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Tornado Recovery and Flooding Fears: Updates on Missouri and Oklahoma Storms Tornado Recovery and Flooding Fears: Updates on Missouri and Oklahoma Storms
(about 2 hours 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. Over all, 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. Jefferson City has been the site of dueling crises this week. As local officials prepared for flooding on the Missouri River, they were stunned by a tornado that ripped through town on Wednesday night, cutting a scar through houses, restaurants and a car dealership.
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. On Friday, near downtown and the State Capitol building, the river was swollen, fierce and hours away from cresting.
“It was preparedness and paying attention and timing,” she said. “We were just blessed that it happened at 11:30 p.m.” Nearby, a few parking lots were filling with brownish water. Streets had been blocked off with orange traffic cones. Homes had been evacuated. Some curious passers-by milled around at the edges of the river, gazing across.
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. Because of the tornado on Wednesday, most state employees in Jefferson City had been told to stay home the rest of the week. The downtown had a deserted, empty feel, with businesses shattered and few people milling around.
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. Working near the river requires negotiations. When it floods, the street closings snarl downtown, making parking a puzzle and disrupting traffic.
“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.” “We just work around it — you have to,” said Brandon Owens, a body piercer who was on his way to his tattoo shop. “It looks really high now. It’s overwhelming. But when it’s high, it generally goes down fast.”
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.
In Sand Springs, a Tulsa suburb on the Arkansas River with a population of 20,000, dozens of homes and streets in a low-lying area were submerged in several feet of water, with floodwaters rising nearly to the roofline of some homes.In Sand Springs, a Tulsa suburb on the Arkansas River with a population of 20,000, dozens of homes and streets in a low-lying area were submerged in several feet of water, with floodwaters rising nearly to the roofline of some homes.
The city, about eight miles west of downtown Tulsa and the closest to the Keystone Dam, has been one of the hardest-hit communities from this week’s flooding. In aerial photos published by The Tulsa World, only the tops of many homes, trailers and vehicles were visible in the muddy waters. Sand Springs officials said 152 homes had flooded.The city, about eight miles west of downtown Tulsa and the closest to the Keystone Dam, has been one of the hardest-hit communities from this week’s flooding. In aerial photos published by The Tulsa World, only the tops of many homes, trailers and vehicles were visible in the muddy waters. Sand Springs officials said 152 homes had flooded.
Early Friday afternoon, in a riverfront community called Candlestick Beach, houses were dry — for now. Neighbors stood in the streets or in their driveways, preparing, watching and waiting. Sandbags were piled up outside garages and front doors, and along swimming pools. The mood was somber, but not overly so. One resident tied fishing lines to a tree across the street as the water rose, hoping to catch some catfish.Early Friday afternoon, in a riverfront community called Candlestick Beach, houses were dry — for now. Neighbors stood in the streets or in their driveways, preparing, watching and waiting. Sandbags were piled up outside garages and front doors, and along swimming pools. The mood was somber, but not overly so. One resident tied fishing lines to a tree across the street as the water rose, hoping to catch some catfish.
Nearby, about two blocks from the river, Christopher Berreth had a U-Haul truck packed with his belongings ready to go. His father-in-law had arrived to take his children, but Mr. Berreth was staying put.Nearby, about two blocks from the river, Christopher Berreth had a U-Haul truck packed with his belongings ready to go. His father-in-law had arrived to take his children, but Mr. Berreth was staying put.
“We don’t plan to leave at this point, but if they say we have to, then we will,” Mr. Berreth said.“We don’t plan to leave at this point, but if they say we have to, then we will,” Mr. Berreth said.
For local officials, the main concern was the state of the earthen levee system that is decades old.For local officials, the main concern was the state of the earthen levee system that is decades old.
“So far, the levee system has performed well,” the mayor of Sand Springs, Jim Spoon, said in a statement. “Our community is anxious however to get through this holiday weekend as we watch the levee being put to the test, handling near record river flows.”“So far, the levee system has performed well,” the mayor of Sand Springs, Jim Spoon, said in a statement. “Our community is anxious however to get through this holiday weekend as we watch the levee being put to the test, handling near record river flows.”
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.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.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.“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.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. 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.
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. 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.
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. “It was preparedness and paying attention and timing,” she said. “We were just blessed that it happened at 11:30 p.m.”
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. 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.
Ms. Webb, 71, stopped and listened. “It sounds like there’s a train coming,” she told him. 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 aren’t any trains around here,” he responded. “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.”
They ran for the bathroom and survived without a scratch — only the living-room window was broken.
In Arkansas, forecasters have warned residents to expect record flooding along the Arkansas River, particularly in the western part of the state, as water rushes in from tributaries in Oklahoma and Kansas.In Arkansas, forecasters have warned residents to expect record flooding along the Arkansas River, particularly in the western part of the state, as water rushes in from tributaries in Oklahoma and Kansas.
In Fort Smith, officials have closed Riverfront Park, which abuts the river, and on Thursday, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office issued a mandatory evacuation order for several communities ahead of predicted flooding there.In Fort Smith, officials have closed Riverfront Park, which abuts the river, and on Thursday, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office issued a mandatory evacuation order for several communities ahead of predicted flooding there.
“In spite of warnings, we have had numerous residents remain within the areas we know all too well that are affected by flooding,” Sheriff Lafayette Woods Jr. said in the evacuation order. “Again, we stress that property can be replaced but your life cannot.”“In spite of warnings, we have had numerous residents remain within the areas we know all too well that are affected by flooding,” Sheriff Lafayette Woods Jr. said in the evacuation order. “Again, we stress that property can be replaced but your life cannot.”
The Arkansas portion of the river is expected to swell well above flood stage level during the next several days as officials in Oklahoma and other places upstream release water into the river from lakes that have reached capacity.The Arkansas portion of the river is expected to swell well above flood stage level during the next several days as officials in Oklahoma and other places upstream release water into the river from lakes that have reached capacity.
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 Nick Oxford from Sand Springs, Manny Fernandez from Houston and Adeel Hassan in New York.