By John Dobberstein, Editor
Residents in Rogers and Mayes counties are in full-blown recovery mode after a long-lived tornadic storm barreled down the Highway 20 corridor, killing 2 people, injuring dozens more and leaving a trail of destruction.
The storm emerged in Osage County and headed due east, causing wind damage in Owasso before growing upscale and producing a violent tornado.
The tornado struck the south side of Claremore at about 11:24 p.m. Saturday, sparing Rogers State University but mangling power lines, uprooting trees and damaging buildings elsewhere.
The storm then moved into Pryor, causing more heavy damage, then hitting Salina and continuing its trek east not Arkansas.
Claremore City Manager John Feary said emergency responders have completed search-and-rescue efforts and confirmed 23 people injured, with 19 of them taken to the hospital — three in critical condition — but as of Sunday evening no fatalities were reported there in the county. The condition of the three seriously injured patients was not known.
Mayes County confirmed 2 people died as a result of the storm, but no further details were available late Sunday. There were several others injuries in Pryor and damaged property to contend with.
Surveyors from the National Weather Service in Tulsa found evidence of EF-2 and EF-3 tornado damage around Claremore. One of the most harrowing scenes was at the KOA Campground at Will Rogers Downs, where campers were flipped over and tossed around by the storm, according to media and law enforcement reports.
“We are still in the assessment phase from a utility standpoint but we know we are somewhat out of the woods” with casualties,” Feary said Sunday.
Disaster emergency proclamations were issued by the city of Claremore and Rogers County to assist with relief efforts. Police set a curfew in Claremore from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. and Rogers County followed suit.
As daylight broke, the full extent of the damage in Claremore became evident and many residents faced the task of securing necessities and beginning storm cleanup.
Downed power lines and storm debris covered many roads and highways Sunday morning but Rogers County officials said progress was being made to get those cleared.
The city’s water and wastewater treatment facilities were operational, but all four electrical substations in the city were damaged by the storm and offline — and it could take several days for those repairs to be done. The Grand River Dam Authority and Claremore Power & Light were working to repair transmission lines and local distribution lines. Crews expected to work through the night to repair damages.
Some fuel supplies had been restored as of Sunday evening.
The Red Cross established a respite and resource center at Memorial Heights Baptist Church, 1500 W. Will Rogers Blvd.
Additionally, mobile units are delivering food and water and cleanup kits with shovels, rakes, tarps and brooms to assist those affected. The public can call 800-Red-Cross to request services.
Pixley Lumber Co. was donating lumber to those in need. Mercy Chefs set up at Claremore Christian School and Claremore Firdt Methodist Church was providing free food and water.
At Will Rogers Downs racetrack, many horses were present and several were injured land left without proper shelter, the Oklahoma Alliance for Animals said on Facebook.
The horses were relocated to the Tulsa County Fairgrounds for temporary care but Oklahoma Large Animal First Responders were in urgent need halters, lead ropes, flat back buckets, wound medicines, quilted leg wraps, Elasticon vet wrap, 4×4 gauze pads, hay nets, shavings and box fans. Dog food is also needed for some of the trainers that lived at the tracks for their dogs.
Tulsa County is housing more than 150 horses, with more on the way. The most critically injured horses have been transferred to Oklahoma State University for treatment, while the Tulsa fairgrounds were hosting 30-40 horses with less severe injuries, OAA said.
Feary asked area residents to not bring in large quantities of supplies to Claremore because that only increases the demand for personnel to manage it. He asked those willing to donate items to wait until emergency planners make their needs known.
Community updates and resources are being shared at https://claremore.com/weatheralerts/.
The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management is asking businesses and residents impacted by the storms to report damages to their property at damage.ok.gov. Reporting damage helps local and state emergency managers better coordinate response and recovery efforts. Residents can report damage to homes, businesses or agriculture through the online survey.
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