Tornado sirens blared on Sunday, Feb. 26 as a tornado tore through parts of the central and southern plains of Oklahoma, devastating many residents of the state.

The tornado was an EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita scale. The winds produced by this tornado were found to be blowing between 111-135 miles per hour. The houses that were in the tornado’s path were destroyed. 

“The windows exploded in the house, the garage door came off, we’ve got holes in the roof,” David Stanley – a Norman, Oklahoma resident – said in regards to his experience from the storm. “We’ve got glass everywhere inside.” 

The strongest gusts of wind caused power lines to fall, cars to roll, and homes to be destroyed. The city manager’s office in Norman, Oklahoma confirmed that 12 people were injured due to the storm. None of them were critically injured, and they were all taken to Norman Regional Hospital. The police chief, Kevin Foster, said that the most severe injury was a broken leg, which was the result of  a car accident. 

On the morning of Monday, Feb. 27, Foster said that there were no missing people reported after the storm. He had also mentioned that some damages from the storm were devastating. There was a trailer park that had been ripped to shreds by the twister and had left many people homeless. 

Foster has also confirmed that businesses and at least one elementary school had been significantly damaged by the storm, and some roadways were still blocked due to the fallen powerlines. 

“We ask that the public stay aware of the danger of downed power lines and trees in the roadway,” Foster said. 

There are more than 20,000 power outages in the Norman area, and more than 3,000 of those outages affected business during the peak of the storm, according to Oklahoma’s Gas and Electric company. 

The people of Norman feel defeated right now and are at a loss for hope – but the city manager, Darrel Pyle, treasures them. 

“We will not rest until everyone has been addressed and their needs met,” Pyle said. 

Although this is a devastating disaster, city hall and law enforcement said that they will not be asking for assistance from the federal government. Even so, the state has agreed to help Norman with whatever they need to rebuild. 

Oklahoma was not the only southern state feeling these gusty winds, as Texas experienced winds upward of 114 miles per hour, and Kansas had winds reaching 81 miles per hour. Oklahoma, however, had some of the worst property damage.