The Oklahoma
NEWSLINE PAPER,- A terrible tornado outbreak that struck Oklahoma on Sunday left thousands of people without electricity and claimed four lives, including that of a baby. The catastrophic weather event injured more than 100 individuals throughout the state and destroyed structures in Sulphur, a small rural town with a population of about 5,000.
With over 20,000 people still dealing with power disruptions hours after the storm hit late Saturday night, the aftermath of the tornadoes was dismal. The tornado tore through downtown in Sulphur, destroying buildings, hurling cars, and ripping roofs off homes over a 15-block radius.
While in the devastated town, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt was shocked by the extent of the damage, pointing out that almost every downtown shop had been destroyed. Sulphur reported about thirty injuries, including some who were inside a pub when the tornado hit. Around 100 injuries were handled in hospitals around the state; Hughes County Emergency Management Director Mike Dockrey revealed that one of the fatalities was an infant.
Speaking with Governor Stitt, President Joe Biden promised Oklahoma all federal assistance as the state struggled to deal with the fallout from the catastrophic weather disaster. The destruction in Oklahoma raised the number of tornadoes that have been reported to have ripped across the middle of the country since Friday to dozens. An Iowan man who was seriously hurt in a tornado on Friday was confirmed to have died on Sunday.
The tornado that tore through downtown Sulphur, leaving a path of devastation, was said to have started in a city park. There were overturned cars, walls and roofs of brick structures torn off, and blasted out windows and doors. The enormity of the destruction left locals struggling to begin the difficult process of reconstructing their lives.
An other tornado damaged or destroyed more than a dozen houses in the neighboring community of Holdenville. Far south in Oklahoma, on Interstate 35 close to Marietta, there was also a fatality. Dangerous flooding produced by the bad weather also resulted in water rescues and increased lake levels that made the Chickasaw National Recreation Area close.
With communities starting the difficult process of recovery, Governor Stitt proclaimed a state of emergency in 12 of the counties impacted by the extreme weather. People sought safety in locations like the gym at Sulphur High School, where families related terrifying stories of surviving the violent storm.
Other states, meantime, were also dealing with the fallout from extreme weather. A tornado that struck suburban Omaha, Nebraska, and then traveled into Iowa left a path of devastation that destroyed houses and businesses and severely damaged other property. Following the start of tornado activity on Friday close to Lincoln, Nebraska, the Midwest was left to pick up the pieces after nature's wrath.