A tornado struck Oklahoma, triggering a state of emergency in 12 counties and killing at least four people, according to the Associated Press.
Since Friday, tornadoes have been seen hitting states such as Iowa and Nebraska, causing severe damage to local communities. By late Saturday, a tornado had struck Holdenville, Oklahoma, a town of about 5,000 people. according to To AP.
Around 8 a.m. local time, Hughes County Emergency Medical Services confirmed four people were injured, three with serious injuries and one with minor injuries, and two people died, including one adult and one minor. confirmed. according to to a Facebook post. The Oklahoma State Emergency Management Agency later added that a third person died along Interstate 35 near the city of Marietta in southern Oklahoma, according to the Associated Press.
The National Weather Service issued a flood watch warning for Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas on Sunday, the newspaper reported. (Related: Video showing massive tornado hits Midwestern states)
Republican Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt joined X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday morning before participating in the “Run to Remember” marathon. He offered prayers for residents affected by the natural disaster and said he had declared a disaster emergency to help the community.
“Hey, Oklahoma, I’m about to run the “Run to Remember” marathon here, my legs. And just pray for Oklahomans. I’ll be touring the storm damage here in Sulfur and Holdenville later today and just praying for Oklahomans. We just declared a disaster emergency so our community can get all the help it needs,” Stitt said.
— Governor Kevin Stitt (@GovStitt) April 28, 2024
Both Holdenville and Sulfur saw severe damage to homes from the storm. The remains of houses littered the lawns and streets. More than 40,000 people across Oklahoma and Texas were without power as of Sunday afternoon, according to the utility’s outage tracking website. power outage.us.
Downtown destroyed by tornado damage #sulfur #Oklahoma #tornado pic.twitter.com/NfqcnBaGMn
— WxChasing- Brandon Clement (@bclemms) April 28, 2024
A tornado struck Holdenville this weekend, killing at least two people. Sky 5 shows damage from the sky. pic.twitter.com/DZM6PWMOuJ
— Koco News (@koconews) April 28, 2024
According to the Associated Press, Iwo authorities reported heavy damage to the town and an unknown number of injured.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol began a search and rescue operation, the newspaper reported.
