Twelve days after a tornado ravaged Moore, Okla., killing 24 people and leveling entire neighborhoods, residents scrambled for cover again on Friday night as another tornado struck their town and nearby Oklahoma City.
Once again, the National Weather Service issued an unusual “dangerous†tornado warning for the Oklahoma City area as multiple tornadoes carved paths of destruction from west to east across central Oklahoma, flipping cars, downing power lines and ripping off roofs.
KFOR-TV, the local NBC affiliate, was providing live online coverage Friday night.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol told The Associated Press that a number of motorists were injured and numerous vehicles damaged, and that a few motorists appeared to be missing.
Sean Schofer, a storm chaser, posted this photo on Twitter of a Weather Channel vehicle damaged by the storm.
An evacuation was ordered for Will Rogers World Airport southwest of Oklahoma City, and those left behind as the tornado approached were directed to underground tunnels.
Power outages led to the cancellation of all flights in and out of the airport Friday night. Local news outlets reported that 65,000 customers were without power in central Oklahoma.
An NBC correspondent, Janet Shamlian, was among those in the airport tunnels. She later reported seeing debris, high waters and no power outside the airport.
In addition to the high winds, residents in and around Oklahoma City are dealing with flash flooding, according to Jim Cantore of the Weather Channel.
