This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/24/us/tornadoes-midwest.html
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Missouri and Oklahoma Weather: Live Updates | |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Much of the central United States braced Friday for another day of nasty storms, raging floodwaters and the potential for powerful tornadoes as residents across the region nervously watched river levels rise. | JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Much of the central United States braced Friday for another day of nasty storms, raging floodwaters and the potential for powerful tornadoes as residents across the region nervously watched river levels rise. |
| The severe weather will race from Texas to the Great Lakes region on Friday, bringing with it fierce winds, hail and potentially more tornadoes in a region that has found itself fighting multiple crises through a waterlogged, miserable spring. Three people died in Golden City, Mo., when a tornado roared through the rural town on Wednesday. Overall, seven people have died in the storms this week. | The severe weather will race from Texas to the Great Lakes region on Friday, bringing with it fierce winds, hail and potentially more tornadoes in a region that has found itself fighting multiple crises through a waterlogged, miserable spring. Three people died in Golden City, Mo., when a tornado roared through the rural town on Wednesday. Overall, seven people have died in the storms this week. |
| Jefferson City, Mo., which was hit by a separate tornado on Wednesday, is now under threat of widespread flooding from the Missouri River. The river is expected to crest early Saturday morning at more than 32 feet — 11 feet higher than flood level, according to the National Weather Service. | Jefferson City, Mo., which was hit by a separate tornado on Wednesday, is now under threat of widespread flooding from the Missouri River. The river is expected to crest early Saturday morning at more than 32 feet — 11 feet higher than flood level, according to the National Weather Service. |
| And in Tulsa, Okla., the Army Corps of Engineers continued to release water at a dam northwest of the city to help drain the Arkansas River watershed, which has been deluged by the series of pounding storms in recent months. | And in Tulsa, Okla., the Army Corps of Engineers continued to release water at a dam northwest of the city to help drain the Arkansas River watershed, which has been deluged by the series of pounding storms in recent months. |
| The winds of the storm that roared through the Missouri capital on Wednesday night reached 160 miles per hour. The damage left behind was extensive — collapsed buildings, smashed cars, roofs torn away. | The winds of the storm that roared through the Missouri capital on Wednesday night reached 160 miles per hour. The damage left behind was extensive — collapsed buildings, smashed cars, roofs torn away. |
| Yet, in a city of 40,000, only 25 people were injured and no one was killed, a fact that Carrie Tergin, the mayor of Jefferson City, attributes to obedience and luck. | Yet, in a city of 40,000, only 25 people were injured and no one was killed, a fact that Carrie Tergin, the mayor of Jefferson City, attributes to obedience and luck. |
| “It was preparedness and paying attention and timing,” she said. “We were just blessed that it happened at 11:30 p.m.” | “It was preparedness and paying attention and timing,” she said. “We were just blessed that it happened at 11:30 p.m.” |
| At that hour, most people were home, rather than at work, out to dinner or on the road. Ms. Tergin pointed to several businesses that sustained major damage — a Sonic drive-in, a car dealership — that were empty when the storm hit. If they had been full of people, it could have been disastrous, she said. | At that hour, most people were home, rather than at work, out to dinner or on the road. Ms. Tergin pointed to several businesses that sustained major damage — a Sonic drive-in, a car dealership — that were empty when the storm hit. If they had been full of people, it could have been disastrous, she said. |
| There was also a sense of vigilance. In the days before the tornado, severe weather warnings about flooding and storms in Missouri had been all over the news, possibly raising the public’s general sense of alarm. | There was also a sense of vigilance. In the days before the tornado, severe weather warnings about flooding and storms in Missouri had been all over the news, possibly raising the public’s general sense of alarm. |
| “If you turned your T.V. on that night, you saw that severe weather was happening around the state,” she said. “People paid attention to the warnings.” | “If you turned your T.V. on that night, you saw that severe weather was happening around the state,” she said. “People paid attention to the warnings.” |
| Residents and officials in the Tulsa area of Oklahoma continued to nervously watch the swollen Arkansas River on Friday morning, after water releases from the Keystone Dam spread fears of widespread flooding. | Residents and officials in the Tulsa area of Oklahoma continued to nervously watch the swollen Arkansas River on Friday morning, after water releases from the Keystone Dam spread fears of widespread flooding. |
| The Army Corps of Engineers has been releasing water from the dam into the Arkansas River at a rate of 250,000 cubic feet per second, a flow it will continue through Sunday, after a week of heavy rainfall in eastern Oklahoma. | The Army Corps of Engineers has been releasing water from the dam into the Arkansas River at a rate of 250,000 cubic feet per second, a flow it will continue through Sunday, after a week of heavy rainfall in eastern Oklahoma. |
| “We’re not going to know the full impact of this until probably next week, until the waters start receding a little bit more,” Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma told reporters Thursday evening. “Right now, we’re projecting over a thousand homes have already been damaged from flooding.” | “We’re not going to know the full impact of this until probably next week, until the waters start receding a little bit more,” Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma told reporters Thursday evening. “Right now, we’re projecting over a thousand homes have already been damaged from flooding.” |
| Many residents who live near the river have voluntarily evacuated, turning some communities into virtual ghost towns. Power was disconnected from hundreds of homes and numerous roads were closed. | Many residents who live near the river have voluntarily evacuated, turning some communities into virtual ghost towns. Power was disconnected from hundreds of homes and numerous roads were closed. |
| “Once evacuated, residents might not be able to get back to evacuated areas for a week or longer,” the Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency said in a Thursday evening statement. | “Once evacuated, residents might not be able to get back to evacuated areas for a week or longer,” the Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency said in a Thursday evening statement. |
| Officials released flood maps showing projected impacts from dam releases. Much of Bixby, a Tulsa suburb of 24,000 on the river, was expected to flood according to the projections. Bixby officials released a list of “evacuation recommendations” for more than a dozen subdivisions, apartment complexes and industrial parks, with estimated floodwater depth ranging from one to eight feet. | Officials released flood maps showing projected impacts from dam releases. Much of Bixby, a Tulsa suburb of 24,000 on the river, was expected to flood according to the projections. Bixby officials released a list of “evacuation recommendations” for more than a dozen subdivisions, apartment complexes and industrial parks, with estimated floodwater depth ranging from one to eight feet. |
| By midnight, officials posted a message on the City of Bixby’s Facebook page reading, “Water appears to be stabilizing at the current release rate. We are continuing to monitor water levels and local impacts.” | By midnight, officials posted a message on the City of Bixby’s Facebook page reading, “Water appears to be stabilizing at the current release rate. We are continuing to monitor water levels and local impacts.” |
| Forecasts for the next 24 hours predict another bout of severe weather for a vast area, beginning in Texas and Oklahoma and moving north all the way into Illinois and southern Michigan, said Bill Bunting, chief of forecast operations for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Weather Prediction Center. | |
| In addition to receiving as much as five inches of rain, some places will be whacked by winds of at least 60 miles per hour and hail that may be as large as an inch in diameter. | |
| “Much of that area has seen more severe weather for more days than I can count,” Mr. Bunting said. | |
| Because hundreds of rivers in the central part of the nation are already above the flood stage level, the predicted rain will most likely cause even more severe flooding, Mr. Bunting said. | |
| At the Hawthorne Park Apartments in Jefferson City, a complex of modest two-story brick buildings, residents trickled back in on Thursday afternoon to survey the damage from the tornado. | At the Hawthorne Park Apartments in Jefferson City, a complex of modest two-story brick buildings, residents trickled back in on Thursday afternoon to survey the damage from the tornado. |
| In some buildings, the roofs were peeled back or missing, windows were blown out, and shag carpets were glittering with glass. An iron fence surrounding the swimming pool was bent and flattened, nearly horizontal to the ground. On nearly every surface were sodden puffs of yellow and pink insulation that had been ripped out of the walls. | In some buildings, the roofs were peeled back or missing, windows were blown out, and shag carpets were glittering with glass. An iron fence surrounding the swimming pool was bent and flattened, nearly horizontal to the ground. On nearly every surface were sodden puffs of yellow and pink insulation that had been ripped out of the walls. |
| Residents, still shaken by the storm, said there were no basements they knew of where they could have sheltered. Jarvis Jackson, 24, said his neighbor called and warned him that the tornado was coming. “I ran into the bathroom and the whole building started shaking,” he said. | Residents, still shaken by the storm, said there were no basements they knew of where they could have sheltered. Jarvis Jackson, 24, said his neighbor called and warned him that the tornado was coming. “I ran into the bathroom and the whole building started shaking,” he said. |
| Devan Webb, 17, woke up his grandmother, Linda Webb, in the next room, and told her that he had heard a tornado siren — not once, but twice. | Devan Webb, 17, woke up his grandmother, Linda Webb, in the next room, and told her that he had heard a tornado siren — not once, but twice. |
| Ms. Webb, 71, stopped and listened. “It sounds like there’s a train coming,” she told him. | Ms. Webb, 71, stopped and listened. “It sounds like there’s a train coming,” she told him. |
| “There aren’t any trains around here,” he responded. | “There aren’t any trains around here,” he responded. |
| They ran for the bathroom and survived without a scratch — only the living-room window was broken. | They ran for the bathroom and survived without a scratch — only the living-room window was broken. |
| Julie Bosman reported from Jefferson City, and Timothy Williams from New York. Reporting was contributed by Manny Fernandez in Houston and Adeel Hassan in New York. | Julie Bosman reported from Jefferson City, and Timothy Williams from New York. Reporting was contributed by Manny Fernandez in Houston and Adeel Hassan in New York. |