A strong twister ripped through Barnsdall Monday night, forcing the evacuation of a nursing home, killing at least one, and damaging scores of homes.
Mayor of Barnsdall Johnny Kelley said a "very large" tornado tore through the town about 40 miles north of Tulsa. It’s the second tornado to hit the area since April 1.
“It's torn up bad, it's in despair, for sure, as well as our citizens," said Kelley. "The town’s took a significant blow here lately. It’s not good for sure."
Kelley said crews are still searching for “one or two” missing people. He estimated as many as 40 homes were destroyed and about eight people injured.
Kelley said residents of a nursing home were “distributed to health care facilities” across the area.
Crystal Maxi’s grandparents have lived off Highway 123 in Barnsdall for almost 25 years. She arrived around 8 a.m. to see the home she spent a lot of time in as a child leveled.
“I just cried, I didn’t know what else to do,” said Maxi.
No one in Maxi's family was injured. Her grandmother was home alone and took cover in a storm shelter.
The National Weather Service says it is still determining the strength of the tornado.
Gov. Kevin Stitt is scheduled to visit Barnsdall around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.
Nearby areas also took damage, including Bartlesville. The storm was one of eight to strike Oklahoma, according to The Associated Press.
This is a developing story.
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