Strong winds and tornadoes lashed Oklahoma early Sunday, tossing cars and tearing apart buildings overnight and leaving tens of thousands of homes and businesses without power. Among the many injured, 11 people required hospitalization, authorities said.
Most of the damage was reported in and around the state capital of Oklahoma City, near the state center, but spread to other parts of the state. Early morning storms prompted tornado warnings that extended south to the Arkansas state line. The heavy rain caused flooding in some areas and it was reported that one house was struck by lightning.
More than 99,000 homes and businesses in Oklahoma lost power during the overnight storms. By late Sunday afternoon, that number had dropped to about 24,000. No fatalities have been reported.
Richard Thompson, chief forecaster for the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center in Oklahoma, said he believed six or more storms hit the state overnight. Meanwhile, forecasters have warned residents of the state to brace themselves for heavy rain and possible bad weather on Monday.
“We’re not done with it yet,” he said.
A tornado watch for much of central and southeast Oklahoma was in effect until 8pm Sunday. Some areas were under a thunderstorm or flood watch.
In the town of Choctaw, east of Oklahoma City, firefighters and police went door-to-door Sunday morning asking about injuries.
“It’s planned for the entire area in Choctaw,” the city’s mayor, Chad Allcox, told the Associated Press. He added that the debris hampered search and rescue efforts. “Power lines are down everywhere … many roads are closed, it is difficult to pass. Very big trees blocking the roads.”
A spokesman for the Oklahoma City Fire Department, Scott Douglas, told the AP that heavy rain and the threat of dark storms this morning made search and rescue efforts difficult. He described the first sweep of the worst-hit areas around 1:30 am
“It was raining heavily. We were trying to sweep the area for another typhoon that might pass,” he said. “So that was on our minds as well.”
Emergency crews had to free two people from the overturned trailer, including a woman who was injured when an air conditioner fell on her leg, Douglas said.
The scale of the damage became more apparent as the morning wore on. Local television footage showed downed power lines, walls torn from houses, overturned cars and neighborhood streets littered with debris.
Douglas said 11 people were taken to hospitals with non-life threatening injuries. “There are some who were slightly injured, others who were injured while walking, who would have received treatment on their own,” said Douglas.
Allcox said early weather warnings and tornado warnings can save lives.
A number of shelters – including one opened at the casino by the American Red Cross – are available for residents who are homeless or without power, the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said.
Oklahoma Heart Hospital South also suffered damage, state health officials said.
At the University of Oklahoma, school officials urged students and staff to seek shelter and go to the ground floor as storms approached the school around midnight. The National Weather Service office in Norman also issued emergency warnings, writing on social media: “If you are in the path of this storm, protect yourself immediately!”
Parts of Oklahoma remained at risk for heavy rain and thunderstorms later Sunday.
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