1 dead after catastrophic tornado levels Barnsdall, Oklahoma: 'Total destruction'
A Tornado Emergency, the most dire of tornado alerts, was issued for Osage County in Oklahoma. The NWS referred to a "large and destructive tornado" moving towards Barnsdall and causing catastrophic damage.
One person has died after a devastating tornado destroyed homes and toppled power lines as it ripped through a small town northeast of Oklahoma City on Monday evening.
The National Weather Service (NWS) reports that Barnsdall, a town of about 1,000 people located a 40-minute drive north of Tulsa, was leveled shortly after 9:30 p.m. by a tornado that was initially estimated at EF-3 strength or higher on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
"It just hit all of a sudden," said Joy King, who felt pressure in her ears, which intensified into a loud noise. The storm cellar door she was hiding in then blew open, and debris started to fly everywhere. "I even had it latched to a bolt in the floor, and it just ripped it off."
'Thank God, we're alive': Barnsdall, OK woman recounts harrowing tale of enduring tornado
Joy King, of Barnsdall, Oklahoma, surrived a devastating tornado that destroyed homes and toppled power lines as it ripped through her small town northeast of Oklahoma City on Monday evening.
King huddled in a corner with her little dog for about 30 minutes. She considered leaving, but her husband alerted her to another incoming cell, so she remained in place.
"We're alive," she cried. "Thank God, we're alive."
DEADLY TORNADO RIPS THROUGH BARNSDALL, OKLAHOMA, AS SEVERE WEATHER PRODUCES CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE IN CENTRAL US
The nearby town of Bartlesville also suffered severe damage from the same tornado. Multiple injuries are reported, but the exact number has yet to be confirmed. Damage surveys will continue on Tuesday.
A Tornado Emergency, the most dire of tornado alerts, was issued for Osage County in Oklahoma on Monday evening as the storm approached. The NWS referred to a "large and destructive tornado" moving towards Barnsdall and causing catastrophic damage.
Watch: Tornado rips through Barndsall, leaving behind wake of damage in Oklahoma
A tornado ripped through Barndsall Oklahoma, on Monday evening, leaving behind a wake of damage.
‘It is chaos in town’
Osage County Emergency Management Director Jerry Roberts told FOX Weather that Oklahoma Task Force 1 Tulsa, along with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and crews from numerous jurisdictions, arrived in Barnsdall overnight to aid in the search for survivors.
"Right now, we have a big area of total destruction," Roberts adds.
According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, as many as 40 homes were damaged in the Barnsdall area. Multiple reports of natural gas leaks and debris in roadways led to the closure of numerous roads.
The Barnsdall Nursing Home took a direct hit from the tornado on the southwest side of town.
"Please pray for us," the facility said on Facebook, stressing all residents were accounted for with no injuries. "They all have been transported to football field house due to gas leak that could not be turned off by emergency personnel … it is chaos in town."
1 dead after EF-3 tornado levels Barnsdall, Oklahoma
One person has died after a devastating tornado destroyed homes and toppled power lines as it moved through a small town northeast of Oklahoma City on Monday evening.
The Tornado Emergency for Barnsdall was just the second one ever issued by the NWS in Tulsa, and one of 13 Tornado Warnings issued by that office on Monday. It was the first tornado to hit Barnsdall since 2008.
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