At least four people are dead and hundreds are injured after tornados tore through Oklahoma, resulting in states of emergency being issued for 12 counties, according to the Associated Press (AP).
Tornadoes have been seen since Friday whipping through states such as Iowa and Nebraska, inflicting massive damage on local communities. By late Saturday a tornado ripped through Holdenville, Oklahoma, a town of roughly 5,000 people, according to the AP.
🚨#UPDATE: All I can say is, what a crazy 48+ hours it has been this weekend, as Mother Nature went into chaotic mode. Here is a map created by Fox35 showing all tornado warnings and severe thunderstorm warnings from this weekend’s severe weather event pic.twitter.com/UZm1wddKnN
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) April 29, 2024
Around 8 a.m. local time, Hughes County Emergency Medical Services confirmed four people had been injured, three with major injuries and one with minor injuries, while two people were pronounced dead — including one adult and one minor, according to a Facebook post. The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management later added that an third person was killed along Interstate 35 near the southern Oklahoma city of Marietta, according to the AP.
The National Weather Service issued a warning Sunday for Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas regarding flood watches, the outlet reported. (RELATED: Videos Show Massive Tornado Ripping Through Midwest States)
A tornado ripped through Marietta, Oklahoma, destroying a Dollar Tree distribution center and flipping semis. #OKwx pic.twitter.com/D0rAjfi6vq
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) April 28, 2024
Republican Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt took to X (formerly known as Twitter) Sunday morning before participating in a “Run to Remember” marathon. He offered his prayers for the residents affected by the natural disaster and stated he declared an emergency disaster to help the community.
“Hey Oklahoma, about to run the ‘Run to Remember’ marathon here — my leg of it. And you know just praying for Oklahomans. I’ll be touring the storm damage here in Sulphur and Holdenville later on today, just praying for Oklahomans. Just declared an emergency disaster so we can get all the help those communities need,” Stitt stated.
— Governor Kevin Stitt (@GovStitt) April 28, 2024
In both Holdenville and Sulphur houses were severely damaged due to the storm and significant debris was scattered across lawns and streets. Over 40,000 people combined in Oklahoma and Texas are reportedly without power as of Sunday afternoon, according to an electric utility outage tracking website, poweroutage.us.
Tornado damage destroyed downtown #Sulphur #Oklahoma #tornado pic.twitter.com/NfqcnBaGMn
— WxChasing- Brandon Clement (@bclemms) April 28, 2024
A tornado in Holdenville left at least two people dead this weekend. Sky 5 shows the damage from the air. pic.twitter.com/DZM6PWMOuJ
— koconews (@koconews) April 28, 2024
Sulphur authorities reported that significant damage was made to the town, with an unknown amount injured, according to the AP.
Catastrophic damage in Sulphur, Oklahoma, after an overnight tornado. #OKwx pic.twitter.com/Pq8LmRUSCC
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) April 28, 2024
Oklahoma Highway Patrol have initiated search and rescue operations, the outlet reported.