There is some really bad news out of Oklahoma. Tornadoes ripped through the state on Sunday, leaving a trail of destruction and heartbreak in their wake. Four people, including a baby, lost their lives, and thousands of people are now without power.
Particularly hard hit was the small town of Sulphur, home to about 5,000 people. The tornado flattened downtown buildings, tossed cars and buses around like toys, and ripped the roofs right off houses across a 15-block area.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt visited the town and couldn’t believe his eyes. “You just can’t believe the destruction,” he said. “Every business downtown appears to have suffered destruction.”
The tornado struck Sulphur, injuring around 30 people, some of them at a bar. Hospitals across the state reported approximately 100 injuries, primarily from individuals slashed or struck by flying debris. An infant was among the four people killed, according to Hughes County Emergency Management Director Mike Dockrey.
President Joe Biden reached out to Governor Stitt to offer the full support of the federal government in dealing with this disaster.
Oklahoma wasn’t the only state to face Mother Nature‘s wrath this weekend. A tornado on Friday critically injured a man in Iowa, bringing the total death toll from the severe weather to five.
In Sulphur, the tornado started in a city park before tearing through downtown, flipping cars and ripping apart brick buildings. The structures that remained standing had their windows and doors blown out.
Lifelong resident Kelly Trussell was in disbelief as she surveyed the damage. “How did you rebuild it?” This is complete devastation,” she said. “It is crazy. You want to help, but where do you start?”
Carolyn Goodman, who traveled to Sulphur from the nearby town of Ada to look for her former sister-in-law, feared the worst. Just before the tornado hit, her relative was at a local bar. “The bar was destroyed,” Goodman said. “I know they probably won’t find her alive, but I hope she is still alive.”
The tornadoes weren’t the only problem. Heavy rains caused dangerous flooding and water rescues. Outside Sulphur, rising lake levels forced the closure of the Chickasaw National Recreation Area, where the storms also wiped out a pedestrian bridge.
Governor Stitt declared a state of emergency in 12 counties to deal with the aftermath of the severe weather.
At Sulphur High School, where families took shelter from the storm, Jackalyn Wright said it sounded like a helicopter was landing on the roof when the tornado touched down. Chad Smith, 43, joked that he’d rather sit outside with a beer and a lawn chair to watch the storm, but he ended up taking cover in the gym with everyone else.
The destruction wasn’t limited to Oklahoma. A tornado in suburban Omaha, Nebraska, demolished homes and businesses on Saturday as it tore through farmland and subdivisions before slamming into an Iowa town.
The tornado damage in Nebraska started on Friday afternoon, near Lincoln. An industrial building collapsed with 70 people inside, trapping several. Thankfully, everyone managed to evacuate, and the three injuries were not life-threatening.
One or possibly two tornadoes then spent about an hour making their way toward Omaha, leaving behind damage consistent with an EF3 twister, which has winds of 135 to 165 mph (217 to 265 kph), according to Chris Franks, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Omaha office.
The governors of Nebraska and Iowa, Jim Pillen and Kim Reynolds, spent Saturday touring the damage and arranging assistance for the affected communities. While formal damage assessments are still ongoing, both states plan to seek federal help.
It’s been a devastating weekend for many folks in the Midwest, with lives lost, homes destroyed, and communities left to pick up the pieces. All the people impacted by these severe storms have our deepest sympathies.
The Information is Taken from Firstpost, ABC News and Voice of America
