Oklahoma tornado damage estimated at $2 billion

The Moore, Okla. tornado is now estimated to have caused more than $2 billion in damages and destroyed or damaged approximately 13,000 homes, officials said Wednesday.

Oklahoma Insurance Department spokeswoman Calley Herth said that this $2 billion estimate is based on visual evaluations of the affected area, according to The Associated Press.

Herth further said that the damage in Moore could top the $2 billion in damages from the tornado that tore through Joplin, Mo. in 2011 and killed 161 people. She noted that the twister in Moore left a larger path of destruction than the Joplin tornado.

The Moore tornado is known to have killed 24 people, including nine children, according to NY Daily News, though officials expect to find more bodies as more of the debris is removed. Six adults are currently unaccounted for.

Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett said Wednesday that between 12,000 and 13,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, and 33,000 people were affected by the storm, according to The Washington Post.

Officials cannot currently estimate how many people were left homeless due to the fact that many have been taken in by relatives and estimates cannot therefore be gleaned from the number of people who stayed in Red Cross shelters.

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