The town of Seminole — about 50 miles southeast Oklahoma City — was hit by tornadoes for the second time this week.
Dramatic television coverage showed the Seminole area storm’s formation and the destruction it caused in real time. Mobile offices were tossed, buildings damaged, windows blown out, and roofs ripped off as a multi-vortex tornado moved directly over Seminole, one of several tornadoes to touch down in the state.
SEMINOLE DAMAGE: Downed power lines, blown off roof, bent radio tower.
— Meghan Mosley (@KOCOMeghan) May 5, 2022
(The residents we spoke with on Broadway say they are okay- but they watched as the tornado touched down). The roof that was blown off is their auto shop and home. | @koconews pic.twitter.com/rRIzf5HhIA
Power was out in the community immediately after the storm, and emergency crews were assessing damage and making sure no one was trapped in rubble and debris, plenty of which was scattered across the area. As of early Thursday, there were no official reports of injuries.
Overnight, concern shifted from tornadic storms to significant flooding.
Two schools in Seminole received heavy damage from the tornado that ripped through town Wednesday evening.
A charter school in town took a “direct hit from the tornado” and the city’s middle school gym had its roof damaged in the storm.
The Academy of Seminole announced in a Facebook post that school was canceled. There had been people at the school at the time, but they were able to shelter safely and nobody was injured.
“Please do not come to the school: it is extremely dangerous,” the school said in its announcement. “We will begin organizing volunteer efforts and will be reaching out to families to see how we can help one another. We will continue to post updates as we are able.”
Seminole Public Schools canceled classes Thursday because much of the city was without power.
As long as electricity is restored, superintendent Bob Gragg wrote in an email that school should resume next Monday.
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