In a small town called BARNSDALL, Oklahoma, a very strong tornado hit on Monday evening. It broke homes and knocked down power lines. Sadly, one person died because of it.
Deadly tornado levels Barnsdall, Oklahoma
The National Weather Service said that a town called Barnsdall, with around 1,000 people and about a 40-minute drive from Tulsa, got hit badly after 9:30 p.m. They sent a team to check and found that the damage looked like it was caused by a really strong tornado, at least as strong as an EF-3 on the scale they use. This was the second tornado to hit the town in five weeks.
Joy King felt a sudden pressure in her ears, followed by a loud noise. She was hiding in a storm cellar when the door suddenly blew open, and debris started flying around. Even though she had latched the door to a bolt in the floor, it was ripped off.
King sat in a corner with her small dog for half an hour. She thought about leaving, but her husband told her another storm was coming, so she stayed put.
“We made it!” she shouted. “Thank goodness, we’re okay.”
The mayor of Barnsdall, Johnny Kelley, said that one person died and up to eight people were hurt by the tornado in the town. The Tulsa Fire Department is searching for one or maybe two people who are missing during the day. The mayor also said that because people were aware of the bad weather, it helped stop more people from getting hurt.
Kelley mentioned that the town’s power and water systems are in really bad shape. The electricity isn’t working well, and the main pipe for distributing water got wrecked.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt is going to Barnsdall on Tuesday afternoon to help with recovery efforts by sending resources there.
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“He asked you to keep them in your thoughts and prayers.”
On Monday evening, a very serious tornado warning called a “Tornado Emergency” was declared for Osage County in Oklahoma. The National Weather Service (NWS) warned that a big and very destructive tornado was heading towards Barnsdall. It was causing really bad damage.
‘It is chaos in town’
Jerry Roberts, who is in charge of emergency management in Osage County, said that a group called Oklahoma Task Force 1 Tulsa, along with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and teams from many different areas, came to Barnsdall during the night to help find people who might still be alive.
At the moment, there’s a vast expanse utterly devastated, Roberts elaborated.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol says around 40 homes got damaged in Barnsdall. Many roads are closed because of gas leaks and debris.
The tornado hit the Barnsdall Nursing Home on the southwest part of town.
We kindly ask for your prayers, the facility expressed on Facebook. They assured everyone that all residents are safe and unharmed. However, there’s a gas leak that emergency services can’t stop. So, they’ve moved everyone to the football field house. The town is in chaos.”
The Tornado Emergency for Barnsdall was only the second time the NWS in Tulsa issued one, and it was one of 13 Tornado Warnings on Monday. It was the first time a tornado hit Barnsdall directly since 2008.
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