Amy Beeman - AHN
Picher, OK (AHN) --Nineteen people are confirmed dead - with the death toll expected to rise as the missing are accounted for - after tornados and other severe weather ravaged parts of Oklahoma and Missouri Saturday evening.
In Oklahoma, Ottawa County Emergency Manager Frank Geasland told the Associated Press that many people were injured, some critically. He said the storm left the towns it hit virtually unrecognizable.
Geasland was quoted saying, "Trees are toppled over, ripped apart," he said. "There are cars thrown everywhere. It looks like a bomb went off, pretty much."
The first tornado reportedly touched down at close to 6 p.m. Saturday in Ottawa County, killing seven people in a 20-block area. The storm moved east into Missouri, where authorities say 12 more people are dead from storm related injuries.
Susie Stonner, spokeswoman with the State Emergency Management Agency in Jefferson City, Missouri was quoted by the AP as saying, "It's dark and it was over a wide area. Some of the houses have been completely destroyed," she said. "There's a possibility there will be additional people."
Article © AHN - All Rights Reserved
|
