Did a twister leave damage?
High wind inflicts minor destruction
Storms leave their trail of devastation across city

From Staff Reports

Published: May 8, 2008

Storms rushing through the Oklahoma City area Wednesday evening caused widespread damage and reports, but no confirmation, of tornadoes, authorities said.

"According to reports we've received, it was more than likely just wind damage in the west central, northwest, north central and a little bit on the east side,” said David Barnes, the director of emergency management for Oklahoma County.

Barnes said there was no confirmed tornado damage, but there is obviously widespread wind damage.

"It sounds like we were limited to tree damage and light roof damage,” Barnes said.

Barnes said it was fortunate Wednesday's storm didn't materialize to a greater magnitude.

"The potential was there,” he said.

A storm chaser reported a tornado near State Highway 66 east of Yukon, but no damage was found, local authorities said.

Tornadoes also were reported near NW 150 and Pennsylvania Avenue, near NW 63 and Meridian Avenue, and near County Line Road and Wilshire Boulevard. None were confirmed.

An observer at Wiley Post Airport reported a tornado three miles east of the airport about 5 p.m. Damage was reported in the area of NW 63 and Meridian Avenue, according to the National Weather Service.

In Bethany, witnesses said they saw a tornado touch down about 5 p.m. in the 4000 block of Shannon Avenue near NW 39 Expressway and Council Road, Police Chief Phil Cole said. Trees were toppled and several landed on cars on the Southern Nazarene University campus, Cole said.

A Garvin County family of three was inside their home when what local officials believe to be a tornado obliterated their doublewide mobile home and buried them inside the debris Wednesday afternoon.

The home is about four miles east of Pauls Valley.

"When we arrived, neighbors had already dug them out and were putting them in a pickup to take them down to the road,” Garvin County Undersheriff Steve Brooks said.

The three people only received minor injuries, the worst of which was believed to be that a woman may have broken her ankle in the storm.

Judging by the damage he saw, including twisted and snarled trees and a narrow damage path, Brooks said there was little doubt in his mind that tornado briefly touched down.

A falling tree tore off part of a roof at the Willow Cliff apartment complex at NW 50 and Ann Arbor. Several residents rode out the storm in closets and bathrooms.

"You could feel the house shaking. Pictures were falling off the wall. I was shaking,” said Shaydestiny Johnson, 16.

Johnson says went into a bathroom with her grandmother after she saw the balcony patio fall.

Strong winds near NW 40 and Council Road brought down several trees in the area, one of which hit a gas meter and caused a leak at the Stonebridge Apartments, 4102 N Council Road. Residents were evacuated for about 30 minutes while the leak was repaired, said Cole, the Bethany police chief.

Cole said power lines were down and some power outages have been reported.

"It just came on really fast. It came out of nowhere,” Cole said. "We weren't even under a watch.”

He said he knew of no confirmed injuries.

Tree limbs were down in the southeast areas of Edmond, but no significant damage was reported. Edmond emergency management officials sounded the sirens six times during the storm. Anyone in Edmond with storm damage was asked to call the city's hot line, 359-4370.

The storm struck the Southern Nazarene University softball and baseball complex near NW 39 and Council Road, said school spokeswoman Carol Wight. The softball field dugout's roof was torn off and the visitors' bleachers were blown onto their side, she said. She didn't know of any damage on the school's main campus at 6729 NW 39 Expressway.

At NW 50 and MacArthur Boulevard, a steel-beam commercial structure that was under construction was damaged. Steel supports were twisted and torn from the concrete foundation.

The only injury reported was in Bethany. A woman in the 7100 block of 61 Terrace was running to a storm shelter and broke her leg, Warr Acres Fire Chief Rob Carter said. Carter said Warr Acres crews responded because of a mutual-aid agreement between the two cities and all firefighters were responding to emergencies at the time. He said the woman went to a hospital.

At 7 p.m., about 14,000 electricity customers without power, including more than 9,000 in Oklahoma City, more than 1,800 in Bethany and more than 1,000 in Edmond.

According to Edmond police spokeswoman Glynda Chu, spotty power outages were being reported.

A National Weather Service employee reported a straight-line wind estimated at 70 to 75 mph at Noble in Cleveland County.

The highest wind gust reported by Mesonet sites in the Oklahoma City area was 59 mph near Wilshire Boulevard and Broadway Extension.

Authorities reported these closures due to flooding:

•County-line Road from NW 192 to NW 206

•NW 178 from Highway 74 (Portland) to MacArthur Boulevard.

•NW 220 from Highway 74 (Portland) to May.

•Rockwell from NW 178 to NW 192.

•Meridian from NW 178 to NW 192.

•U.S. 75, 1.5 miles north of Beggs in Okmulgee County.

24-hour totals from the Oklahoma Mesonet as of 9:15 p.m.:

Nowata, 4.23 inches

OKC West, 3.48 inches

Skiatook, 3.27 inches

OKC North, 3.41 inches

Red Rock, 3.03 inches

Kingfisher, 2.93 inches

Burbank, 2.90 inches

Miami, 2.75 inches

Marshall, 2.72 inches

Foraker, 2.65 inches

OKC East, 2.64 inches

Shawnee, 2.62 inches

El Reno, 2.56 inches

Guthrie, 2.47 inches

Wynona, 2.47 inches

Pawnee, 2.44 inches

Newkirk, 2.43 inches

Bowleg,2.40 inches

Claremore, 2.36 inches

Washington, 2.33 inches

Bixby, 2.28 inches

Hinton, 2.26 inches

Jay, 2.20 inches

Blackwell, 2.14 inches

Porter, 2.07 inches

Acme, 2.05 inches

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