Tornado survivors 'at a loss of words' following deadly severe weather outbreak
More than 100 homes and businesses were badly damaged or destroyed by a tornado that hit Idabel, Oklahoma on Nov. 4.
Residents in northeastern Texas and southeastern Oklahoma were thankful to be alive after severe weather rampaged across the southern Plains on Friday, killing at least two people, injuring others and leveling scores of buildings.
In the southeastern Oklahoma town of Idabel, located about 190 miles southeast of Oklahoma City, a massive wedge tornado caused utter destruction, with the American Red Cross stating that 185 structures in total were hit. According to Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a 90-year-old man was killed in his home when the twister barreled through parts of Idabel Friday night. A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service (NWS) determined that it was an EF4 twister, ending the second-longest stretch in Oklahoma's recorded history without a tornado of EF3 strength or above (1,259 days).
The second fatality occurred just to the south in Morris County, Texas, located 120 miles east-northeast of Dallas. Morris County Judge Doug Reeder said in a social media post that one person had died from a tornado but did not provide any additional details.
According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, a 6-year-old girl drowned and a 43-year-old man went missing after their vehicle was swept off a bridge near Stilwell, which is 100 miles north of Idabel. Keli Cain, a spokesperson for the state's Department of Emergency Management, said the drowning has not officially been attributed to the storm and the medical examiner is still investigating, The Associated Press reported.
Survivors in Idabel recall the terrifying sounds that roared through the town Friday night when the NWS issued the first tornado emergency since springtime.
"I could hear the train coming, and when you hear the train coming, it's time to go somewhere," Shane Capps, an Idabel resident, told AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell. "I told [my family] it's time to go. We went to the bathroom and got in the tub, and then the house started rattling."
The fast-moving twister caused extensive destruction across the town, including the local Kiamichi Medical Clinic and the Idabel Trinity Baptist Church. The church was preparing to complete a new building when the tornado destroyed both the sanctuary and the shell of the new structure, which was located right next door.
Damage at the Trinity Baptist Church in Idabel, Oklahoma.
Congregation members have been trying to salvage any pieces of the property they can in the aftermath and are currently focusing on their community in need of aid.
"We're all at a loss for words ... Idabel is a very close community, a lot of deep relationships, and we're just going to come together and be with each other and help each other, do what we need to do," Idabel Trinity Baptist Pastor Don Myer said.
On Saturday afternoon, after visiting the epicenter of the tornado outbreak and taking time to survey the damage in Idabel, Stitt declared a state of emergency for the counties affected by the devastating storms.
Damage at the Trinity Baptist Church in Idabel, Oklahoma.
"We are just praying, and [we are] glad it wasn't worse, and we can rebuild some of these homes," Stitt said Saturday.
Officials in McCurtain County, home to Idabel, added that seven people suffered minor injuries due to the storms, and 63 homes were destroyed during Friday's carnage.
At least 18 tornadoes have been confirmed by various NWS offices across the southern Plains from Friday’s severe weather event. The NWS office in Shreveport, Louisiana, has confirmed at least seven twisters across parts of northeastern Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. The NWS office in Little Rock, Oklahoma, confirmed six tornadoes, and the NWS office in Norman, Oklahoma, and the NWS office in Fort Worth, Texas, have confirmed three and two twisters, respectively.
Kristy and Ray Parker, both from New Boston, Texas, which is in the far northeastern part of the Lone Star State, told Wadell their Friday night plans included practicing at Godley Prairie Community Church for their Christmas program. However, with the threat of severe weather, their plans were canceled.
The Parkers, who live in a travel trailer, knew they had to find somewhere safe to stay when the severe weather hit. They hunkered down in a small office at Godley Prairie Community Church with two other people.
Drone footage of the damage from Friday's tornado in New Boston, Texas.
"There were four of us in that little [tiny] room," Ray Parker told Wadell. "We started praying, praying loud. We were praying so loud you could barely hear the tornado come through."
Kristy described the "horrible" experience, recalling that she was on top of her dog while Ray was on top of her in order to protect both of them as the twister peeled the roof off the church.
Pastor Jim Ramsey told Wadell that this was the third storm to damage the church. A community member offered the keys to an old empty church, where a mass was held on Sunday morning.
Brad Bryant, the meteorologist-in-charge at the NWS office in Shreveport, told Wadell that the "level of messaging" ahead of Friday's severe weather event made many people decide to leave their mobile homes and find a safer shelter in advance.
"I've seen mobile homes that are thrown in the woods hundreds of feet and completely destroyed," Bryant said. "If those people wouldn't have left, it would have been a problem."
Additional reporting by Bill Wadell.
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