

[@flamingrubys11]

@@incognitoburrito6020 its a shit hole but hey i can afford a house or rent compared to other richer states

[@jovierjovier]

I remember in 2013 hearing the weatherman tell us that if we needed to be underground to be safe. We didn't have a storm cellar and my family and I would normally just climb in the bathtub and throw a mattress over our heads. My Dad was standing outside in the driveway, watching the storm, like he always did. He would stay out there and let us know when we needed to take cover. Thankfully, we lived just South enough to avoid the tornado, but I knew a lot of people that lost everything. What I remember the most however was the next day, grabbing my gloves and boots and jumping in the truck with my Dad. We spent the next several days working with hundreds of other Oklahomans to clear debris and hand out food. As horrible as these tornadoes are, (and I have lived through a bunch of them now) Emp is right, I don't ever want to leave my home state. I love my people. Whether it was from a tornado, or the Bombing of the Murrah building, everybody immediately came to help. All of a sudden, you knew everyone, and everyone was your family. You helped out because you knew people would do the same for you. That's the enduring spirit of Oklahoma.

[@bentrod3405]

Same thing happened with el reno. Watched it from outside the storm shelter door pass a mile and a half north of my house. I was about 10 at the time. Next day me and my mom went about making sandwiches and getting cases of water to give out to people helping with the cleanup. Oklahoma, for all ot’s faults, is unlike anywhere else on the planet.

[@hexmaniacgabby5160]

I've thought of living there pardon my ignorance as I've only been in California but whenever I tell people I'm afraid of tornadoes they act like I'm silly "but what about earthquakes" it's been quite some time since we've had any that were concerning.

[@dexlovesgames_dlg]

It’s not unique to Oklahoma, that’s the enduring spirit of humanity right there. You see it after every single big tragedy and it’s god damned beautiful

[@lepain0278]

Think that’s a pretty global thing, for the most part

[@yurthouse.]

Emp, this is one of your best. The emotion I felt during your narration over the may 3rd footage was terrifying. Thank you for doing what you do.

[@jeffstewert12]

26:40 - this was the last F5 on American soil, the last F5 to be recorded was the 2007 Elie, Manitoba tornado. The Canadian weather service would switch to the EF scale in 2013, making it both the first and last F5 to be classified as such in Canada.

[@weggesaurusrex6007]

As a resident of Moore, this is the last video I would have ever thought EmpLemon would do, but thank you. The May 20th Tornado shot a 2 mile gap between the elementary school I was attending and my house. Blessed to be alive Edit: Upon rewatch, I have noticed that it was headed straight at me at one point, but the sharp turn at 29:34 is where it shifted and passed just South. Insane

[@chef4025]

What elementary school were you at? I had friends at Plaza and I personally went to Heritage Trails. Good thing nothing happened to my school because my mom thought the buses would take me home and I was one of a few kids left at the school

[@weggesaurusrex6007]

@@chef4025 Central Elementary. I remember not really knowing what to expect after the storm, but when I walked out and the entire town was a different color and covered in debris, it was the most earth-shattering realization of how dangerous the situation was. Truly one of the most harrowing experiences of my life

[@chemergency]

I wasn't there during the 5/20/13 tornado, but was there on 5/3/99. All I can remember is the sky being black as night and after hearing the loudest noises I've ever heard in my life up til now when we came out of the basement, it was clear blue skies surrounding the mayhem and carnage. I was only 4 years old and couldn't even begin to comprehend what the Hell just happened, I thought it was Godzilla or something. We were lucky to still have a home to return to after even if it was covered in shit and had several broken windows. My grandma's house was not so lucky, but God willing we all made it out of that cellar with our lives.

[@weggesaurusrex6007]

@@chemergency I was 12 when May 20th came through. The entire neighborhood next to mine was gone and most of my neighbors houses were severely damaged. My house miraculously was still standing with blown out windows and some roof damage.

[@danielclark-hughes692]

The strength and tenacity of you and your townsfolk is a thing of beauty.

[@grindstone4910]

Fucking mistake to watch this today, in Oklahoma, while the NWS issues one of the worst storm predictions in years for this evening. Good luck, everyone

[@lollikabosso.w.n7153]

Update us please

[@StaraptorEagle]

Edmondite here, no damage to my house. I think Edmond was spared.

[@trevornimmo]

@@lollikabosso.w.n7153basically nothing happened. A couple of smaller tornadoes.

[@rattlesnakebiscuits]

@@lollikabosso.w.n7153 There was actually a bad tornado... preliminary rating EF4 last I checked... that hit Barnsdall, OK, killing 2 people, but the nightmare scenario that the NWS envisioned never quite seemed to materialize.

[@widecat1404]

Truly incomparable storytelling work. One of the few videos on this platform that has truly moved me on an emotional level. You did a damn good job with this one.

[@benjamindion7221]

This has been one of the best things I have ever watched on KZbin. Incredible video. Extremely well done documentary. Easiest subscription bell I have ever pushed…

[@cyberpunk3116]

Hello from Oklahoma lol. It's honestly pretty nice living here, most of the time. I did watch the F5 in 2013 in person though, it hit a bunch of buildings central to my life. Lucky to be alive. Watched Gary England growing up. I have a stuffed White Buffalo toy given to me by a native friend. It's certainly one of the places of all time.

[@blindonabudget6953]

BOOMER

[@cyberpunk3116]

@@blindonabudget6953 ZOOMER sorry SOONER

[@robertridley-fj8zz]

​@@cyberpunk3116Howler?

[@Cortney_Mikel]

It's actually pretty underrated living here. I like it way more than I thought I would. Lol

[@brodylemmons9661]

@@Cortney_Mikel Good cost of living, but the history of the sate scares me, ever hear of the Tulsa Massacre?

[@plasma3878]

little did Emplemon know that when he released this video, the plains were seeing some of the worst tornado outbreaks in years and 2 days after this the NOAA put out a severe weather alert of 30% hatching risk (hatching just means we are going to see some kind of extreme weather) for tornados and guess who is in that area... Moore, Oklahoma And like 90% of Oklahoma...

[@joeysk4634]

I really hope nothing bad happens anywhere here in central and all of Oklahoma today, and I wish everyone the very best that will be in the path of this weather we're going to have, we'll all need it. But I would be lying if I didn't say I think it would be ironic if an EF5 came and struck Moore three days after this videos release

[@ClefairyRox]

We're having the second Potentially Dangerous Situation tornado watch in barely over a week. It's really bad. The poor people down in Sulphur have barely even started cleanup after their town got leveled.

[@porkyminch1640]

@@joeysk4634 prophet

[@bokunogentoo4420]

Tennessee had a really bad time today with a tornado emergency

[@Whatdaballllllllllio]

Our neighborhood got hit by this four days ago. Luckily the damage wasn’t anywhere near as bad as a couple towns over and no one lost their lives.

[@paulyiustravelogue]

Love the unassuming title and your signature narration that sounds so smoothing and calm. Great stuff.

[@josephjiran9500]

This is the first video I ever seen on this channel. Gonna go watch the rest now. This is extremely well made content. Bravo.

[@SirTylerGolf]

I don't think my boss will mind if i take the next 42 minutes off

[@soupious]

Im sure he wouldn’t tyler

[@SirTylerGolf]

@@soupious he's a she

[@robertridley-fj8zz]

@@soupious Don't you mean, "he wouldn't Tyler off "

[@baoboumusic]

I'm sure he's doing the same.

[@kyleedwards8064]

You can't work and listen at the same timr?

[@cinna-manspice4449]

As an Ojibwa native, I love your empathy towards the Native Americans without needing to fall in the line with “white guilt”…I mean I know you’re Asian, but you know what I mean. Anyways, thank you Emp.

[@ariduslv]

I really appreciate that Emp cares enough to explain very important American history events regarding natives that literally no other youtuber his size explains. Being from Europe it also helps to put things into perspective for me personally.

[@colatf2]

@@ariduslvhe’s not the only large channel who has explained modern Native American Indian history, but he does right by it.

[@lambda653]

He's half asian half white right?

[@dashiellgillingham4579]

Some people think they’re responsible for things long-dead villains did to their neighbors, their land, and their community without the consent of the future. We aren’t. We are responsible for what we do now, as people, who fight to right these wrongs or wallow in the lingering corruption of those dead villains.

[@cinna-manspice4449]

@@ariduslv It’s important to teach history, and it’s important to be spontaneous enough to catch people’s attention. I’ve been watching Emp for years, he’s quite the enigma.

[@fungusbungus4916]

I was born in Massachusetts and moved around a whole lot my entire life throughout the east and midwest of the country. When I was 15 I ended up in Oklahoma City, I've been here for going on 6 years. I'm only 9 minutes into the video and you've already encapsulated what it's like living in this state. I fucking hate it most of the time, but it has such an eery, haunting beauty to it. Edit: that was a masterpiece I definitely cried. Gives me a lot of perspective about where I live- it has so much history, and has seen so much tragedy even without the tornados. Great video

[@JonathanLit]

Another fantastic video Emp. Very very well done!

[@jigwignibs]

As a meteorologist, Moore's tornado in 1999 absolutely terrifies me. Hits me on the level of fear as Jarrell, 1997. May those who passed away during this time rest easy. For those who suffer trauma from this day, please take care of yourselves.

[@skrounst]

As an amateur meteorological enthusiast, Jarrell scares the crap out of me. Just how slow it moved, and how black it was. With the multiple vortices moving so elegantly, and devastating at the same time. It's like it had a vendetta against that subdivision, it found that one populated neighborhood and just stopped moving all together, basically evaporating those houses.

[@literallya442ndclonetroope5]

I struggle to imagine what the second 2013 f5 tornado would have been like to report and track. It would have been an absolute catastrophe.

[@worldprops333]

@@literallya442ndclonetroope5 PCH and tri state:

[@CassandraPantaristi]

​@@skrounst "The Dead Man Walking. If you see him, you are about to die."

[@VulpesHilarianus]

@@skrounst Jarrell was one of the tornadoes that used to get talked about all the time on the early internet, especially considering it had eerie parallels to the drive-in tornado from Twister. Seeing grainy 320x244 images poorly scanned from film to digital back in the day made it all the more intimidating, because there was just a white sky with a black wedge sitting on the horizon. Without footage your imagination went wild.

[@PsRohrbaugh]

I love the way you tell stories. Great stuff.

[@johnnyfamous]

Yeah blaming the deaths of innocent people on the curse the white man has brought upon themselves is ultra based

[@norged]

That is the biggest donation I've ever seen in a yt comment

[@qjames0077]

Respect to this guy, he didn't even leave a comment

[@hirako7620]

damn

[@Lego_Huracan_SuperTrofeo]

Truly a based individual

[@garbageship632]

Really enjoying the history documentaries! Real work you’ve been putting out emp!

[@retronickmusic]

From Oklahoma. This was an amazing documentary. I lived through all of these. The 2003 came the closest to me as I was working in Moore at the time. I absolutely refuse to live in a home without a tornado shelter. Gary England is a legend here. Growing up watching him, he was always unflappable. The calm voice of reason in times of terror. The May 3rd 1999 tornado however, changed him. He used to always say "don't panic. Get to your safe spot". On this day however, I distinctly remember him just say "If you don't get underground you are going to die. Safe spot won't cut it this time ". I had trusted England my whole life to calmly tell me what was happening during the storm, and on that day he was shook. It's strange to outsiders, but our meteorologists have local celebrity status here.

[@Dunmerdog]

I get a sad feeling every time an Emp video drops. Not for what was gained, but for the fact that the clock has just been reset. “His spirit is exhausted at the peak of its achievement. His meridian is at once his darkening and the evening of his day.”

[@FlowMichael]

This desert upon which so many have been broken is vast and calls for largeness of heart but is also ultimately empty. Its very nature is stone.

[@robertridley-fj8zz]

You remind me of something my grandmother used to say regarding her pet budgie; "I'd buy him a cuttlefish shell, but he would only peck it.

[@kylecope528]

I wan to know the source for this quote.

[@gman3976]

Based Cormac McCarthy enjoyer 👍

[@willlubetkin3804]

@@kylecope528 Blood Meridian

[@timothyschollux]

38:20 - the poor woman hit by both (E)F-5 was Nancy E. Davis.

[@ChummiaChan]

This documentary is heyond amazing, awesome storytelling and really good editing, the thrill of watching and tuning in is sure real here, good job! ❤

[@krookedkarma181]

It never ceases to amaze me just how high of a quality your documentaries are

[@jumnyum]

23:23 You can hear just this raw terror in his voice. Your job as a weather reporter tends to be showing splotches of red and green on a map, but no amount of science or diagrams can truly put into words how horrifying seeing the actual thing is- and watching it rip to shreds entire sections of your city effortlessly.

[@KaiserMattTygore927]

Years later, you'd have Mike Morgan literally break into tears live during one of the 2013 tornadoes.

[@OzzyNToby]

Yeah that's crazy

[@theninjapenguin1862]

Fr. Had the same response once when I was chased by a giant dragonfly

[@jumnyum]

@@theninjapenguin1862 no one is going to understand this except for like 12 people

[@swagrodgersmichaelpenisjr.1187]

the part at 24:03 was even more chilling to me

[@packmore9561]

emp might unironically be one of the best storytellers currently on the site. there simply isn't anything like the feeling of electric excitement and horror that i get when he talks about something like this.

[@avemetatarsaliaenthusiast8202]

I want to say with no exaggeration that this is one of the finest documentaries ever made for any severe weather event that I am aware of. I've been a long time weather watcher and I can regrettably admit that I've become more than a bit numb to the catastrophe that tornadoes can bring and the statistics that follow. You did an incredible job tying so much of this state's long and troubled history to those two fateful days and made it meaningful in a way I haven't felt in ages. I spent much of my time watching in tears feeling like I wanted to scream at the horrors afflicted upon the various residents of the region, and at the same time in awe at humanity's ability to keep going through it all. I know there's already several thousand comments on this, so you probably won't see mine, but I couldn't help but let all this out. Thank you for making such a thing.

[@dirtbagdeacon]

This was an interesting video. The way you wove in history and folklore was really quite fascinating. Great work.

[@purplehaze2358]

"The sun may not always shine, but the weather's always fair." This, with no exaggeration, sent a chill up my spine.

[@spicytuna62]

I've lived in Oklahoma for more than 25 years. Either you're an armchair meteorologist, or you know one. And it's May 3 and May 20 that's the reason why. My brother rented a house in 2018 off 4th Street in Moore, just east of I-35. His house was built in the mid-60s. Two houses down, and every single house in the neighborhood past that point was new. There were several driveways to nowhere, too. Your actual odds of being hit by a tornado in Oklahoma are still very low. The odds that it will be a strong or violent tornado are lower still. And the odds that you will die in a tornado are incredibly thin. But sometimes, people get hit. Sometimes, these things roll into populated areas. And sometimes, they cause utter devastation like this. The 2013 tornado traumatized a lot of people. Some of the most haunting images and descriptions thereof came from the 2013 tornado. "Slab swept clean" was, for those hit by the tornado at EF5 intensity, the only way to describe it.

[@jacekatalakis8316]

I'd need to go find it, but it was said in a documentary that it traumatized an entire generation of children and they were hyper weather aware from that moment on. I know Carly did an absolutely amazing, heartbreaking video on the mental health side of things and hearing about children so traumatized they felt they had no choice but to end it all is absolutely, absolutely bone chilling and heart breaking. To me the trauma of it does not get talked about enough at all with tornadoes. I'm going to paraphrase what I said on Carly's video, but, I hope that everyone who needs it, no matter where you are, no matter your situation, can get the help you need after a tornado and no mattter if that help is physical, emotional or whichever sort of help it is. This goes for everyone, from the people who are hit by it, to the trackers that are watching the devastation unfold on air, to the meteorologists who are stood in front of a screen, and doing their best to keep people safe.

[@time2fly2124]

"Slab swept clean" is actually one of the damage indicators the NWS uses to determine if a tornado was an EF5. it also describes other things of "incredible" magnitude, such as ordinary objects turning into missiles and embedding in objects that one would never thing they could penetrate into. tornadoes can also be finicky in their damage, and ive seen pictures of homes ripped apart, but glasses on kitchen tables still sitting perfectly like nothing even happened.

[@RancidTacoGas]

There’s tornados today in Oklahoma, almost always is in the first week of May. Thanks for giving us some attention, Emp!

[@eppinizer]

Very impressive work, sir. I watch far too many KZbin videos and your writing, editing, and delivery are some of the best on the platform. I appreciate the time you take to put out high quality videos.

[@brenobassocenci6571]

I live in the far south of Brazil, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. In the past week or so, the entire state is getting struck with south americas version of tornatos, floods. Yesterday, i visited one of the cities that was flooded, the entire place was underwater, nothing could be seen for miles on end. Days before, i needed to evacuate my home, but it took some hours. I needed to stay on top of our house's roof with my family, as the rain poured down and the water slowly creeped up to our feet. Houses getting moved and destroyed by the force of the flood and people still screaming inside them haunt me at night. It really is an scary and horrible feeling of inevitable doom. We fortunatelly got rescued by firefighters on boats and escaped. We are now on a ginasium, temporarely safe and trying our best to help others, out home unfortunately got swallowed and destroyed. (Sorry for bad English) Update: Me and my family will be moving to another state to live with our relatives on the far middle of Brazil, it’s sad to say goodbye to to the south and to all the friends I have here, but it really isn’t my decision and it’s the only option we have. (Thank you for all the awesome comments!)

[@namedrop721]

Hi friend, thank you for the update on your life, please be safe-and if you can, continue to update us on your progress. May your feet and your head be blessed.

[@vyrus2]

I’m so sorry bro. I can’t even imagine. That sounds absolutely horrifying but thank god you are ok. Also, dude, your English is excellent lol. Wouldn’t have known you weren’t from England or America if you didn’t mention it.

[@LGPanthers1]

Your English is totally fine; prayers up to you and yours for keepin on and being some of the fortunate ones

[@drawndown]

Your English was great! Better than most Americans. I hope you and yours are safe, and wish you all a safe path to recovery in these trying times.

[@DomSte128]

Nossa amigo, que tenso. Que Deus abençoe a você e sua família, te desejo tudo de melhor cara.

[@imarock.7662]

As an Okie, I wanna say thanks for making this video about Oklahoma. Our state is never talked about, so it was nice to see a video from such a big channel talk about the state and not shy away from it's awful past, and also talk about it's bizarre history and weather. EDIT: The timing of this video is insane. Oklahomas weather has been going wild like ive never seen these past few days with more to come tonight.

[@lukejohnson1698]

Saw that y’all are supposed to get a huge storm system tonight, please stay safe

[@imarock.7662]

​@@lukejohnson1698We'll try, man.

[@NumberOneRatedSaIesman1997]

donttt you shy awayyy

[@zaccagfbpa404]

This is one of the greatest videos by you. As always, quality increases with time. It's enchanting and poetic, and very telling as I'm watching this as my home town in southern Brazil is being swallowed by another natural force coming from the skies: pounding rain, causing rivers to overflow. And I can somehow relate to Oklahoma people's fear and also to the questioning of why people move to such places prone to disasters.

[@ODOTGreen]

You're a video essay legend. Another fantastic docu on an incredible topic. Love the inclusion of indigenous American history.

[@dontnormally]

I really appreciate how you bring in the plight of the natives. Or perhaps rather, how you follow the plight of the natives to find these stories. It's our history, and you're one of the few out here making sure it's integral to your stories.

[@jaytb5815]

Honestly this video nearly brought me to tears. This is one of the most thoughtful videos I've seen in a long time. One of my favorite things about Emplemon's videos is that every seemingly innocuous detail he brings up in his intros somehow tie into the ending like a tapestry. The albino bison from the natives' mythology being tied to the tornado was such an incredible detail to include, especially after starting the video with the story of the American natives in Oklahoma. He really follows Chekhov's Gun to a tee. Needless to say I'm inspired.

[@UNHchabo]

@@jaytb5815 For this very reason, I'll recommend EmpLemon's video "TALLADEGA: Nascar's Most Feared Track" to anyone, even if you're not a fan of racing. He ties in the story in similar brilliant ways there.

[@sh0gun1223]

I can't help but feel that he glossed over the Indian wars though... Yes, he stated that they were continually hemmed in, but things like the buffalo hunts were not just viewed as resource extraction without limit, but as an active campaign, a war held through different means. "Every dead buffalo is an Indian gone."- General Dodge And during that period, there was a marked increase in conflicts, including such well known battles as the Battle of Little Bighorn. I don't know, that part of the video just left me wanting.

[@VoltageWatts]

As sad as it is to say, you get used to the tornados. They go from some monumental once in a lifetime disaster as they would be seen as most other places, to being just another Tuesday.

[@queenchespin]

cave story pfp comment liked

[@linguisticlinguini]

The editing in these videos always give me chills. Amazing work Emp.

[@howdier0362]

This video was amazing, thank you for it

[@AntiActionFox]

My grandma was vice president of our indian tribe in 2001 ( kiowa ) . She grew up with kiowa as her first language and had it beat out of her in riverside indian school. She still speaks some words to me today and i speak to her too. There are still people alive who were beat for speaking their native language even here in Oklahoma. I think many people don't know this. I remember the 2013 tornado. I was hungry and just got my driver license and sat at cicis and stuffed my face full of pizza watching the tornado destroy a bunch of stuff live just 15 miles away from me. Teenage apathy at its best. Ted fujita was also one of the first japanese men who correctly understood the science between the atomic bombing as he was sent to conduct studies soon after it happened. Please come visit we have hitler's mirror on public display at a museum here . Yes , you can take a mirror selfie with it.

[@Stable_Genius]

Thank you for sharing. 😊

[@marse5729]

Hitler's mirror?

[@AntiActionFox]

@@marse5729 yep. In Oklahoma of all places

[@marse5729]

@@AntiActionFox Are you talking about a literal mirror or someone comparable to Hitler?

[@AntiActionFox]

@@marse5729 he styled his little mustache in it during the mornings.

[@fbc1085]

I was raised in Moore, Oklahoma. Lived there for 24 years. I was living between Indian hills Rd and 19th street just next to I-35, you could throw a rock and it would land in Norman. I experienced both those tornadoes, May 3rd and May 20th. My brother, sister, and I always grew up talking about how much we wanted to get out of Moore. It was not a life for us to dodge tornadoes every year and see if we have to rebuild and lose everything. I was lucky. I never once lost my home but I remember explicitly that fateful day of May 20th. I remember being the first one to open my storm shelter, seeing the sky nothing but falling debris. The shingles fell down like snow. When I got my phone to contact relatives and friends, there was no cell service. I couldn't drive, there was no power for two days, and no one knew who was alive but what you saw in the cul-de-sac. It's a feeling that still sticks to me today. Never in my wildest dream would I see a video about my hometown, about my childhood. I thought I would never be able to fully share a story quite like mine to others to even describe the events that went on in my adolescent years. Seeing the footage of the storm, the roads, the aftermath. It's a piece of me I can't ever forget, whether I want to or not. I am happy I got my chance to finally move from Moore and made it to greener pastures out on the east coast, but I'm even happier knowing that what happened in 2013 has remained in the past. Thank you Emp. This video is more impactful than you'll ever know.

[@scraub8913]

I love these documentaries you do, this one was very good.

[@chance9512]

Goddammit dude your adjustment of tornado sirens into an ominous unearthly background noise is beyond compare. I literally shivered even though I heard the test sirens just on monday.

[@coolkid006]

get ready to hear more tomorrow brother 🤣💯

[@glamazon6172]

@@coolkid006We will once again sing the song of our people 😮📢

[@zacharyjeffares8158]

My dad was a truck driver for a long while, hauling stuff all over Canada and the US. He was chased by a tornado once in all that time; don’t remember where he said but he described it like this: Before it hit you could see the clouds gather over the minutes and become as tall as mountains. Close enough to hear the trees groan and the earth rumble. When it touched down it intensified and the rain pounded and swirled. Hail mixed in being flung like golf balls being dropped from a plane. All the while you look out your mirror and see a wall so large you would think it would swallow the ground whole if it fell over.

[@MidlifeCrisisJoe]

Dad did sales throughout the the US and as his kids got older, he'd take us on some of those trips. The only time I ever personally saw a tornado it was when I was driving with him out of northern Texas going west toward, eventually, California on one of these. It was miles away in the distance as it formed, but the storm that made it was extreme and we could feel it as we drove even as far away as it was. It was just wild to witness something that massive and huge come into existence, knowing that if it were closer, we'd just get torn up instantly.

[@mayfields5092]

dude you’ve been my fav youtuber for a while. i have been pretty into tornados for a week or two because i was near one (the omaha ones a little while ago) and to see you make a vid on them is amazing. like i already will watch your videos on any topic bc you’re a great storyteller, but to see it on something i’ve been so into recently is so cool :) thank you

[@warp5581]

This videos was fascinating yet harrowing. You're a narrative genius emp.

[@twolikes9778]

I was in school at Jefferson elementary in Norman the day Moore was his in 2013. I remember hiding in the bathroom with my hands covering my head with all my classmates. My mom was in the office screaming at the teachers trying to get me home. She was forced to stay and seek cover in the school, thankfully it never touched us but I remember hearing my teacher screaming crying as she was told her house was destroyed in the storm. Such a surreal moment in my life. One I won’t ever forget

[@hunterketch989]

Why was it in the bathroom? My schools always had the gyms as the rooms reinforced for shelter (large and no windows and all that)

[@twolikes9778]

@@hunterketch989 our school didn’t have a designated tornado shelter area. The bathrooms were considered the safest just because there was no windows, small enclosed area. Thinking back it’s gross that they made us huddle in the bathroom but

[@hunterketch989]

@@twolikes9778 damn fr? I hope Jefferson isn’t still like that

[@glamazon6172]

@@hunterketch989It’s shocking how poorly equipped Oklahoma schools are to withstand tornadoes. I grew up in Norman and taught in a nearby city for 12 years.

[@sydneyaustin3759]

@@hunterketch989our school used a hallway lol

[@kinglardicus8596]

"To absolve the nation of its sins, one ill-fated town must be swallowed by the sky and witness the gates of hell." That line goes hard man.

[@ROOSTER333]

Not really. That's like saying me and my kids are responsible for slavery. No one is responsible for those things that are alive today.

[@ZenDeeby]

@@ROOSTER333 The *nation,* you mouthbreather, not *its people.*

[@rainshand7951]

@@ZenDeeby delusional

[@Hand_of_NOD]

​@rainshand7951 You're delusional for thinking he's wrong. This nation was literally built off the purposeful suffering of others. It's history soaked in blood.

[@ROOSTER333]

@@ZenDeeby WTF do you think makes a nation 🤣. It's the people and the culture. Not paying for others mistakes, unless you wanna pay for other cultures crimes on my people

[@joshuarufe]

there was another Byson that turned out white and a town got flattened by a EF4 tornado needless to say that is one hell of a coincidence

[@Sinjun-pd7js]

My Mother and Grandmother both lived through the events of May 3rd. They loved this video. Thank you for making this ❤

[@_Devil]

May God have mercy on the souls who were claimed by the Moore, El Reno, Joplin, Villonia, Tuscaloosa, and every other tornado from the 2011, 2012, and 2013 seasons. You will be remembered.

[@Eingefallen]

May God have mercy on all that ever wandered that land

[@chucklebutt4470]

I mean, it sucks but they choose to live there lmao. It keeps fucking happening and the yokels just rebuild right where they're at.

[@DagobahResident]

I currently live in Moore and just mentioning May 3rd is enough to invoke a momentary silence from locals. I was only 7 at the time but can still remember my parents desperately herding my siblings and I into our storm shelter in Norman. I also know someone who takes a large dose of anxiety meds because of the trauma she suffered after that storm

[@TMOQF]

My dad worked in Joplin the during that time, fortunately he wasn't in Joplin during that storm.

[@chef4025]

My aunt and uncles farm got demolished and they had to move to New Mexico from El Reno. I never saw them again.