Possible tornadoes hit parts of state

Chad Previch and Bryan Dean

Published: August 19, 2007

Sunday morning's storms brought more than just heavy rain, with reports of tornadoes and heavy wind, injuring two people in Watonga and causing damage across western and central Oklahoma.

Michaelann Ooten, spokeswoman for the state emergency management department, said two people, whose names were not released, were treated for non-life threatening injuries in Watonga after straight line winds or a possible tornado destroyed their home.

The National Weather Service has not yet confirmed any tornadoes although twister-like damage has been reported. Radar indicated a tornado six miles south of Minco, meteorologist John Pike said.

He said Oklahoma benefited from a relatively dry August.

"That allowed runoff to occur a little bit better but there has been a lot of rain,” he said.

Although the National Weather Service has yet to confirm a tornado, something destroyed the Geary Community Nursing Home in eastern Blaine County. Bill Wood, a volunteer at the nursing home, said 17 residents were transferred to several local homes.

About 4:35 a.m., something came through the area and destroyed the building, Wood said.

"It caught the northwest edge of the nursing home and just ripped the roof right on back,” he said. "Everybody's been moved out. Everybody's safe.”

Damage in Geary was not limited to the nursing home. Fast Lane Food Mart sustained heavy damage, including to a canopy and doors, and also tree and water damage, owner Karen Kurtz said. Because power is out, customers are being turned away.

Signs of tornado damage were everywhere Kurtz said. Stop signs were blown over; trees were scattered and Main Street sustained major damage.

Kurtz used her four-wheel drive to get out of her farm this morning but said it would be impossible to drive on her flooded road with her car that doesn't have the enhanced power.

"It sounded like it was raining sheets of rain,” she said. "It was loud. It kept me awake. It's unreal. It's a mess.”

Ceadric Washington owns a liquor store in Watonga. High winds blew out windows and smashed liquor bottles, with glass strewn all over the floor.

Washington said he previously lived in Virginia and remembers hurricanes there.

"This was more like a hurricane than a tornado,” Washington said.

The Red Cross was setting up shelters and will serve two meals today. Officials expect about 150 people will need help, mostly because of power outages.

Nearly the entire town was without power.

Janell Wood, Blaine County emergency manager, said as many as 35,000 people in the county are without power. A wind gust of 82 miles per hour was reported at the Watonga Municipal Airport, where six or seven planes were damaged. Several that looked as if they had been picked up and thrown, with their wings crumpled. Two hangars also took significant damage.

Fire Chief Mark Huff said two people had minor injuries in the storm and were treated and released.

Parts of the town took damage from the heavy winds and others were flooded. Signs and trees were snapped in half everywhere.

A tornado was reported by the Cordell fire chief about 11 miles southeast of Cordell at 5:15 p.m. No damage was reported. Another possible tornado earlier destroyed a large barn four miles northeast of Hobart in Kiowa County, according to a county official. Several power poles snapped and some trees were uprooted.

Power poles also were reported down on Interstate 40 near Country Club Road at El Reno.

At 2 a.m. a tornado warning was issued for Canadian County, primarily for the Calument, Cogar and El Reno areas, and northeastern Caddo County. The warning was allowed to expire at 2:30 a.m., but another tornado warning was issued almost immediately for Canadian County caused by alarming radar indications at Union City. That warning was allowed to expire at 3 a.m.

Just before 3 a.m. a tornado watch was issued for Blaine, Canadian, Cleveland, Comanche, Cotton, Garvin, Grady, Jefferson, Kingfisher, Lincoln, Logan, McClain, Oklahoma, Payne, Pottawatomie and Stephens counties, to run until 8 a.m.

A 75 mph wind gust was recorded at 12:25 a.m. by a Mesonet site four miles northwest of Fort Cobb.

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