Authorities reported at least two people were killed as a storm system created several tornadoes in and around the Oklahoma City metropolitan area on Wednesday night.
Scott Gibbons, a deputy sheriff for McClain County, said by phone overnight that the two deaths occurred in or near Cole, a community of roughly 600 people south of the city. He claimed the storm’s line of destruction was a couple of miles broad and around 10 miles long, and that a “considerable number” of homes were likely destroyed.
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First responders have also received reports of individuals being stuck in shelters, according to Gibbons. He noted that search teams are having difficulty crossing roads covered with downed power wires and debris. Systematic searches were being carried out.
According to Ryan Barnes, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, survey teams intended to look into the damage caused by three reported tornadoes that touched down in and around Oklahoma City on Wednesday, including one that was documented for a short period of time inside the city limits. The strongest one, according to him, was recorded in Cole and lasted for about 30 minutes.
The same system that brought about severe storms on Wednesday is moving east on Thursday, posing a threat of severe storms for more than 50 million people from Texas to Wisconsin. Rain, hail, destructive winds, and some tornadoes are expected.
Storms on Wednesday were reported in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Iowa, with Oklahoma proving to be the worst-hit state. On Thursday morning, some 20,000 households and businesses in the state were without electricity.
One of the most devastating tornadoes is thought to have occurred near Cole, a community of more than 600 people located 30 miles south of Oklahoma City.
On Thursday, the Etowah-Pink-Stella area will be surveyed by the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma.
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On Wednesday, four tornado reports were made in Iowa, three in Kansas, and nine reports of tornadoes were made in Oklahoma. Two of the reported tornadoes—one in Kansas and one in Iowa—have so far been tentatively confirmed.
Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee was one among the locations in Pottawatomie County that suffered damage. Despite being unaware of any injuries, the institution announced early on Thursday that the storm’s damage to its campus was “significant.” Later, it was announced that Thursday and Friday courses would be canceled.
According to Deputy Gibbons, several McClain County residents who were affected by the storm sought refuge at home and at a nearby high school. However, he said, there had been no reports of anyone going missing up until this point.
