A tornado has killed two people in suburban Oklahoma City. Five separate tornadoes have been spotted across the state. Hit the jump to read the rest of the story.
An emergency official said a tornado has killed two people in suburban Oklahoma City. Five separate tornadoes have been spotted across the state during the evening rush hour.
Jerry Smith, the Emergency Management director for Canadian County, said he had no other details about the deaths Tuesday afternoon.
Two storms raked the southern side of the city — in the same area hit May 3, 1999, by the strongest tornado ever recorded.
Three children were in critical condition after the storms hit, and search dogs were called out to search for survivors — or victims — in Canton.
Spokeswoman Lara O’Leary of the region’s Emergency Medical Service Authority said three children suffered major injuries at Piedmont. She said there had been some type of gas explosion near El Reno and that emergency workers were dispatched.
The storms began about 3 p.m. in western Oklahoma and followed tracks greater than 40 miles into the state capital. State offices and a number of businesses let their workers go home hours earlier so they could be out of harm’s way.
Interstate 40 was closed west of the city as the storm crossed the roadway near suburban El Reno, and state police were checking reports of damage at a home.
University of Oklahoma President David Boren issued a statement saying all three of the school’s campuses have been closed for the evening.
