Miracle in the News: F5 Tornado Hits Daycares | Ep. 38

Summary

The Miracle Files: Miracle in the News – F5 Tornado Hits Daycares | Ep. 38

Release Date: July 14, 2025

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Introduction

In Episode 38 of The Miracle Files, hosted by Holly and Emily from Radio America, the duo delves into a harrowing yet uplifting true story of divine intervention amidst one of nature's fiercest storms. Titled "Miracle in the News: F5 Tornado Hits Daycares," this episode recounts the events of an F5 tornado that struck Moore, Oklahoma, in 2013, highlighting miraculous survivals and the unwavering faith of those involved.

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The Devastating Tornado

The episode opens with Holly expressing her deep personal connection to the subject, revealing that her son resides in the vicinity of Moore, Oklahoma.

Holly: "Yes, it is. I actually have a son, McKay, and his little family who live in a suburb of Oklahoma City. So yeah, this one, this story was a little extra scary for me, sure." [03:09]

On May 20, 2013, a violent F5 tornado, with wind speeds ranging between 261 and 318 miles per hour, touched down in Moore, a densely populated suburb of Oklahoma City. The tornado rapidly evolved, prompting the highest level of tornado alert, a tornado emergency, signaling a severe threat to human life.

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Daycare Centers in the Path of Destruction

Three daycares were directly in the path of the tornado: Abby Larsson's daycare, Kids USA Daycare, and Agape Land Learning Center. Abby had recently fulfilled her lifelong dream of owning a daycare, making the impending disaster even more personal.

Holly: "Abby Larsson had finally saved up enough money to buy a daycare, which was her lifelong dream." [04:34]

As the tornado approached, Abby and her assistant Heather Walker swiftly enacted their emergency preparedness plans. Despite the absence of a basement or storm shelter—a common oversight even in tornado-prone Oklahoma—the staff took decisive action to protect the children.

Heather Walker (Abby's Assistant): "I passed them our little nap mats that they actually take naps on. And I had them put them over the children. And then we were all locked and cuddled together." [04:58]

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Miraculous Survivals Amidst Chaos

Tragically, the tornado claimed 24 lives in Moore. However, within the chaos, miraculous events unfolded at the three daycares. Of particular note is the story of Aria Baird, a four-year-old child at Agape Land Learning Center, who was miraculously saved from the tornado's grip.

Brittany Rogers, Teacher: "The news people are saying, if you're not underground, you will not survive... This is it." [07:07]

As debris rained down and the building was torn apart, Ms. Kathy, another teacher at Agape Land, heard Aria being pulled toward the tornado. With sheer bravery, she grabbed Aria's leg, refusing to let go despite the chaos.

Ms. Kathy: "Don't let me go. I go with you." [09:15]

Brittany Rogers: "I'm very thankful for them. They risked their life to save my child. It means the world to me." [10:32]

Miraculously, no lives were lost in any of the daycares. Theteachers' quick actions and unwavering faith played a pivotal role in ensuring the safety of all children present.

Ms. Kathy: "I am not an expert, but in my heart, I really believe that if they hadn't covered those children, if we hadn't covered those children, those children would be gone." [10:12]

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Aftermath and Community Rebuilding

In the wake of the tornado, the community of Moore demonstrated remarkable resilience. Donations flooded in, aiding in the rebuilding of the daycares and other affected structures. Abby Larsson's daycare was restored, and significant infrastructural improvements were implemented across Oklahoma City, including the construction of storm shelters in all schools to better prepare for future tornadoes.

Holly: "God always turns, whether it's tragedies or whatever happens to us for our good. And both miracles and tragedies can be catalysts for change." [14:05]

The city’s response transformed Moore into a model of strength and preparedness, inspiring other communities to adopt similar safety measures.

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Faith, Miracles, and Reflections

Throughout the episode, Holly and Emily reflect on the profound role of faith during crises. They emphasize trusting in a higher plan and recognizing divine intervention in moments of fear and uncertainty.

Holly: "Genuinely, I don't think we can second guess God. I think we just have to trust that he has a plan for each of us and that when there is divine intervention, I think we just have to praise him for it." [13:07]

Emily: "He can see the bigger picture. Like, he can just see so much more than we can." [13:33]

The hosts also highlight the heroic actions of the daycare staff, drawing parallels to other instances where individuals put themselves at risk to protect others, thereby embodying true acts of selflessness and courage.

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Conclusion

Episode 38 of The Miracle Files masterfully intertwines a gripping true crime narrative with inspirational stories of faith and survival. By recounting the miraculous events during the 2013 F5 tornado in Moore, Oklahoma, Holly and Emily offer listeners a testament to the enduring power of hope, resilience, and divine intervention. This episode not only honors the heroes who acted bravely in the face of disaster but also reinforces the belief that amidst darkness, miracles and light prevail.

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Notable Quotes:

• Holly: "But as I read about this tornado, amidst the tragedies, there were some absolutely incredible miracles that happened." [02:25]

• Brittany Rogers: "All I was thinking was, how is my son gonna make it without his mom." [08:24]

• Ms. Kathy: "If it weren't for Heather and Abby, I think I know the outcome would have been much different." [10:12]

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For more inspiring stories and divine interventions, subscribe to The Miracle Files on your favorite podcast platform and join Holly and Emily as they uncover more of God's miracles in everyday lives.

Transcript

[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Unknown]

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The Moore fire department is no stranger to tornadoes. The city has been hit by three violent tornadoes since the historic May 3, 1999 F5.

[Ryan Seacrest]

I don't know how to explain it, how to describe it. This is terrible.

[Holly]

This is war zone terrible.

[Ryan Seacrest]

This school is completely gone.

[Emily]

This is Miracles in the News. Welcome back to Miracles in the News. I am excited to hear what you're going to share with us today, Holly.

[Holly]

Well, you know about my obsession with tornadoes. I know you like tornadoes too, so. Yes, I was looking for a tornado miracle story and I came across this story, which it's crazy and it still gives me chills to even think about it.

[Emily]

Oh, I'm excited. We actually, when I was in eighth grade, we actually had a tornado hit our house, as, you know, true and not like a ton of damage. But ever since then, I have been super fascinated by tornadoes.

[Holly]

Yeah, they're so interesting and kind of beautiful, but at the same time, so scary. And I'll admit, like, I have chased tornadoes in my car before.

[Emily]

That sounds safe. Yeah, Christian actually does that too, though, so. So I don't see.

[Holly]

I knew there was a reason I liked him. But seriously, like, they're just. I think we're all a little bit fascinated by tornadoes, but I've only ever chased a small tornado. And today's story is about an F5 tornado, which I would never chase. I don't know what you know about F5 tornadoes, but their wind speeds can be between 261 and. And 318 miles per hour.

[Emily]

Wow.

[Holly]

Yeah.

[Emily]

That makes me a little bit nervous about the story that you're going to be sharing with us today.

[Holly]

Well, it should. And sadly, this tornado, like a lot of F5 tornadoes do, did take lives. It took 24 lives even. So it's really tragic. But as I read about this tornado, amidst the tragedies, there were some absolutely incredible miracles that happened.

[Emily]

Well, I'm already sad, so there better be. There better be some good.

[Holly]

I know, I'm sorry. I know, that's a bummer. It, I mean, it's just reality. But just wait for it, because this is an incredible story and it took place in 2013 when this F5 tornado hit Moore, Oklahoma. It's a suburb of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

[Emily]

That's where your son lives?

[Holly]

Yes, it is. I actually have a son, McKay, and his little family who live in a suburb of Oklahoma City. So yeah, this one, this story was a little extra scary for me, sure. But. On May 20, 2013, a tornado warning was issued for Moore. At 2:52pm, a cloud rotation had formed and was starting to touch down on the ground. And by 3:01pm, a tornado emergency had been issued for Moore, which is the highest tornado alert that you can have. And it means that there's a severe threat to, to human life.

[Emily]

Okay, so how big was more like, are we talking spread out farmland? Are we talking like densely populated city?

[Holly]

Well, I've been to Moore and it's pretty densely populated. I would say it probably has around like 60 something thousand people who live there anyway, so. Three years before this day, Abby Larsson had finally saved up enough money to buy a daycare, which was her lifelong dream. She'd always wanted to own her own daycare. And on the afternoon of May 30, 2013, Abby had run over to Walmart to just grab some juice for her daycare when her assistant, Heather Walker called her. Heather said, there is a bad storm. And I called all the parents, they're coming to get the children.

[Brittany Rogers]

Ten minutes later she said, it's bad. I need you to get back here quick. She and the rest of my staff had already put all the children in one location. She, she had the infants in car seats and she had exactly what she needed. She had our preparedness, our emergency preparedness binder.

[Emily]

Oh my gosh, that would be so scary to have to be in charge of all those kids in a situation like that. I mean, my kids, they get scared just hearing thunder.

[Holly]

Oh yeah, a lot of pleasure. And Abby was rushing back to the daycare. Cause she knew that Heather was dealing with all of this on her own. So she hurried back. But while she was running back, the tornado had not only touched down, but it had evolved into a 2 mile wide F5 tornado that was heading directly for their daycare. And she barely got back in time and hurried and joined the group of teachers and parents and 13 children in the bathroom, where her assistant Heather had already prepared everyone as much as she possibly could.

[Ryan Seacrest]

The staff did have a tornado plan. And as the Twister approached that day, they put it into action.

[Emily]

I had all my teachers and the kids go into the bathroom. I passed them our little nap mats that they actually take naps on. And I had them put them over the children. And then we were all locked and cuddled together. One of our parents had said a prayer and then there it was. Okay, so nap mats in an F5 tornado? Like, I'm not sure exactly how effective that's going to be. I mean, I'm sure it's better than nothing, but like, it'd be ideal if they had a basement or a shelter to go into.

[Holly]

And unfortunately, they didn't have a basement or a tornado shelter in Oklahoma. Yeah. So that was the best they could do. And you know, Oklahoma gets a lot of tornadoes, so. And most of them are not crazy big like this. So I think they kind of get lulled into a sense of like, oh, it's fine, you know.

[Emily]

Yeah.

[Holly]

But yeah, they didn't have a basement or a shelter.

[Emily]

It's crazy.

[Holly]

So. So here's where it gets even crazier. You're not going to believe this, but a second and a third daycare, Kids USA Daycare and Agape Land Learning center, who also didn't have basements or storm shelters.

[Emily]

Oh my gosh.

[Holly]

Were also in the direct path of this insane tornado. And as the tornado approached Agape Land Learning Center, a teacher named Ms. Kathy heard something absolutely terrifying on the TV.

[Brittany Rogers]

The news people are saying, if you're.

[Unknown]

Not underground, you will not survive. Just waiting for that moment, it was tearing up 711 across the street.

[Brittany Rogers]

This is it.

[Unknown]

It's here. It is on us.

[Emily]

That would be so terrifying. And to have to be in charge of all these kids.

[Holly]

Yeah, you can hear the fear in her voice.

[Emily]

Oh, what are you doing?

[Holly]

At this point, all they could do is just sit there and brace for impact. I mean, I can't imagine how terrifying that would be.

[Unknown]

Fifteen babies and toddlers inside this daycare the tornado was determined to demolish.

We had them in the bathrooms. At first. We had blankets on top of them, pillows. But then one of the directors brought us some crib mattresses, but they'd gotten out of the cribs, so we put that on top of them. It was perfect. You know, they were all covered.

Brittany Rogers, the teacher here, held the babies tight, including her own 15 month old son, Brady, while the roof peeled back and the walls caved in.

[Brittany Rogers]

And at that point, the lights went out, the roof sucked off the building. And the next 30 seconds to a minute was Just devastation. All kinds of debris was hitting us. I was thinking, how is my son gonna make it without his mom?

[Ryan Seacrest]

The daycare was completely destroyed.

[Ms. Kathy]

It just went black, you know, when the power went out. And then all of a sudden, the building was just gone.

[Emily]

Just gone. Like, in an instant. Was it just a pile of rubble? What does that mean?

[Holly]

Yeah. So all three daycares lost their roofs, and the walls were literally crumbling around them with debris flying everywhere. So the really crazy thing is that one child named Aria Baird, she was at Agape Learning center, and she got. She started to be sucked up out of the building. And her teacher, Ms. Kathy, just reached out and grabbed onto her leg.

[Emily]

Scary.

[Unknown]

Started pulling her up my leg. She said, don't let me go. Don't let me go. She's screaming, you know, And I was like, I'm not letting you go.

[Holly]

You go. I go with you.

[Unknown]

And I'm like, and we're taking the toilet with us. I held on that little girl's leg so tight that my fingers are white.

[Emily]

Oh, my gosh. That's so crazy.

[Holly]

I can't even imagine. And with this debris flying all over, I mean, they were getting pummeled by stuff. And I'm sure brave teachers, they just all covered the children with their bodies. Children and babies with their bodies. Many praying or crying out to Jesus. And let me tell you, their prayers were heard. Miraculously, not one life was lost in any of these daycares.

[Emily]

Wow. How is that possible? That's amazing, right?

[Holly]

Yeah. It truly was a miracle. And afterwards, the parents were grateful to God and grateful for these amazing angel teachers who saved their babies. Yeah. It was just amazing.

[Ms. Kathy]

I am not an expert, but in my heart, I really believe that if they hadn't covered those children, if we hadn't covered those children, those children would be gone. And if it weren't for Heather, if it weren't for Heather and Abby, I think I know the outcome would have been much different. Much different.

[Brittany Rogers]

I'm very thankful for them.

[Unknown]

They risked their life to save my child. It means the world to me.

[Ryan Seacrest]

A sentiment echoed by the smallest survivors.

[Unknown]

My teacher saved me.

[Holly]

He's so cute. Isn't that the sweetest?

[Emily]

Oh, my gosh.

[Holly]

Yeah. And we gotta hear from little Aria, too. She was the one that was being sucked into the tornado, and she was saved by Miss Kathy. But you gotta hear from her, too.

[Emily]

Okay.

[Unknown]

Twinkle, twinkle, little star Like a rib in the sky. My name's Aria and I am four. I remember me going up into the tornado, and my leg was Getting floating up a little bit. And Miss Kathy saved me from there.

[Emily]

Wow. These teachers were such heroes. I mean, it, like, reminds me of the teachers who, like, when there's a school shooting and they put themselves between their students and the shooter and they're just willing. I mean, I've been a teacher before. I know these students. They do feel like your own children. And I just. I think that's incredible.

[Holly]

It was absolutely miraculous. And all three of these daycares lost their. Their roofs, but Agape Land and a Step above were completely demolished. I mean, there was nothing left. Only these bathrooms were partially left. I mean, they walked out of these bathrooms to find just devastation completely surrounding them.

[Emily]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Holly]

And the crazy thing is, when I first started researching this story, I thought I was reading about one daycare. I thought there was one daycare that had experienced this crazy miracle and survived this F5 tornado. And then as I kept reading, I started realizing, wait, this is, like, three different daycares.

[Brittany Rogers]

Wow.

[Holly]

Somehow, miraculously, these people were all spared.

[Emily]

Yeah. I mean, clearly, these were miracles. If you can see the video, there's just, like, piles of rubble everywhere. The walls caved in. It is an absolute miracle that anyone could survive that, let alone all of the children in all these daycares.

[Holly]

Yeah.

[Emily]

Although it, like, it does make me pause and, you know, wonder about the people who did die in the tornado.

[Holly]

Yeah.

[Emily]

Why they weren't spared.

[Holly]

Yeah. I think that's a question that we all have, you know, every time.

[Emily]

I know.

[Holly]

Genuinely, I don't think we can second guess God. I think we just have to trust that he has a plan for each of us and that when there is divine intervention, I think we just have to praise him for it. And when there isn't, we still have to praise him and have faith that God is still good.

[Emily]

He is. He can see the bigger picture. Like, he can just see so much more than we can.

[Holly]

Yes.

[Emily]

Trust his trust, his reasons.

[Holly]

Yes. His ways are not our ways, and his thoughts are higher than ours. And by the way, I have sworn off chasing tornadoes after. After doing this story.

[Emily]

I'm gonna make Christian listen to the story, too, so that.

[Holly]

Yeah. Make him listen to it.

[Emily]

I realize that's probably no more tornado chasing.

[Holly]

No, seriously. And since the tornado in 2013, a lot of people have donated their time and their money, and they've pitched in to help these daycares rebuild. And Abby Larson's dream of owning a daycare has not died. With this tornado still alive and well, she still has a daycare. And all of the schools in Oklahoma City have gotten storm shelters now, including these daycare centers. So yeah, hallelujah.

[Emily]

Thinking like, why don't they have better shelters in Oklahoma? Like go to a basement, go to a shelter or something. So I'm glad to hear that.

[Holly]

Well, and one thing that I know is that God always turns, whether it's tragedies or whatever happens to us for our good. And both miracles and tragedies can be catalysts for change. And yeah, this tornado brought about a lot of change for this city. Like they came up with better building requirements and they mandated more storm shelters. And the whole city has become a model for. For other cities on how to prepare for a devastating tornado.

[Unknown]

Today the city is stronger, safer.

[Holly]

A.

[Unknown]

Model of how to rebuild better. The term more strong originated in the aftermath of the tornado. It's a city defined by its resilience, stronger today than ever before, and a model for how to come back from the brink of the to thrive.

[Holly]

So three years after the 2013 tornado, many of the children who survived the tornado came together for a celebration of life. And they sang a fun. A fun song called the prep step. So we will end with a segment of this song which I think would be awesome to teach to your kids. You can find it on YouTube. For those of you have who are parents or grandparents and want to teach your kids about preposterous preparing for a tornado. But let me just tell you, this is going to get stuck in your head all day and I. I apologize.

[Emily]

Forewarning. Yeah. All right, let's hear it.

[Holly]

Okay.

[Unknown]

One, two, three. Here we go. In case of emergencies, I know who to call. My ICE contacts near and far. We can try them all. Do the preset, do the friendship. Get ready, get set. In case of emergency. I know what to do. My family will have a plan and practice it too.

[Emily]

I don't like to teach that to my kids.

[Holly]

That was just a snippet of that song. If you want to listen to the whole thing, you can find it on YouTube like we said. But. And Emily and I are going to learn the dance for that song. Song for sure.

[Emily]

Oh, are we? I think you would do really good solo of that dance.

[Holly]

Oh, no, I don't want to do it by myself. You gotta do it with me.

[Emily]

But you like the song. It's catchy.

[Holly]

Okay. Anyway, thanks everyone for joining us for another miracles in the news. We hope that you have a wonderful day and don't forget to subscribe if you haven't already. And make sure to give us a review. Share with your friends. You know all that good stuff. We appreciate all of it.

[Emily]

And do the prep step.

[Holly]

Do do the prep step. Do it. Thank you for joining us. If you have a miracle to share, contact [e-mail] or find us on Facebook.

[Emily]

We're now releasing multiple episodes each month, so subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and YouTube for amazing video content as well.

[Holly]

Join us next time as we discover more more of God's miracles. And don't forget to look for his light in your own lives.

[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Unknown]

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