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World & Nation

After devastating Oklahoma tornado, a desperate search for friend

Rodney Heltcel salvages items from the wreckage of his home of 21 years that was destroyed Monday when a tornado moved through Moore, Okla.
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Rodney Heltcel salvages items from the wreckage of his home of 21 years that was destroyed Monday when a tornado moved through Moore, Okla.  (Brennan Linsley / Associated Press)
A destroyed Corvette sits in the rubble of a home in Moore, Okla.
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A destroyed Corvette sits in the rubble of a home in Moore, Okla.  (Tannen Maury / EPA)
Two frightened and apparently lost dogs sit on a coffee table top in a destroyed neighborhood in Moore, Okla.
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Two frightened and apparently lost dogs sit on a coffee table top in a destroyed neighborhood in Moore, Okla.  (Tannen Maury / EPA)
The destruction left behind by Monday's tornado in Moore, Okla.
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The destruction left behind by Monday’s tornado in Moore, Okla.  (Tony Gutierrez / Associated Press)
An aerial view shows the tornado's path through a residential area in Moore, Okla.
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An aerial view shows the tornado’s path through a residential area in Moore, Okla.  (Tony Gutierrez / Associated Press)
An aerial view of the aftermath of Monday's tornado in Moore, Okla., shows homes that have been destroyed across the street from other dwellings that appear untouched.
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An aerial view of the aftermath of Monday’s tornado in Moore, Okla., shows homes that have been destroyed across the street from other dwellings that appear untouched.  (Tony Gutierrez / Associated Press)
An entire neighborhood destroyed by Monday's tornado in Moore, Okla.
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An entire neighborhood destroyed by Monday’s tornado in Moore, Okla.  (Tony Gutierrez / Associated Press)
Rescue workers carefully make their way through the remains of Plaza Towers Elementary School.
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Rescue workers carefully make their way through the remains of Plaza Towers Elementary School.  (Tony Gutierrez / Associated Press)
Chad Heltcel passes an antique doll cherished by his mother to a helper assisting him and wife Cassidi as they salvage what they can from the wreckage of their home.
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Chad Heltcel passes an antique doll cherished by his mother to a helper assisting him and wife Cassidi as they salvage what they can from the wreckage of their home.  (Brennan Linsley / Associated Press)
People recover belongings from the rubble of a home in Moore, Okla.
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People recover belongings from the rubble of a home in Moore, Okla.  (Tannen Maury / EPA)
An aerial view shows a street lined by homes destroyed by Monday's tornado.
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An aerial view shows a street lined by homes destroyed by Monday’s tornado.  (Tony Gutierrez / Associated Press)
Firefighters help a fellow firefighter recover belongings from the rubble of his home in Moore, Okla.
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Firefighters help a fellow firefighter recover belongings from the rubble of his home in Moore, Okla.  (Tannen Maury / EPA)
Zac Woodcock salvages items from the rubble of his tornado-ravaged rental home in Moore, Okla.
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Zac Woodcock salvages items from the rubble of his tornado-ravaged rental home in Moore, Okla.   (Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)
Air Force Airman 1st Class Justin Acord sifts through the rubble of his father-in-law's home in Moore, Okla., after the town was hit by a tornado the day before.
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Air Force Airman 1st Class Justin Acord sifts through the rubble of his father-in-law’s home in Moore, Okla., after the town was hit by a tornado the day before.  (Tannen Maury / EPA)
Kay James holds her cat as she sits in her driveway after her home was destroyed by the tornado that hit near Oklahoma City.
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Kay James holds her cat as she sits in her driveway after her home was destroyed by the tornado that hit near Oklahoma City.   (Chris Landsberger / Associated Press)
Plaza Towers Elementary School was almost obliterated by the tornado that struck Moore, Okla., on Monday.
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Plaza Towers Elementary School was almost obliterated by the tornado that struck Moore, Okla., on Monday.  (Steve Gooch / Associated Press)
Two women sort through debris as they look for belongings in a leveled home the day after a tornado hit in Moore, Okla.
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Two women sort through debris as they look for belongings in a leveled home the day after a tornado hit in Moore, Okla.  (Ed Zurga / EPA)
Lea Bessinger salvages belongings as she and her son Josh sort through the rubble of her tornado-ravaged home in Moore, Okla.
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Lea Bessinger salvages belongings as she and her son Josh sort through the rubble of her tornado-ravaged home in Moore, Okla.  (Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)
Members of Nebraska Task Force 1 search a destroyed building the day after a tornado hit in Moore, Okla.
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Members of Nebraska Task Force 1 search a destroyed building the day after a tornado hit in Moore, Okla.  (Ed Zurga / EPA)
An American flag blows in the wind at sunrise atop the rubble of a destroyed home a day after a tornado moved through Moore, Okla.
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An American flag blows in the wind at sunrise atop the rubble of a destroyed home a day after a tornado moved through Moore, Okla.  (Brennan Linsley / Associated Press)
A woman is pulled out from under tornado debris at the Plaza Towers School in Moore, Okla.
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A woman is pulled out from under tornado debris at the Plaza Towers School in Moore, Okla.  (Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press)
A fire burns in the Tower Plaza Addition in Moore, Okla., after a tornado roared through.
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A fire burns in the Tower Plaza Addition in Moore, Okla., after a tornado roared through.   (Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press)
A child is pulled from the rubble of the Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla., and passed along to rescuers after Monday's tornado.
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A child is pulled from the rubble of the Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla., and passed along to rescuers after Monday’s tornado.   (Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press)
JoAnn Anderson sorts through the rubble of her home after a tornado in Moore, Okla.
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JoAnn Anderson sorts through the rubble of her home after a tornado in Moore, Okla.   (Steve Sisney / Associated Press)
Rescuers recover a horse from the remains of a day-care center and destroyed barns in Moore, Okla.
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Rescuers recover a horse from the remains of a day-care center and destroyed barns in Moore, Okla.   (Steve Sisney / Associated Press)
A monster tornado fills the sky as it ravages Moore, Okla., on Monday.
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A monster tornado fills the sky as it ravages Moore, Okla., on Monday.   (Alonzo Adams / Associated Press)
Oklahoma City firefighters check on Gene Tripp as he sits in a rocking chair where his home stood before it was destroyed by a tornado.
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Oklahoma City firefighters check on Gene Tripp as he sits in a rocking chair where his home stood before it was destroyed by a tornado.   (Chris Landsberger / Associated Press)
This frame grab provided by KWTV shows a tornado in Oklahoma City. Video shows flattened buildings and fires after a mile-wide tornado moved through the Oklahoma City area.
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This frame grab provided by KWTV shows a tornado in Oklahoma City. Video shows flattened buildings and fires after a mile-wide tornado moved through the Oklahoma City area.   (KWTV / Associated Press)
This photo provided by KFOR-TV shows a house fire outside Moore, after tornado as much as a mile wide roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs, flattening neighborhoods, leaving buildings ablaze landing a direct blow on an elementary school.
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This photo provided by KFOR-TV shows a house fire outside Moore, after tornado as much as a mile wide roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs, flattening neighborhoods, leaving buildings ablaze landing a direct blow on an elementary school.  (KFOR-TV / Associated Press)
A child is carried from the rubble of the Plaza Towers Elementary School following a tornado in Moore, Okla.
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A child is carried from the rubble of the Plaza Towers Elementary School following a tornado in Moore, Okla.  (Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press)
Moore police dig through the rubble of Plaza Towers Elementary School after a tornado in Moore, Okla.
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Moore police dig through the rubble of Plaza Towers Elementary School after a tornado in Moore, Okla.  (Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press)
A boy is pulled from beneath a collapsed wall at Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla.
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A boy is pulled from beneath a collapsed wall at Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla.  (Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press)
Rescue workers dig through a collapsed wall at Plaza Tower Elementary School to free trapped students in Moore, Okla.
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Rescue workers dig through a collapsed wall at Plaza Tower Elementary School to free trapped students in Moore, Okla.  (Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press)
Onlookers watch as children are pulled from the rubble of Plaza Towers Elementary School following a tornado in Moore, Okla.
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Onlookers watch as children are pulled from the rubble of Plaza Towers Elementary School following a tornado in Moore, Okla.  (Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press)
Rescue workers dig through the rubble of a collapsed wall at the Plaza Tower Elementary School to free trapped students in Moore, Okla.
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Rescue workers dig through the rubble of a collapsed wall at the Plaza Tower Elementary School to free trapped students in Moore, Okla.  (Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press)
A child calls to his father after being pulled from the rubble of the Tower Plaza Elementary School after Monday's tornado in Moore, Okla.
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A child calls to his father after being pulled from the rubble of the Tower Plaza Elementary School after Monday’s tornado in Moore, Okla.   (Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press)
A woman carries an injured child to a triage center near the Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla.
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A woman carries an injured child to a triage center near the Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla.   (Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press)
Wrecked vehicles outside Moore, Okla. in the wake of the tornado that struck on Monday.
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Wrecked vehicles outside Moore, Okla. in the wake of the tornado that struck on Monday.  (KFOR-TV / AP)
Kasey Clark sorts through the debris of her grandmother-in-law Thelma Cox's mobile home after it was destroyed by a tornado near Shawnee, Okla. A series of tornados moved across central Oklahoma on Sunday, killing two people and injuring at least 21.
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Kasey Clark sorts through the debris of her grandmother-in-law Thelma Cox’s mobile home after it was destroyed by a tornado near Shawnee, Okla. A series of tornados moved across central Oklahoma on Sunday, killing two people and injuring at least 21.  (Brett Deering / Getty Images)
Volunteers help clean out Jean McAdams' mobile home after it was overturned by a tornado near Shawnee, Oklahoma.
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Volunteers help clean out Jean McAdams’ mobile home after it was overturned by a tornado near Shawnee, Oklahoma.   (Brett Deering / Getty Images)
A tornado leaves extensive damage along Interstate 40 at the junction with U.S. 177 on the west side of Shawnee, Okla., Sunday evening.
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A tornado leaves extensive damage along Interstate 40 at the junction with U.S. 177 on the west side of Shawnee, Okla., Sunday evening.  (Jim Beckel / Associated Press)
A resident searches through the rubble of his mobile home in the Steelman Estates Mobile Home Park, destroyed by Sunday's tornado, near Shawnee, Okla.
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A resident searches through the rubble of his mobile home in the Steelman Estates Mobile Home Park, destroyed by Sunday’s tornado, near Shawnee, Okla.   (Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press)
A home sits damaged after a tornado moved through an area ear Shawnee, Okla.
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A home sits damaged after a tornado moved through an area ear Shawnee, Okla.   (Brett Deering / Getty Images)
This photo provided by KFOR-TV shows homes flattened outside Moore, Okla., after a monstrous tornado roared through the ares.
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This photo provided by KFOR-TV shows homes flattened outside Moore, Okla., after a monstrous tornado roared through the ares.   (KFOR-TV / Associated Press)
Shawnee, Okla., firefighters assist driver Marco Corr as he is taken from the cab of his overturned truck Sunday after a tornado swept through.
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Shawnee, Okla., firefighters assist driver Marco Corr as he is taken from the cab of his overturned truck Sunday after a tornado swept through.   (Jim Beckel / Associated Press)
By Hailey Branson-Potts

A few hours after a massive tornado tore through the Oklahoma City area, ravaging neighborhoods and an elementary school in the suburb of Moore, Edie Cordray sent an urgent message to members of her church in nearby Norman.

“Please pray for my best friend,” she wrote.

The friend, Becky Jo Evans, teaches first grade at Plaza Towers Elementary School, and Evans and her students were missing, Cordray wrote.

PHOTOS: Tornadoes hit Oklahoma

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Cordray was at her church, where she works as a day care teacher, when the tornado hit with 200-mph winds.

She reached Evans’ mother, who was “hysterical,” Cordray’s pastor, Chad Bartlett, told the Los Angeles Times. Cordray herself was too upset to speak with a reporter.

Bartlett tried to console her while he was on the phone with The Times. Cordray and Bartlett’s wife, Helen, had been crying.

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“They’re going to get her,” Bartlett told Cordray, who wanted to help search through the rubble. “She’s going to be all right. Don’t drive. Don’t go up there.”

MAP: Path of destruction

Another friend of Cordray, Britane Diacon-Boese, picked up Cordray from the church to console her.

Just after 6 p.m., Cordray received a text message: Evans had been found. But her students had not.

Officials said several children had been rescued from the rubble of the school, but 75 were still missing.

hailey.branson@latimes.com

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Hailey Branson-Potts

Hailey Branson-Potts is a state reporter who joined the Los Angeles Times in 2011. She reports on a wide range of issues and people, with a special focus on rural communities. She grew up in the small town of Perry, Okla., and graduated from the University of Oklahoma.

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