Storms leave damage, power outages

From Staff and Wire Reports

Published: June 6, 2008

A powerful late-spring storm system unleashed fierce winds on Oklahoma, causing property damage, electric service disruption and even a fire that led briefly to evacuations in a small town.

The only injury reported was to a firefighter who was hurt as he helped crews battle a fire that began when strong winds knocked power lines down onto a wheat field in Gotebo in southwestern Oklahoma, authorities said.

At 1 p.m. today, about 6,600 Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co. customers in Byars, Choctaw, Enid, Haskell, Jet, Lahoma, Midwest City, Nichols Hills, Noble, Norman, Oklahoma City, Pauls Valley, The Village and Wellston were without power.

Flooding in Jefferson has caused the closure of U.S. 81 from Medford to Pond Creek, according to the State Transportation Department. Jefferson is 11 miles south of Medford and 4 miles north Pond Creek. State Highway 80 between Hulbert and Wildwood campgrounds is also closed because of water on the road.

Custer County, high winds flipped three airplanes over at the Clinton airport and blew over six barns in the town, state officials said.

In Beckham County, 70 mph winds are being blamed for roof damage to buildings and to residences in the county, Emergency Management Director Lonnie Risenhoover said.

To the north in Alfalfa County, several homes and nearly a dozen barns sustained roof damage in Cherokee, and barn damage was reported in Driftwood, officials said.

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