Village houses with damaged roofs and uprooted trees
Storms and a tornado ripped over Oklahoma on Wednesday night, April 19, killing at least two people. Hail the size of ping pong balls and winds of up to 70 miles per hour were reported by the National Weather Service in Tulsa.
Relief organizations were scrambling to construct temporary shelters after houses and roads were devastated.
Residents Are Advised to Relocate
On its Facebook page, the McClain County Emergency Management team advised residents in the town of Cole, located approximately 25 miles south of Oklahoma City, to seek shelter. Specifically, it indicated that at 7:39 PM local time, a huge and highly dangerous tornado was seen above Cole and was headed east at 30 miles per hour.
A later statement said that two people had died and that rescuers were on their way to help injured people and others who were trapped in their houses.
It warned that huge hail, strong winds, and perhaps a few tornadoes might result from the impending severe weather. There are still isolated storms, but the general risk in Oklahoma is decreasing.
The Washington Post reported that several roadways, including highways, were shut down in Oklahoma after the tornado. Officials encouraged residents to seek shelter elsewhere.
PowerOutage.us, a website that tracks outages, said that as of Thursday morning, April 20, over 20,000 individuals in Oklahoma were without electricity. Emergency services were attempting to restore power.
Following tornado damage in Shawnee, Noble, and Washington in central Oklahoma, the Red Cross tweeted that it has opened shelters for anyone in need.
Regular Classes Are Canceled
Meanwhile, the University of Oklahoma urged its students and employees to remain indoors and out of the storm.
"Although the tornado threat has moved east... dangerous lightning continues, and scattered lightning storms with heavy rain are still in the area. Localized flooding is occurring. Do not travel!" it stated in a Twitter post.
No casualties were recorded in Shawnee, but Oklahoma Baptist University reported major damage to its campus and stated it was moving students. Classes were postponed Thursday and Friday because of downed power lines and widespread debris.
Tornadoes Often Occur in the US
Although tornadoes may be found on every continent, the US sees more of them than any other country. It is the average between 1,150 and 1,200 every year.
Tornadoes are common in the US because the country's topography and climate provide the ideal conditions for the formation of these violent storms.
This month, deadly tornadoes killed 24 people and wreaked havoc throughout the South, Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic. Experts on weather conditions have speculated that global warming may be responsible for the rise in frequency.