TWO PEOPLE HAVE been killed and at least 29 others have been injured after a tornado struck a mobile home park in the US state of Oklahoma on Saturday night.
The tornado hit El Reno near Oklahoma City, killing two people and injuring at least 29 after leveling a motel and tearing through the park.
Mayor Matt White told reporters that the city had established a relief fund to help those who had lost their homes and whose businesses had been destroyed.
“It’s a tragic scene out there,” he said at a news conference. “People have absolutely lost everything.”
The two deceased lived in the mobile home park, where rescuers are still going through overturned trailers and rubble.
Many of those living there are Hispanic and don’t speak English, which has complicated the rescue efforts, White said.
The 29 injured were taken to hospitals, where some remain in a critical condition.
“The thing about El Reno is we are more than a community, we are a family,” White added. “We’re going to overcome this. It’s so devastating to see the loss out there.”
Tweety Garrison, 63, told Associated Press that she was in her mobile home with her husband, two young grandchildren and a family friend when the storm hit.
She said that when she heard the storm coming, she immediately hit the ground, adding that the incident lasted five to 10 minutes.
The storm is the latest to hit the central US and dumped yet more rain in the region.
In Tulsa, Oklahoma’s second-largest city, authorities advised some residents to consider leaving for higher ground because the Arkansas River is stressing the city’s old levee system.
Authorities in nearby Arkansas also confirmed up to 200 people had already evacuated their homes due to flooding, which is expected to get worse in the area in coming days.
With reporting from Associated Press.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say