Tornado on the Ground in Okc & KS

Channel 5 Oklahoma ^ | 05/08/03 | Me

[chantal7]

Tornado on the ground. Heading for Tinker AFB.

Debris flying and electrical lines down.

I-240 and Sooner Road, it's crossing the road.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

[ewing]

God bless em, not another F4..

[Kwilliams]

South Central OK:

[Richard Kimball]

Lord protect them. Oklahoma City has suffered enough.

[sheikdetailfeather]

Where were you when you had that experience? It sounded like a very powerful tornado!

[ewing]

[NautiNurse]

Kansas storms with rotations:

[Catspaw]

I live in a mobile home and if the gusts get up to 60 my couch sways. I leave if it gets too bad. Especially in hurricanes. I am praying as I am watching the Weather Channel.

The first rule is to keep yourself safe.

We were in south Florida a few months after Andrew. Even 3-4 months later, the devestation was stunning.

[Catspaw]

I was living in southwest Wisconsin. A few years later, my sister and her husband-to-be (one an EMT, one a sheriff's deputy) were on the scene within a few hours of the Barneveld tornado (1984), one of the worst Wisconsin has had. The entire town was flattened, a few died, over 100 injured. They had little or no warning. Barneveld is also in southwest Wisconsin.

[sheikdetailfeather]

In Florida, it is so strange. When there is a tornado warning in our county, I have to look and see if it is the north, south, east or western part. The majority of the tornadoes are so small and quick. Half the time, we don't hear about them until the 11:00 news when they say one hit during a storm.

[chantal7]

Thanks for posting the pictures. I was called to the phone for a bit and missed some of what's going on.

I can't believe this is happening.

[chantal7]

I hope you saw the post about your county.

[sheikdetailfeather]

The Weather Channel briefly showed the traffic backed up. I am praying for all the people as I watch.

[dennis1x]

its no different in oklahoma, the small and quick tornados are just stronger....a tornado may be at worst a half mile wide, so 99% of the county would be unaffected.

[nicmarlo]

Fox News:

Major Tornado Hits Oklahoma City Area

Thursday, May 08, 2003

OKLAHOMA CITY — A large tornado has apparently touched down in southern Oklahoma City (search) and its southeastern suburbs.

Footage showed heavy damage to Tinker Air Force Base in Midwest City and the General Motors (search) plant in south Oklahoma County. There were reports of injuries at the GM plant, but that could not be immediately confirmed.

The storm has parrelled Interstate 240, destroying metal industrial buildings, a mobile home sales lots, a bank, a fast-food restaurant and tossed 18-wheelers. There also were reports of leveled businesses near I-240, a major thoroughfare in central Oklahoma. Structures were stripped of roofs, automobiles and mobile homes were strewn across the landscape.

Power lines and large trees also were toppled and other debris could be seen. The large twister touched down in Moore, a southern Oklahoma City suburb, initially about 5:15 p.m. The tornado then tracked over Interstate 35 and over Crossroads Mall and tracked east-southeast toward Midwest City and Del City. Sirens sounded in Moore and the southern Oklahoma City area just before 5 p.m.

A television helicopter pilot said he saw a mobile home in the air near Moore. Officials have shut down eastbound I-240.

[kcvl]

Posted 5/8/2003 7:00 PM

Tornadoes touch down in Oklahoma City

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A large tornado has apparently touched down in southern Oklahoma City and its southeastern suburbs.

Footage showed heavy damage to Tinker Air Force Base in Midwest City and the General Motors plant in south Oklahoma County.

There were reports of injuries at the GM plant, but that could not be immediately confirmed.

The storm has parrelled Interstate 240, destroying metal industrial buildings, a mobile home sales lots, a bank, a fast-food restaurant and tossed 18-wheelers.

There also were reports of leveled businesses near I-240, a major thoroughfare in central Oklahoma.

Structures were stripped of roofs, automobiles and mobile homes were strewn across the landscape.

Power lines and large trees also were toppled and other debris could be seen.

The large twister touched down in Moore, a southern Oklahoma City suburb, initially about 5:15 p.m.

The tornado then tracked over Interstate 35 and over Crossroads Mall and tracked east-southeast toward Midwest City and Del City. Sirens sounded in Moore and the southern Oklahoma City area just before 5 p.m.

A television helicopter pilot said he saw a mobile home in the air near Moore.

Officials have shut down eastbound I-240.

[chantal7]

Thank you.

[sheikdetailfeather]

"A mobile home in the air."

I always wondered why I had to get a registration for my mobile home every year like I do my car. Now I know. They expect it to fly one day.

[Pro-Bush]

Drudge has his siren going.

[kcvl]

Tornado Hits Oklahoma Town, Buildings Toppled

Thu May 8, 2003 07:05 PM ET

OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - A tornado tore through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore on Thursday, destroying buildings and up-ending cars, but there was no immediate information as to injuries or the extent of the damage, police said.

The tornado touched down in Moore, about 15 miles south of Oklahoma City at about 5:17 p.m. EDT. Live video footage from local broadcaster KFOR showed a restaurant destroyed by the tornado, which also ripped through large sections of a General Motors facility in the area.

Fire trucks and rescue vehicles could be seen racing through city streets, and there were several buildings, homes and apartment complexes that were damaged in the tornado, the video footage showed.

The tornado was heading to the east, authorities said.

The broadcaster said at least one person was injured but authorities could not confirm the report.