Severe weather outbreaks in Oklahoma on Saturday resulted in two deaths, an infant being among the deceased. Holdenville was particularly hard-hit, with 14 homes damaged or destroyed, and Highway 9 being blocked due to debris. Oklahoma City Task Force One provided search and rescue support in the area. Other areas affected by the tornadoes include Marietta, where damage was reported at Marietta Hospital, and Sulphur, where significant damage and numerous injuries were reported. The storms also led to the closure of Interstate 35 North due to overturned vehicles and power lines.
The devastation in Holdenville resulted in at least two fatalities and significant damage to homes and buildings. The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management reported that the hospital patients in the area took shelter during the extreme weather, and no injuries were reported at Marietta Hospital. The Chickasaw Nation provided support for the storm response efforts in Marietta. The storms also caused damage in Cotton County, with three to five homes being damaged and 43,000 customers left without power across the state. A state of emergency was declared in 12 Oklahoma counties due to the severe weather outbreak.
Three to five homes were damaged in Cotton County as a result of the severe weather. Power outages affected a large number of customers across several counties in Oklahoma. Gov. Kevin Stitt declared a state of emergency in 12 counties due to the severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, hail, and flooding that occurred on Saturday. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell stated that the department is prepared to assist the affected region if needed. The executive order declaring a disaster emergency will be in effect for the next 30 days.
In Marietta, a tornado destroyed several buildings and caused significant damage to a Dollar Tree warehouse, a nursing home, part of a hospital, and other businesses. The Love County Sheriff’s Office urged residents to stay off the roads to allow responders to work efficiently at the disaster site. The sheriff’s department reported that all hospital patients were relocated, and efforts were being made to evacuate the remaining individuals from the nursing home. Survey teams were deployed across the affected areas to investigate the extent of the damage caused by the tornadoes.
The National Weather Service in Norman reported that at least 20 tornadoes were observed in the forecast area on Saturday. Survey teams were dispatched to evaluate the damage in various communities, including Ardmore and Norman, in addition to the previously mentioned areas. The number of tornadoes reported is subject to change as more assessments are conducted. Additional surveys were planned for communities to the west of Oklahoma City and areas southwest into portions of Texas. The NWS continues to monitor and provide updates on the tornado damage across the region.
