Barbara Garcia, right, sits with friends after a tornado destroyed much of their neighborhood in Moore, Okla. During an interview with CBS, Garcia found her dog buried in the wreckage of her house. (Getty Images)

After Tornado, A Dog Rescue Raises Spirits, And Gains Fans

May 21, 2013 — In a stroke of luck that added a rare bright spot to what has been a sad story of widespread devastation and loss of life, Moore, Okla., resident Barbara Garcia was reunited with her dog in dramatic fashion -- during an interview with CBS.

Before Monday's tornado hit, Barbara Garcia says, she had a gameplan. In the event of an emergency, she would gather up her little dog and retreat to a bathroom to wait out the storm. But after Monday's powerful twister blew through her neighborhood, Garcia tells CBS News, she couldn't find her dog.

And in a stroke of luck that added a rare bright spot to what has been a sad story of widespread devastation and loss of life, Garcia, bearing scrapes and bruises from her ordeal, was suddenly reunited with her pooch.

Garcia's story has been a hit, with the CBS video of the dog's rescue being passed around on Twitter.

The reunion came as Garcia was describing how the tornado destroyed her home, and covered her with rubble.

"When it stopped, I was right there — that Presto cooker is what I saw," Garcia told CBS News' Anna Werner, pointing to an area where she found herself lying in the remains of her house.

"And I hollered for my little dog, and he didn't answer, or didn't come," Garcia said, speaking over a nearly constant wail of sirens in the distance. "So I know he's in here, somewhere."

It turned out that Garcia, who maintained a remarkable degree of clarity and composure during the interview, was right. The dog was very close by — it seems the news crew was the first to spot it, peeking out from under a large piece of sheet metal.

"Bless your itty-bitty heart," Garcia said, as she crouched down to see her dog (who to this inexpert blogger looks to be a Schnauzer), peering out from beneath a pile of wreckage.

With a bit of help from the camera crew, Garcia freed the dog, who seemed to have suffered no major injuries from the storm. Later images showed the dog walking alongside his owner.

Garcia declared that both of her prayers — for her survival, and for her dog's — had been answered.

As a slideshow of images posted by NPR member station KGOU proves, Garcia wasn't the only person in Moore, Okla., who walked away from her wrecked home with her pet. Photos taken by Joe Wertz showed at least two other animals being rescued from the devastation.

Copyright 2013 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

Sleep-deprived teenagers face the greatest risk of accidents while driving at night. (iStockphoto.com)

Less Sleep For Teens Means Higher Risk For Car Crashes

May 21, 2013 — New, young drivers are much more likely to have an accident if they're short on sleep, researchers say. And teenage drivers are far more impaired than adults when facing an equivalent lack of sleep.

Parents who want to keep their teenagers safe while they're driving might want to tuck them in bed early the night before.

Drowsiness is a well-known risk for adult drivers, but teenage drivers are more impaired than adults when facing an equivalent lack of sleep, an Australian study finds.

"Young people are particularly at risk for sleep deprivation," Alexandra Martiniuk, lead author of a study on sleep teens study's lead author, and a researchers at the George Institute in Sydney, said in an email to Shots. "It doesn't take drastic sleep reductions to increase the risk of crash."

And many young people aren't getting nearly enough sleep. In this study, which tracked the habits of almost 20,000 new drivers in Australia for two years, 10 percent of the 17-year-olds and 17 percent of the 20- to 24-year-olds said they slept for six hours a night or less.

That's a lot less than the 8 1/2 to 9 1/4 hours of sleep a night that teenagers need, according to other studies.

Six hours of sleep a night was enough to increase the young people's relative risk of an accident. Those short-sleepers were also more likely to engage in risky behaviors like drinking and using illegal drugs.

The large number of participants in this study, and the fact that it followed their behavior over time, make it more likely to be accurate than studies that ask people to remember what they did. The researchers relied on police reports of accidents.

The findings lend support to the use of graduated drivers' licenses that keep new drivers from driving at night. It found that the risk of accidents was greatest when young people were driving between 8 p.m. and dawn. This may help explain why most fatal accidents with teenagers happen at night, even though most of their driving is done during the day.

Drinking and driving poses much more of a risk than lack of sleep, but the study didn't have a way to measure the new drivers' blood alcohol level at the time of accidents. That could confuse this data, but the scientists are confident that the lack of sleep remains a risk even when accounting for other factors.

"This age group is just learning to drive," Martiniak told Shots. Blunting a new driver's shaky skills with sleep deprivation, she says, "makes for a dangerous combination."

The study was published online in JAMA Pediatrics.

Copyright 2013 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

Aid groups are mobilizing relief efforts to help victims of the storm. Here, Candice Lopez, left, and Stephanie Davis help clean debris from Thelma Cox's mobile home near Shawnee, Okla., after it was destroyed Monday. (Getty Images)

Oklahoma Tornado: Finding Aid, Giving Aid

May 21, 2013 — Residents of Moore, Okla., are searching for survivors and coming to terms with a massive tornado that left dozens of people dead and injured more than 200 others Monday afternoon. As aid and recovery groups search for victims and try to reunite loved ones, they're also seeking donations and coordinating housing.

Residents of Moore, Okla., are searching for survivors and coming to terms with a massive tornado that left dozens of people dead and injured more than 200 others Monday afternoon. As aid and recovery groups search for victims and try to reunite loved ones, they're also seeking donations and coordinating housing:

• The American Red Cross of Oklahoma City offers several ways to help, online or by phone. Sending a text to 90999 with the message REDCROSS will result in a $10 donation.
• The Red Cross also has a "Safe and Well" service that allows survivors to register themselves online and lets family members check on the status of loved ones.
• For victims of the storm, FEMA offers a guide to applying for federal help, as well as an online application for aid, at its Disaster Assistance website. For those who can't reach a computer, there's also a mobile version.
• In Oklahoma City, news services such as KFOR TV, NewsOK, and KOCO TV have provided their own lists of local aid groups, to help residents coordinate relief and donation efforts.
• On member station KGOU's Twitter feed, our colleagues are posting news and updates that include places where families can reunite and where to find emergency housing.
• Also on Twitter, the City of OKC provides updates on things from the status of the city's water (it's safe) to road closings. The National Weather Service - Norman tweets updates on conditions.
• If you're in an area that could be hit by a tornado this year, FEMA has recommendations for how to prepare for the powerful storms. The list of tips includes what to do before, during, and after a tornado.

We should note that our list of links isn't meant to imply an endorsement by NPR of one agency or organization over another.

Copyright 2013 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

The National. (Courtesy of the artist)

The National On World Cafe

May 21, 2013 (World Cafe / WXPN-FM) — The band plays dour but beautiful songs from its brand-new album, Trouble Will Find Me.

The National's rise has been slow and steady, to match the growth and evolution of its dour but beautiful rock sound. In this installment of World Cafe, the band tells host David Dye how sleep deprivation led its members to craft more straightforward songs on their new album, Trouble Will Find Me.

They also discuss playing "Sorrow" — from The National's breakthrough album, High Violet — for six hours straight, as well as their role in the film Mistaken For Strangers, which opened the Tribeca Film Festival this year.

Copyright 2013 WXPN-FM. To see more, visit http://www.xpn.org/.

Set List

• "Don't Swallow The Cap"
• "Sea Of Love"
• "I Need My Girl"
• "Pink Rabbits"

The National. (Courtesy of the artist)

Top Stories: Oklahoma Tragedy; IRS Officials To Testify

May 21, 2013 (WXPN-FM) — Also: Israel and Syria exchange fire over border; new Congolese fighting threatens a tenuous ceasefire; Los Angeles votes for a new mayor today; and Russia charges that voting for the Eurovision song contest was rigged.

Good morning, here are our early stories:

— Death Toll From Devastating Tornado Revised Down.

— IRS Officials To Be On Hot Seat.

And here are more early headlines:

Israel, Syria Trade Shots Across Ceasefire Line. (BBC)

New Congo Fighting Threatens Ceasefire. (Reuters)

Ugandan Police Close Newspaper Office, Declare It A 'Crime Scene'. (Voice of America)

Ariz. Sheriff To Release Photos From Giffords Shooting. (The Associated Press)

Los Angeles Votes Today For Its Next Mayor. (Los Angeles Times)

Former Astronaut Sally Ride To Receive Posthumous Medal Of Freedom. (Florida Today)

Was Eurovision Tally Wrong? Russia Charges Vote Rigging. (AFP)

Copyright 2013 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

Set List

• "Don't Swallow The Cap"
• "Sea Of Love"
• "I Need My Girl"
• "Pink Rabbits"