More than 20 seen across the state

What seemed like an army of tornadoes laid siege to Oklahoma over the weekend, leaving in their paths death and destruction.

Deaths included: A four-month-old child and an adult in Holdenville, 58 miles southeast of Eufaula.

An adult in Marietta, 147 miles southeast of Eufaula.

And another adult in Sulphur, 119 miles southeast of Eufaula.

According to the National Weather Service, each of those tornadoes were rated EF3 or higher.

There were at least three tornadoes closer to home, according to McIntosh County Emergency Management Director Leslie Phillips, but none of them touched the ground.

One moved down U.S. Highway 9 west of Eufaula, before veering north and skipping across the lake.

Another by-passed Crowder and Carlton Landing in Pittsburg County, headed north.

A third skipped over Eufaula and toward Porum.

No major damage by the tornadoes was reported, but winds in excess of 65 miles per hour and heavy rain that dropped over five inches of water created a number of problems.

U.S. 266 was closed for a time near Checotah due to high water.

U.S. 69 Business in Pittsburg County was closed due to flooding.

Phillips said a number of McIntosh County roads were closed due to high water.

OG&E said more than 500 customers were without activity when the high wind snapped a number of power poles in this area.

Two trees in Eufaula’s Greenwood Cemetery were toppled.

The West Eufaula Indian Baptist Church suffered some damage when winds knocked over its tabernacle.

Jon Tiger, who attends the church, said it was established in 1849.

“This is its third location since then,” he said.

There was wind damage to the Arborstone Storage on Highway 9 and to a nearby house that lost a carport.

A carport also was lost at a residence in Longtown.

There was a lot of tree damage, but there were no reports of injury to the two days of storms that saw a constant series of tornado watches and warnings keeping many people filled with anxiety.

Eufaula Fire Chief Chief Chad French said that on Sunday 12 adults and five children took advantage of using the elementary school as a storm shelter.

While McIntosh County dodged a bullet, as far as damage is concerned, Sulphur in Murray County was not so lucky.

The town of 5,000 reportedly was struck Saturday night, destroying much of downtown and ripping the roofs off of homes in a 15-block radius and injuring at least one person.

A group of volunteers in Eufaula began accepting donations of food, water, clothing, diapers and anything else people care to donate to help the residents of Sulphur.

Forest Cleveland, owner at C4 Skid-Steer and Tractor Services, along with family, friends and other local businesses, started collections for the community affected by the Sulphur tornado.

The truck was parked outside of Nichols Dollar Saver first thing on Monday morning.

Manager Pam Evans jumped right in and set up donation spots in the store. Shoppers donated funds or purchases to go toward the cause.

“If it happened to us, we know that others across the state would step up and help,” Breanna Head said as she and Cleveland continued to load supplies donated by area residents.

Helping in the effort were: C4 Skid Steer & Tractor – G&C Electric – Digitech Services – S&C Home Solutions – Diamond in the Ruff Doggie Spa – Black Cat Towing and Rolloffs – Nichols Dollar Saver – Joe Dorman, OICA CEO of For the Children.

He writes a column that appears in this paper.

Following the weekend’s tragedies, Dorman wrote a heartfelt story.

“Among those who died was a family member of a friend, a 4-month-old due to injuries sustained, and a truck driver who was on Interstate 35 perished.

“The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management shared that of the 100 injuries reported to hospitals across the state due to the storms, 25 people were cut or pierced, 30 were falls, 16 were either struck by debris or fell against it, 17 were transportation-related injuries, and 12 other injuries were not specified.

“Each time a tornado strikes Oklahoma, memories of the efforts exerted to improve access to shelters statewide come to my mind. In 2011, a tornado struck part of my legislative district in Chickasha, killing Laron Short as a mobile home crushed her. In 2013, the devastation which struck the community of Moore killed 25 Oklahomans, including seven grade school-aged children when their school was hit.”