Tiny Oklahoma Town Reeling After Tornado
TUSHKA, Okla. (AP/CBSDFW.COM) — Powerful spring storms roared through parts of the South on Friday, toppling trees, smashing buildings and killing at least nine people, including two sets of parents and children who were huddled together as the winds raged outside their homes.
It was the deadliest storm of the season so far. At least one tornado accompanied the onslaught, but much of the damage was attributed to straight-line winds — sudden, violent downbursts that struck with hurricane force in the middle of the night.
Unlike tornadoes, which develop from columns of rotating air, straight-line winds erupt from a thunderstorm in unpredictable downdrafts, then spread across the landscape in all directions.
In Crystal Springs, Ark., lightning split a tree that fell into a home, killing an 18-month-old girl and her father as they slept. In Little Rock, winds knocked a tree into a home, killing a woman and her 8-year-old son in his bed.
In the Arkansas town of Bald Knob, 6-year-old Devon Adams died when the top of a tree crashed through his home while he was sleeping.
Teams from the National Weather Service worked Friday to learn more about what caused the damage.
Residents of the small town of Tushka, Okla. wondered what would become of their community after a twister damaged or destroyed nearly every home along the two main streets. The only school — a collection of buildings housing grades K-12 — was all but gone.
Tornadoes are known for the things they leave intact in the midst of damage. Bookshelves remained untouched in the classroom, and stacks of construction paper sat undisturbed just feet from toppled walls.
"It's hard to deal with because we're a small community with limited resources. It's hard to do the cleanup," Mayor Brickie Griffin said.
At least 25 people were hurt as the tornado plowed through the town of 350 before dawn. At least a dozen homes and businesses were destroyed.
Stacy George, who lives across the street from the school, slowly recovered items from the rubble of her home, which had shattered windows and a collapsed roof. A pickup truck had been blown into the side of the house. But George's husband and 20-month-old son survived.
"We're basically starting over," she said, laying out clothes, cowboy boots, a penny jar, a lamp and a chair in her driveway.
"We're trying to salvage what we can," she said. "It's devastating. It's just horrible. Thank God we have so much help."
Easton Crow, a junior at Tushka High School, drove by the building after the storm. He saw missing roofs, crushed vehicles and textbooks scattered everywhere.
"I'm heartbroken. This is where most of us grew up," Crow said. "I'm just in awe that in a few seconds, memories that have been built were taken."
The school was to stay closed for the rest of the academic year, and officials were looking for an alternate place to hold classes.
Gilbert Wilson, Atoka County's emergency management director, said witnesses reported seeing two tornadoes that merged into a single twister. The weather service confirmed a tornado hit the area.
The owner of the Atoka Trailer Manufacturing plant said it would cost millions of dollars to rebuild the factory, which made trailers for hauling heavy equipment.
"Twenty-four hours ago, this was an 80,000-square-foot heavy manufacturing facility. At the moment, it's a pile of rubble," Ryan Eaves said. "This building was a shining bright spot for the community. To think it could be overtaken like this is overwhelming."
He said he would shift work for the plant's 60 employees to another factory three miles away.
Copyright 2011 CBS Local Media. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
