As of Sunday, the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management is still assessing the damage. Injuries and property damage to homes, structures, trees and downed power lines have been reported in multiple locations. Find the latest information from the department here.
In total, state officials confirmed four people died: one in Sulphur, two in Holdenville and one near Marietta.
Significant damage was reported after a line of storms rampaged through most of the state. The National Weather Service has reports of at least 18 tornadoes in Oklahoma on Saturday night and 19 more in Kansas, Missouri and Texas.
Downtown Sulphur in Murray County was essentially leveled. Tornadoes that ripped through Holdenville in Hughes County left two dead. And a hospital in Marietta was largely reduced to rubble while a driver near there was killed on Interstate 35.
Videos and photos of leveled homes and structures are circulating on social media platforms.
At least 37,000 electric customers were without power early Sunday morning, according to poweroutage.us. Flooding and storm damage in certain areas caused roadways to close. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation is working to clean storm debris and damage and has reopened some roads.
Downtown Sulphur was heavily damaged and buildings were destroyed. One person was killed.
Sulphur Public Schools superintendent Matt Holder said every school bus owned by the district was “severely damaged,” when the facility where they were parked was hit by a tornado.
“Classes will be closed tomorrow – and likely longer – to allow district officials to assess damage on school campuses and to give families time together,” he wrote in a letter to parents.
School sites had lost power and were flooded with water. Athletic fields were also littered with debris.
Ardmore also experienced a wave of destruction, leaving much of the city without power and several homes destroyed. Interstate 35 was shut down on Sunday morning as a result. Mayor Sheryl Ellis posted in a video statement on Facebook that people should stay where they are, as first responders picked up the pieces there.
“Hundreds of people are working on this,” Ellis said. “We are partnering with others to work on this… If you can at all please stay at home.”
Less than 20 miles south of Ardmore, the City of Marietta took major damage in the storms. In a Sunday press conference, Love County Sheriff Andy Cumberledge said a driver was killed on Interstate 35 near the city, the town’s Homeland grocery store and a Dollar General store were destroyed.
The Dollar Tree warehouse next to Interstate 35 took significant damage. Cumberledge also reported Marietta’s nursing home and hospital were also damaged, with first responders spending the night evacuating patients to other facilities.
In Garvin County, a fire broke out at the CVR Refinery in Wynnewood during the overnight storm. Although CVR Energy did not confirm the cause, the company said in a statement the fire caused no injuries and is now extinguished.
There were also reports of damage to homes in the Manor Lake Hills neighborhood of Norman, just west of Riverwind Casino off Highway 9. There was also minor damage to businesses and some snapped trees in the north portion of Norman.
Parts of Oklahoma City also received minor damage, mostly in the form of downed power lines and stop signs.
Officials offer help
Sunday afternoon, Gov. Kevin Stitt surveyed the damage in Sulphur and called it the most he’s seen since he first took office.
“I’ve seen a lot of damage,” Stitt said during a press conference in Sulphur. “But what I saw in downtown Sulphur – it’s unbelievable. It seems like every business in downtown has been destroyed.”
Stitt declared a state of emergency in Carter, Cotton, Garfield, Hughes, Kay, Lincoln, Love, Murray, Okfuskee, Oklahoma, Payne and Pontotoc counties amid the storm damage.
Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anaotubby wrote in a statement that his tribal nation’s Artesian Hotel and the ARTesian art gallery sustained some damage but everyone in those locations was safe.
“Our prayers are with all those who have been affected by these storms,” he said in his statement. “We will continue collaborating with local authorities and relief efforts to help.”
House Speaker Charles McCall’s district includes Sulphur and much of Murray County. He, and Sen. Greg McCortney, who also represents people in the area, joined Stitt during the Sulphur press conference. They offered condolences and support for those in the district and beyond.
“My prayers go out to the citizens of Sulphur, all of Murray County and those across the State of Oklahoma affected by the severe weather this weekend,” McCall said. “The loss of life is the most precious thing,” he said. “That’s what weighs so heavy on my heart. Everything else can be rebuilt.”
And in the spirit of rebuilding, McCall said an appropriation at the legislative level can still be made to help areas like Sulphur, which will lose sales tax revenue because of lost business, recover from the devastation.
The situation is ongoing, and this post will be updated.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story had the incorrect number of people killed in tornadoes in Central Oklahoma. Four people were confirmed dead as of 3:30 p.m., Sunday afternoon.
