02-11-2009, 11:18 PM
By LIZ ROBBINS
Published: February 11, 2009
Rescuers dug their way through the remains of houses and businesses on Wednesday after a rare and deadly February tornado ripped through a small Oklahoma town on Tuesday night. The medical examinerââ¬â¢s office confirmed 8 people were dead, and local authorities said 46 were injured.
Three people were rescued Wednesday after being trapped inside a house overnight, although as many as 40 residents were still unaccounted for in Lone Grove, in the south-central part of Oklahoma.
ââ¬ÅI went through that Murrah Building bombing, and it reminds me of that,ââ¬Â said Sheriff Ken Grace of Carter County, referring to the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, which killed 168 people.
By midafternoon on Wednesday, Sheriff Grace said crews had discovered a ninth body in Lone Grove, a man who was found dead in his pickup in the middle of a field. ââ¬ÅThe tornado must have picked him up and dropped him there,ââ¬Â the sheriff said. The National Weather Service said the intensity of the tornado that struck Lone Grove was the second highest, EF4, on its scale, with winds equivalent to 170 miles per hour.
Marianne Elfert, the Lone Grove city manager, said the damage was extensive, especially in the southern section of her town of 5,000, about 100 miles south of Oklahoma City.
ââ¬ÅWeââ¬â¢re talking about normal structures destroyed, mobile homes, downed trees, downed power lines and utilities,ââ¬Â Ms. Elfert said. ââ¬ÅWeââ¬â¢re not sure what level of assistance we will receive.ââ¬Â
Gov. Brad Henry, who surveyed the damage in Lone Grove on Wednesday, declared a state of emergency in 17 counties.
Random mountains of mangled metal, overturned cars, strewn furniture and caved-in buildings confronted stunned local officials and residents, as the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and the National Guard assisted in the recovery. Officials from the National Weather Service also surveyed the damage to determine the intensity of the tornado, which struck the area about 7:15 p.m. Central time on Tuesday.
Two other tornadoes associated with the storm touched down in Oklahoma ââ¬â in Pawnee and Edmond, a northeast suburb of Oklahoma City. There was property damage and loss of power, the authorities said, but there were no fatalities.
Tornadoes are rare in February, ââ¬Åat least for this far north and west,ââ¬Â said David Andra, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Norman, Okla. The last fatalities during a February tornado occurred in 1975, with three deaths, he said.
On Tuesday, the temperatures had climbed into the mid-70s in Oklahoma ââ¬â part of a warm, moist air mass that combined with strong winds to create the powerful storms, Mr. Andra said.
A mobile home park, Bar K, with 35 to 40 homes, was destroyed, Ms. Elfert said, and at least three residents were killed.
A spokeswoman for the Oklahoma state medical examiner said that she knew of only eight deaths and that there were no children among the dead.
Most of the deaths occurred from ââ¬Åblunt-force trauma to the head,ââ¬Â said Cherokee Ballard, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner.
Seven of the confirmed dead were from Lone Grove. ââ¬ÅThree were found outside their houses, two were inside their homes and one was in a field,ââ¬Â Ms. Ballard said. Another victim was found on a gravel road outside the trailer park. The eighth confirmed victim was a truck driver on Interstate 35, who was found pinned underneath his vehicle.
By Wednesday morning, Jeri Mays, the owner of Billââ¬â¢s Fish House in Lone Grove, said in a telephone interview that a child of one of her managers suffered injuries and had to be hospitalized. She said her business had minor damage to the roof, but lost power and remained closed.
Ms. Mays added that the glass lobby of the post office in town was destroyed, a United Parcel Service building was razed and a group home for men with special needs was damaged.
About 6,500 customers of Oklahoma Gas and Electric, including 3,500 in Lone Grove, were without services on Wednesday, according to a company spokesman, Gil Broyles of Edmond, who said six homes were destroyed there. His wife took shelter in an interior bathroom, he said, ââ¬Ålistening to the roaring.ââ¬Â
The tornado did not damage downtown Oklahoma City, but struck northwest of the city, tearing off a wall of a Chuck E. Cheeseââ¬â¢s restaurant, The Associated Press reported.
On Wednesday evening, eight people were still hospitalized at the Mercy Memorial Health Center in Ardmore, Okla., about eight miles east of Lone Grove, a spokeswoman said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/12/us/12t...tml?ref=us
Published: February 11, 2009
Rescuers dug their way through the remains of houses and businesses on Wednesday after a rare and deadly February tornado ripped through a small Oklahoma town on Tuesday night. The medical examinerââ¬â¢s office confirmed 8 people were dead, and local authorities said 46 were injured.
Three people were rescued Wednesday after being trapped inside a house overnight, although as many as 40 residents were still unaccounted for in Lone Grove, in the south-central part of Oklahoma.
ââ¬ÅI went through that Murrah Building bombing, and it reminds me of that,ââ¬Â said Sheriff Ken Grace of Carter County, referring to the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, which killed 168 people.
By midafternoon on Wednesday, Sheriff Grace said crews had discovered a ninth body in Lone Grove, a man who was found dead in his pickup in the middle of a field. ââ¬ÅThe tornado must have picked him up and dropped him there,ââ¬Â the sheriff said. The National Weather Service said the intensity of the tornado that struck Lone Grove was the second highest, EF4, on its scale, with winds equivalent to 170 miles per hour.
Marianne Elfert, the Lone Grove city manager, said the damage was extensive, especially in the southern section of her town of 5,000, about 100 miles south of Oklahoma City.
ââ¬ÅWeââ¬â¢re talking about normal structures destroyed, mobile homes, downed trees, downed power lines and utilities,ââ¬Â Ms. Elfert said. ââ¬ÅWeââ¬â¢re not sure what level of assistance we will receive.ââ¬Â
Gov. Brad Henry, who surveyed the damage in Lone Grove on Wednesday, declared a state of emergency in 17 counties.
Random mountains of mangled metal, overturned cars, strewn furniture and caved-in buildings confronted stunned local officials and residents, as the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and the National Guard assisted in the recovery. Officials from the National Weather Service also surveyed the damage to determine the intensity of the tornado, which struck the area about 7:15 p.m. Central time on Tuesday.
Two other tornadoes associated with the storm touched down in Oklahoma ââ¬â in Pawnee and Edmond, a northeast suburb of Oklahoma City. There was property damage and loss of power, the authorities said, but there were no fatalities.
Tornadoes are rare in February, ââ¬Åat least for this far north and west,ââ¬Â said David Andra, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Norman, Okla. The last fatalities during a February tornado occurred in 1975, with three deaths, he said.
On Tuesday, the temperatures had climbed into the mid-70s in Oklahoma ââ¬â part of a warm, moist air mass that combined with strong winds to create the powerful storms, Mr. Andra said.
A mobile home park, Bar K, with 35 to 40 homes, was destroyed, Ms. Elfert said, and at least three residents were killed.
A spokeswoman for the Oklahoma state medical examiner said that she knew of only eight deaths and that there were no children among the dead.
Most of the deaths occurred from ââ¬Åblunt-force trauma to the head,ââ¬Â said Cherokee Ballard, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner.
Seven of the confirmed dead were from Lone Grove. ââ¬ÅThree were found outside their houses, two were inside their homes and one was in a field,ââ¬Â Ms. Ballard said. Another victim was found on a gravel road outside the trailer park. The eighth confirmed victim was a truck driver on Interstate 35, who was found pinned underneath his vehicle.
By Wednesday morning, Jeri Mays, the owner of Billââ¬â¢s Fish House in Lone Grove, said in a telephone interview that a child of one of her managers suffered injuries and had to be hospitalized. She said her business had minor damage to the roof, but lost power and remained closed.
Ms. Mays added that the glass lobby of the post office in town was destroyed, a United Parcel Service building was razed and a group home for men with special needs was damaged.
About 6,500 customers of Oklahoma Gas and Electric, including 3,500 in Lone Grove, were without services on Wednesday, according to a company spokesman, Gil Broyles of Edmond, who said six homes were destroyed there. His wife took shelter in an interior bathroom, he said, ââ¬Ålistening to the roaring.ââ¬Â
The tornado did not damage downtown Oklahoma City, but struck northwest of the city, tearing off a wall of a Chuck E. Cheeseââ¬â¢s restaurant, The Associated Press reported.
On Wednesday evening, eight people were still hospitalized at the Mercy Memorial Health Center in Ardmore, Okla., about eight miles east of Lone Grove, a spokeswoman said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/12/us/12t...tml?ref=us