Okmulgee area hardest hit by Sunday storms

The Henryetta area was battered by a pair of thunderstorms early Sunday morning but missed the damage that slammed through the middle part of the county.
Residents from Wilson to Morris woke up to shredded trees, downed power lines and roofs ripped from buildings.
At a news conference, Tim Creighton, Okmulgee County Emergency Management director, said the storms roared through Okmulgee leaving a wake of broken limbs behind them.
He said the damage was the result of straight winds reaching in excess of 70 miles per hour.
At OSUIT, several roofs were ripped off with the debris scattered across parking lots. Covelle Hall saw part of it’s roof peeled back and insulation littering the ground. Several cars had narrow brushes with damage as large limbs blew down around them.
Power lines were downed throughout the area leaving over 1,000 people in the dark for several hours.
“We want to make sure people stay away from those lines,” he said.
County Commissioner Bob Hardridge said he had crews out early Sunday morning clearing roadways. “We will have to go back and get rid of those trees and limbs but right now we want to make sure the roads are open.
In Henryetta, lightning illuminated the night and the storms knocked off power for a short time.
One rancher reported losing several head of cattle due to the lightning.