Oklahoma City. Severe storms and tornadoes hit Oklahoma early Sunday, tossing cars and ripping roofs off structures in the middle of the night and leaving tens of thousands of homes and businesses without power. Among numerous injuries, 11 people required hospitalization, authorities reported.
Much of the damage occurred in and around the state capital, Oklahoma City, near the center of the state, although there were reports of damage in several parts of the state and morning storms triggered tornado warnings that extended south to the border. with Arkansas. Heavy rain caused flash flooding in some areas and a house fire caused by lightning was reported.
More than 99,000 homes and businesses in Oklahoma lost power during the overnight storms. By noon, that number was down to less than 34,000.
Richard Thompson, chief forecaster at the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center in Oklahoma, said he believes six or more tornadoes hit the state overnight. Meanwhile, forecasters warned state residents to prepare for more heavy rain and possible severe weather through Monday.
““We’re not done with this yet,” Thompson said.
In the town of Choctaw, east of Oklahoma City, firefighters and police went door-to-door Sunday morning to inquire about injuries.
““It wiped out an entire neighborhood in Choctaw,” the city’s mayor, Chad Allcox, told The Associated Press. He added that debris hampered search and rescue efforts.
“There are downed power lines everywhere… many of the roads are blocked, it is difficult to get through. “Very large trees blocking the roads,” he explained.
Oklahoma City Fire Department spokesman Scott Douglas told the AP that heavy rain and the persistent threat of tornadoes in the early morning darkness complicated early search and rescue efforts, describing a first sweep of the hardest-hit areas. around 1:30 in the morning.
“It was an intense downpour. “We were trying to sweep the area for another possible tornado strike,” he said. “That was on our minds too.”
Emergency workers had to free two people from an overturned mobile home, including a woman who was injured when an air conditioner fell on her leg, Douglas said.
The extent of the damage became clearer as dawn broke. Local television images showed downed power lines, walls torn from homes, overturned vehicles and neighborhood streets littered with debris.
Douglas said 11 people were taken to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.
“There were some other minor injuries, some walking injuries, that were going to be treated on their own,” Douglas said.
Allcox said early weather warnings and tornado sirens likely saved lives.
A handful of shelters, including one opened in a casino by the American Red Cross, are available for displaced residents or those without power, according to the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.
Oklahoma Heart Hospital South also sustained damage, state health officials said.
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