Tornado touches down in Tulsa area; seven hurt
TULSA – At least seven people were injured after severe storms spawned multiple tornado touchdowns in northeastern Oklahoma, damaging homes and businesses, authorities said.
National Weather Service meteorologist Amy Jankowski said a tornado touched down and lifted up numerous times Wednesday night as it swept through the northern Tulsa and Owasso areas.
TORNADO NORTH OF AIRPORT pic.twitter.com/tHZJT39een
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About one square mile of a mostly residential area sustained damage, Tulsa Fire Department spokesman Stan May said. One home was destroyed and other residences and businesses sustained roof and structural damage, he said.
Police and fire officials were going door to door in the area to make sure everyone was accounted for. There were no immediate reports of anyone missing, May said.
“We want to check each house,” he said. “We’ve got some elderly people in the area. We want to make sure people have the medicines they need.”
Emergency Medical Services Authority, an ambulance service provider, transported seven patients, spokeswoman Kelli Bruer said. Bruer said one was in critical condition and several were in serious condition.
May said a few others suffered minor injuries but declined treatment.
Nearly 5,000 Public Service Company of Oklahoma customers lost power after the storm, but the utility said service had been restored to all but about 1,000 early Thursday morning.
The streets and water departments were assisting with road barricades and debris removal, Tulsa public information officer Michelle Allen said.
Cliff Motto, director of Owasso Emergency Management, told the Tulsa World multiple houses in the Stone Canyon neighborhood had mostly roof damage.
Nearly 9 million people in parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas were in an enhanced area of risk Wednesday, putting them in the bull’s-eye for some of the strongest storms, the national Storm Prediction Center said earlier Wednesday.
This story was originally published March 31, 2016 at 6:51 AM with the headline "Tornado touches down in Tulsa area; seven hurt."