Drone footage from WX Chasing—which covers extreme weather worldwide—shows the devastation caused by the huge tornado that ripped through Barnsdall in central Oklahoma on Monday.
The city of 1,000 people found itself at the mercy of nature's fury as a tornado tore through its streets, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. The tornado, which struck in the late afternoon, left residents reeling from the widespread damage and destruction.
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The drone footage shows that the tornado carved a path of chaos through Barnsdall, north of Tulsa, demolishing homes, uprooting trees, and sending debris flying. Eyewitnesses described scenes of utter devastation, with buildings reduced to rubble and vehicles tossed aside by the powerful winds.
Tulsa TV station KOTV reported that Osage County Sheriff Eddie Virden confirmed that one person had died in Barnsdall on Monday. This is the second time Barnsdall has been hit by a tornado in a month.
The mayor of Barnsdall, Johnny Kelley, told Fox News that an attempt to activate sirens had failed because they malfunctioned after a lightning strike.
He said: "In between the 60 seconds or so it takes for the sirens to activate, our siren on the hill took a direct lightning strike and it got the breaker and then our other two sirens, it blew up the AC/DC converters in both of those."
The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management has asked residents to report damage to their property at damage.ok.gov., which they say helps local and state emergency managers better coordinate response and recovery efforts. The department is coordinating with several Oklahoma agencies and organizations including the Highway Patrol, State Department of Health, National Guard, Department of Transportation, Office of Homeland Security, Department of Agriculture, and Oklahoma American Red Cross.
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The full extent of the destruction is still being assessed, but preliminary reports suggest that hundreds of homes have been damaged or destroyed, leaving many families homeless. Power lines have been downed, roads blocked, and communication networks disrupted, further complicating recovery efforts.
Oklahoma State Department of Health reported that a nursing home was damaged and patients evacuated.
"Please pray for us," the Barnsdall Nursing Home wrote on social media.
Oklahoma Highway Patrol was assisting with rescues as several roads were closed because of debris.
The Red Cross set up shelters for displaced residents, offering food, water and medical aid to those affected by the tornado.
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Emma Marsden is a freelance news reporter for Newsweek who has lived in the UK and USA. Her interests are ... Read more
