OAN’s James Meyers
8:52 AM – Tuesday, May 7, 2024
At least one person has died in Oklahoma as a result of a strong tornado that ripped through small towns, as severe storms moved from the South and into central areas , causing devastation throughout.
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Osage County Sheriff Eddie Virden told NBC News that the unidentified person died as a result of a tornado in Barnsdall, a city of close to 1,000 people, which was among some of the storm’s worst devastation, on Monday night.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), Barnsdall was hit after 10:30 p.m. by a tornado that was estimated at EF-3 strength or higher on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
“It just hit all of a sudden,” said Joy King, who felt pressure in her ears, which intensified into a loud noise. The storm cellar door she was hiding in then blew open, and debris started to fly everywhere. “I even had it latched to a bolt in the floor, and it just ripped it off.”
Bartlesville, 20 miles to the northeast of Tulsa, was affected in a similar way. A hotel in the town was severely damaged, as several social media posts began to surface from multiple witnesses, which resulted in firefighters being called in to rescue people trapped inside.
Bartlesville’s city’s government said there had been significant damage across the area, with power lines being hit causing them to go out. Minor injuries have been reported so far and residents were told to stay inside and off the roads.
Additionally, the National Weather Service issued a rare tornado emergency statement for Osage on Monday. “A large, extremely dangerous and potentially deadly tornado is on the ground,” it said. The tornado watch was extended until 5 a.m. Tuesday.
Osage Nation Emergency Management along with local police said on Facebook it had joined “numerous agencies for search and rescue through the Osage Nation Reservation.”
“Our community is strong and eager to help those in need,” it said.
Meanwhile, the Sooner State saw over 25,000 energy customers were without power as of 5 a.m. local time Tuesday, according to the website PowerOutage.us, with 18,000 without power in Missouri and close to 10,000 in Arkansas.
The National Weather Service said the heavy weather will continue into Wednesday as an area of low pressure develops over the Great Lakes.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott also said on Monday that three people had been confirmed dead in Texas as a result of the harsh storms.
Currently, severe thunderstorms are still moving across the Midwest at a rapid pace, with over 29 million people under a severe storm risk, which include areas in Tennessee, Ohio River Valleys, Chicago; Nashville, Tennessee; Toledo, Ohio; and Ann Arbor, Michigan could also see devastating weather.
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