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

ENID, Okla. (AP) — 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.

There were no fatalities and only minor injuries reported.

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 home had part of its metal roof torn off and trees were left stripped of bark and limbs.

Dave Lamerton of Enid spent Friday morning salvaging what was left of his son Joseph’s woodworking shop just south of the city, along with some family members and a group of volunteers who traveled from Kansas to help with cleanup.

“The tornado just swung right through here and just hit us directly,” Lamerton said, pointing to a giant mess of splintered wood beams, furniture, debris and heavy machinery that was pushed into a massive pile at the edge of the building’s foundation. “We’ve got stuff on the property we can’t even find.”

Neighboring counties also reported some flooded roads and barn damage. The National Weather Service office in Norman, Oklahoma, was sending two crews out Friday to do damage surveys related to six potential tornadoes in the Enid and Braman areas of north-central Oklahoma, meteorologist John Pike said.

In Enid, local police and fire departments and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol conducted multiple home searches, rescuing some trapped residents, 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.”

Fences and some equipment were knocked down at nearby Vance Air Force Base, about 80 miles 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 weather service said. Strong to severe thunderstorms are expected to develop Saturday, including in the Enid area.

It was a stormy night in 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.