Tornado barrels through Oklahoma, damaging 40 homes and shutting down roads

ENID, Okla. | Communities began cleaning up Friday after a powerful tornado in Oklahoma damaged at least 40 homes, ripping roofs off of some and reducing others to rubble in a rural community as emergency crews rescued trapped residents, authorities said.

The confirmed tornado Thursday moved across parts of Enid, a city of about 50,000 people near the state’s northern border in Garfield County, according to the National Weather Service. Video showed a rapidly rotating column of air touching down along with totaled homes.

Commercial buildings just south of the city were turned into a pile of twisted metal, splintered wood and insulation by the powerful twister that pushed the buildings completely off the concrete foundations.

The tornado knocked down utility poles and left power lines wrapped with huge chunks of debris. A nearby home had part of its metal roof torn off and trees were left stripped of bark and limbs.

Neighboring counties also reported some flooded roads and barn damage. Some roads and part of U.S. Interstate 81 were closed, the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said.

There were no immediate reports of fatalities and only minor injuries, according to the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office.

Local police and fire departments and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol conducted multiple home searches, rescuing some trapped residents, Enid Mayor David Mason said Friday.

Mason said some of the worst damage happened in Gray Ridge, a neighborhood on the south side of the city, where homes were knocked down.

“The support from our community has been remarkable. Local businesses have offered equipment and labor, residents have opened their doors, and supplies have poured in already,” Mason posted online. “This is who Enid is in challenging moments — we continue to show up for one another.”

Amy Kuntz, who was driving home to Enid, was calming her daughter over the phone during the storm.

“She said, ‘I don’t know what to do,’ And then I was like, ‘Get in the bathtub.’ So she got in the bathtub and not even a minute later, she’s like, ‘Mom, the roof’s gone,'” Kuntz told KFOR-TV.

Fences and some equipment were knocked down at nearby Vance Air Force Base, about 80 miles (129 kilometers) north of Oklahoma City. The base was closed until further notice “due to ongoing power and water restoration efforts,” it posted online Friday.

Everyone assigned to the base has been accounted for and no injuries were reported, 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs Chief Ashley D. Hendricks said in an email Friday.

“Please join me in praying for the Enid community, which has been severely impacted by tonight’s tornado,” Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt posted on social media.

More storms are possible through Friday night across south-central and southeast Oklahoma, the National Weather Service in Norman said. Strong to severe thunderstorms are expected to develop Saturday, including in the Enid area.

It was a stormy night for other states, too. In Kearney, Missouri, north of Kansas City, officials reported downed trees, debris blocking roadways and damage to homes on Thursday night after storms passed through the area. Officials said in a social media post that no injuries had been reported. Crews worked to make roads passable by early Friday and were expected to continue cleanup efforts during the day.

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Associated Press writers Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, and Sarah Brumfield in Cockeysville, Maryland, contributed to this report.