As residents in Oklahoma pick up the pieces of their lives, there are many agencies and organizations providing disaster relief. KGOU has compiled a list of resources to aid in the recovery.

Update 845pm, May 23, 2013

OKStrong reports that Oklahoma residents seeking non-emergency disaster or health and human service information, should contact the local 2-1-1. Services are available 24 hours a day by dialing 2-1-1 from home or cellular telephones. Only call 911 for emergencies.

Art, culture, and politics are closely linked in China, and until the mid-1960s Cultural Revolution government officials viewed Western classical music as an unwelcome outsider.

“For a while the piano was regarded as the ultimate expression of the bourgeoisie,” says Richard Kraus, a University of Oregon political scientist and the author of Pianos and Politics in China: Middle-Class Ambitions and the Struggle over Western Music. “[Then] Mao's wife decided she liked the piano, and there was then sort of the idea that you need to adapt Western technology and art to serve Chinese political purposes. So after about 1968 the piano was alright.”

Resources for parents, teachers, mental health professionals, and first responders, compiled by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network:

After the Tornado: Helping Young Children Heal (PDF)

A band of thunderstorms is battering the Oklahoma City area and slowing cleanup operations in the southern suburb where a tornado killed 24 people and destroyed thousands of homes earlier this week.

The National Weather Service said Thursday that the storms are producing hail, heavy rain and high winds. A flash flood warning is also in effect for some areas.

The Weather Service says more severe storms are forecast for late afternoon and at night. It says tornados are a possibility.

Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak announced the opening of the Consumer Assistance Command Center to assist tornado victims. The Command Center is located at 301 NE 27th St. in Moore. All major insurance companies are on location with mobile response units to help victims of the tornado with insurance claims. 

The Oklahoma Insurance Department is working closely with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) to provide support to anyone who calls our toll-free Consumer Assistance hotline – 1-800-522-0071.

Investigators with the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office are charged with investigating instances of price gouging.  Anyone who believes they have experienced the illegal practice of price gouging is encouraged to contact the Attorney General’s office. 

Similarly, those who encounter what they suspect is charity fraud during this time of recovery and relief are also encouraged to call.  The number is 405-521-2029.  

For more information, visit http://www.ok.gov/okstrong/.

The Federal Government’s Emergency Management Agency lists the following locations as shelters:

The New Castle Storm Shelter, 851 N. Carr in Newcastle, OK

OU Walker Center Dormitory, 1400 Asp Ave., At the University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK

The Moore Community Center, 301 South Howard, Oklahoma City, OK

Saint Andrews United Methodist Church, 2727 SW 119th Street, Oklahoma City, OK

Shawnee High School, 1001 North Kennedy, Shawnee, Ok

Below are the locations where Red Cross food, supplies and assistance are available. In these locations, people can find a safe refuge, food and snacks, emotional support, health care services and information about what other help is available.