Impacts of Severe Weather Across Oklahoma and Neighboring States
Overnight, multiple counties in Oklahoma faced scenes of devastation with severe structural damage, closed highways, blackouts, injuries, and at least one death due to reports of 35 tornadoes. Approximately 27 million people were at risk of severe weather, including wind gusts, hail, flood risk, and more tornadoes on Sunday.
The damage from Saturday’s severe weather came after 100 tornadoes destroyed homes and buildings in six states on Friday, with Nebraska and Iowa being the most affected. The town of Sulphur, Oklahoma appeared to have taken the biggest hit with major structural damage reported, including toppled trees, scattered bricks, and missing walls.
The Red Cross Oklahoma opened a shelter in Sulphur and is in contact with officials in more than a dozen counties to provide aid to affected residents. In neighboring Hughes County, four people were injured and one was reported dead due to a tornado that struck late Saturday.
Communities in several counties in Oklahoma suffered damage to homes and structures with flash flooding remaining a threat. Power outages affected approximately 28,000 customers in southern Oklahoma, and Interstate 35 was closed in Love County due to storm damage cleanup.
Over 30 million people in multiple cities were in the path of severe weather on Saturday. No deaths were reported in Omaha, Nebraska following tornadoes, with fewer than two dozen suffering minor injuries. The National Weather Service in Omaha showed one tornado as an EF3 and another as an EF2.
Tornado activity also affected neighboring Iowa with reports of multiple tornadoes in Douglas County and adjacent communities in Nebraska and Iowa. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds declared a disaster emergency in Pottawattamie County after tornadoes caused extensive damage, with some homes completely destroyed.
In Texas, two tornadoes near Waco were assessed as EF2 and EF1 in strength. The widespread impacts of severe weather highlight the continued threat posed by tornadoes and severe storms across the central United States.
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