Tornadoes in Oklahoma claimed the lives of four individuals, including an infant, and caused widespread power outages on Sunday following a severe weather event that caused significant damage in a rural town. Over 100 people were injured across the state.
More than 20,000 residents remained without power several hours after the tornadoes struck late Saturday night. The town of Sulphur, with a population of approximately 5,000, experienced severe destruction as the tornado demolished numerous buildings in the downtown area, overturned vehicles, and ripped the roofs off homes within a 15-block area.
“You just can’t believe the destruction,” Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said during a visit to the hard-hit town. “It seems like every business downtown has been destroyed.”
Stitt mentioned that approximately 30 individuals sustained injuries in Sulphur, with some being inside a bar when the tornado hit. Hospitals statewide documented around 100 injuries, with individuals appearing to have been cut or hit by debris, as per the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management. An infant was tragically among the casualties, as reported by Hughes County Emergency Management Director Mike Dockrey to Oklahoma television station KOCO.
President Joe Biden spoke with Governor Stitt on Sunday and extended the complete backing of the federal government, as stated by White House officials.
The severe weather in Oklahoma has contributed to the numerous tornadoes that have caused extensive damage in the central region of the country since Friday. Additionally, another fatality was reported on Sunday in Iowa, where authorities in Pottawattamie County confirmed the death of a man who was severely injured during a tornado on Friday.
People in different states were also clearing up after the storm. A tornado in suburban Omaha, Nebraska, destroyed homes and businesses on Saturday as it traveled for miles through farmland and into residential areas, before hitting a town in Iowa.
