ENID, Okla. (AP) — Families began cleaning up Friday after a powerful storm churned up at least one violent tornado that barreled through Oklahoma, damaging dozens of homes, throwing buildings off their foundations and stripping bark from trees.
However, despite the rubble left behind, no one was killed, and only minor injuries were reported. Many people waited out the storm inside cellars. Others heeded evacuation notices.
At least 40 homes were damaged, and light damage to a nearby Air Force base was reported. The most extensive destruction was in Enid, a city of about 50,000 people near the state's northern border in Garfield County, where a tornado was confirmed, according to the National Weather Service. Video showed a rapidly rotating column of air touching down along with totaled homes.
Survivors take shelter in cellars
“Especially in Oklahoma, we have great meteorologists," said Justin Hunt of Enid, who headed to his parents' house amid news reports that the tornado was close and took shelter in their cellar.
Basements aren’t common in Oklahoma because of the red clay soil and elevated water tables that make it difficult and expensive to install them, but many homes have storm cellars or safe rooms with reinforced concrete walls where people can take cover during tornadoes.
He emerged afterward to what he described as "a disaster.”
“I’ve been down in that cellar probably 30 times in my life, and it’s never been — you come out and it’s happened,” he said, standing outside his parents’ one-story brick home that had windows smashed out, a garage door caved in and extensive damage to its roof.
Storm leaves rubble in its wake
Commercial buildings just south of the city were turned into a pile of twisted metal, splintered wood and insulation by powerful winds that pushed the buildings completely off the concrete foundations.
Source: WPLG
