BARNSDALL, Okla. – One person has died after a devastating tornado destroyed homes and toppled power lines as it ripped through a small town northeast of Oklahoma City on Monday evening.
DEADLY TORNADO RIPS THROUGH BARNSDALL, OKLAHOMA, AS SEVERE WEATHER PRODUCES CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE IN CENTRAL US The nearby town of Bartlesville also suffered severe damage from the same tornado.
A Tornado Emergency, the most dire of tornado alerts, was issued for Osage County in Oklahoma on Monday evening as the storm approached.
The NWS referred to a “large and destructive tornado” moving towards Barnsdall and causing catastrophic damage.
According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, as many as 40 homes were damaged in the Barnsdall area.
The Barnsdall Nursing Home took a direct hit from the tornado on the southwest side of town.
The Tornado Emergency for Barnsdall was just the second one ever issued by the NWS in Tulsa, and one of 13 Tornado Warnings issued by that office on Monday.
It was the first tornado to hit Barnsdall since 2008.
OPAQUE, Okla. – One person has died after a devastating tornado destroyed homes and toppled power lines as it ripped through a small town northeast of Oklahoma City on Monday evening.
Barnsdall, a town of about 1,000 residents 40 minutes north of Tulsa, was destroyed just after 10:30 p.m., according to the National Weather Service (NWS). M. by a tornado that was initially estimated at EF-3 strength or higher on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
Joy King described how she felt pressure in her ears that quickly became louder. “It just hit all of a sudden,” she said. 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. “.
King huddled in a corner with her little dog for about 30 minutes. She considered leaving, but her husband alerted her to another incoming cell, so she remained in place.
“We’re alive,” she cried. “Thank God, we’re alive. “.
DEADLY TORNADO RIPS THROUGH BARNSDALL, OKLAHOMA, AS SEVERE WEATHER PRODUCES CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE IN CENTRAL US.
The same tornado caused significant damage to the nearby town of Bartlesville as well. Multiple injuries are reported, but the exact number has yet to be confirmed. Damage surveys will continue on Tuesday.
A Tornado Emergency, the most dire of tornado alerts, was issued for Osage County in Oklahoma on Monday evening as the storm approached. The NWS referred to a “large and destructive tornado” moving towards Barnsdall and causing catastrophic damage.
‘It is chaos in town’.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Osage County Emergency Management Director Jerry Roberts, and crews from multiple jurisdictions arrived in Barnsdall overnight to assist in the search for survivors. They were joined by Oklahoma Task Force 1 Tulsa, according to FOX Weather.
Roberts continues, “At the moment, there’s a large area that is completely destroyed.”.
According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, as many as 40 homes were damaged in the Barnsdall area. Multiple reports of natural gas leaks and debris in roadways led to the closure of numerous roads.
On the southwest side of town, the tornado struck the Barnsdall Nursing Home directly.
“Please pray for us,” the facility said on Facebook, stressing all residents were accounted for with no injuries. “They all have been transported to football field house due to gas leak that could not be turned off by emergency personnel … it is chaos in town. “.
The Tornado Emergency for Barnsdall was just the second one ever issued by the NWS in Tulsa, and one of 13 Tornado Warnings issued by that office on Monday. It was the first tornado to hit Barnsdall since 2008.
