Tornado barrels through Oklahoma, damaging 40 homes and shutting down roads
ENID, Okla. (AP) — A powerful tornado in Oklahoma damaged about 40 homes in one county, ripping roofs off of some and reducing others to rubble in a rural community as emergency crews went door-to-door and rescued some trapped residents, authorities said.
The confirmed tornado Thursday moved across parts of Enid, a city of about 50,000 people near the state's northern border in Garfield County, according to the National Weather Service. Video showed a rapidly rotating column of air touching down along with totaled homes. Neighboring counties also reported some flooded roads and barn damage. Some roads and part of U.S. Interstate 81 were closed, the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said.
There were no immediate reports of fatalities and only minor injuries hours after the tornado passed through, according to the Garfield County Sheriff's Office.
Local police were sent to the affected areas within minutes and began home searches, followed by multiple searches by the Enid Fire Department and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Enid Mayor David Mason said Friday.
Mason said some residents were trapped in their homes by debris and had to be rescued. He said some of the worst damage happened in Gray Ridge, a neighborhood on the south side of the city, where homes were knocked down.
“The support from our community has been remarkable. Local businesses have offered equipment and labor, residents have opened their doors, and supplies have poured in already,” Mason posted online. “This is who Enid is in challenging moments — we continue to show up for one another.”
Video from the scene showed piles of rubble where homes once stood. Other buildings appeared to be leveled.
Amy Kuntz, who was driving home to Enid, was calming her daughter over the phone during the storm.
“She said, ‘I don’t know what to do,’ And then I was like, ‘Get in the bathtub.’ So she got in the bathtub and not even a minute later, she's like, ‘Mom, the roof’s gone,’” Kuntz told KFOR-TV.
Fences and some equipment were knocked down at nearby Vance Air Force Base, about 80 miles (129 kilometers) north of Oklahoma City. The base closed until further notice “due to ongoing power and water restoration efforts,” it posted online Friday.
“Please join me in praying for the Enid community, which has been severely impacted by tonight’s tornado,” Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt posted on social media.
More storms are possible through Friday night across south-central and southeast Oklahoma, the National Weather Service in Norman said. Strong to severe thunderstorms are expected to develop Saturday, including in the Enid area.
It was a stormy night for other states, too. In Kearney, Missouri, north of Kansas City, officials reported downed trees, debris blocking roadways and damage to homes on Thursday night after storms passed through the area. Officials said in a social media post that no injuries had been reported. Crews worked to make roads passable by early Friday and were expected to continue cleanup efforts during the day.
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