Tornado outbreak in 3 states leaves extensive damage, cleanup effort begins
Okla. – With an outbreak of tornadoes over the weekend, some of the largest and most damaging were in Oklahoma Saturday, according to surveys thus far. The National Weather Service has confirmed multiple tornadoes with winds ranging from 135 to 165 mph, killing four people, including an infant.
Video shows a storm chaser getting too close for comfort to the tornado near Marietta. Their car narrowly avoided a large chunk of falling debris as the powerful twister crossed their path on Interstate 35.
The NWS confirmed an EF-4 tornado hit the area, killing a driver on I-35. Buildings were destroyed and there was extensive damage along the interstate, as well as vehicles flipped on their side.
“All I remember is I flip over like five times,” Geovanny Carreon, whose car was flipped by the tornado, said.
In Oklahoma, 12 counties are under a state of emergency. The damage was devastating, especially in Sulphur, where drone video shows what’s left of the town.
Officials say every business in the area appears to be destroyed.
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“I know that everything I’ve ever worked for, put together—my father, my wife, my mom—is being torn apart and there’s nothing I can do,” Gary Mensch said.
In Holdenville, OK, a confirmed tornado of at least EF-3 strength killed a man and a 4-month-old baby, leaving homes flattened across the town.
“It definitely hurts more than anything because, I mean, that’s my house; I’ve lived there the last four years,” James Davis, whose house was destroyed, said.
On Friday, tornadoes destroyed parts of Nebraska and Iowa. The town of Elkhorn, NE, was hit hard as winds up to 165 mph left a massive path of destruction.
“You come upstairs, and see that you have no house emerging from the basement. You know, you’re home, but you’re actually homeless,” James Stennis said.
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