“We're going to work through the day to get a better understanding of what the impacts are across the state,” Criswell said. “I'll give an update to the president on what I've seen and make sure we get the right federal resources” to each area.
The National Weather Service rated the tornado as an EF4 with wind speeds of up to 170 mph (274 kph). It was one of at least 25 tornadoes the weather service confirmed having struck Oklahoma and north Texas Saturday night, 22 of them in Oklahoma.
Criswell will also survey damage in Sulphur, which was hit by an EF3 tornado with winds of up to 165 mph (266 kph) that left one dead. Another EF3 tornado with winds of up to 145 mph (233 kph) struck Holdenville, killing two people.
Stitt said the initial focus of recovery efforts is on people who were uninsured and helping businesses rebuild.
The governor noted that the state Legislature is currently meeting. “We're still in session ... so if there is some kind of gap that we need to do on funding, we can absolutely get that across the finish line,” Stitt said.
The tornadoes, part of an outbreak of severe weather across the middle of the U.S., followed dozens of tornadoes that raked Iowa and Nebraska on Friday, killing one person.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP