Severe Storms Destroy Parts of Grady County

Raging flood waters have drained away from downtown Chickasha. But downed power lines left parts of the city in the dark even after storm clouds rolled away.

Workers at a gas station along Highway 19 had their roof torn off by winds reaching around 90 miles an hour.

About 20 people were in the parking lot as a satellite dish crashed into a customer’s pick-up.

“We were just putting stuff up because the roof started leaking, and then I came out and I heard a boom! I thought it was the gas tank, but it wasn’t the gas tank. It was the roof,” store clerk Connie Pyle said.

Then over on 16th Street, near County Club Drive, High School Senior Kaleb Gray was almost carried away inside his car by quickly rising flood waters.

Emergency managers estimated some areas received nearly 3 inches of rain in about an hour’s time.

“After I got out, I called someone and luckily these two gentlemen from I don't know where, they gave me lift to a friend’s house I thank them,” Gray said.

Kaleb was leaving graduation practice and jumped from his car as it slid from the road into a creek. He said his cap and gown are still inside the car.

Kaleb watched as water turned his vehicle upside down and pushed the car through a drainage ditch that travels underneath 16th street.

His father called moments after to tell his son to stay off the roads, but it was too late.

“I am just glad he is alright. That car can be replaced, so we will just replace the car, and thankful he is not hurt,” Jimmy Gray said.

A few miles away more damage was reported as the roof of Southern Hills Baptist Church was torn off. The steeple was tossed to the ground.

“With the damage being to the front of the building and the steeple being in the back of the building makes you think it was probably twisting winds,” Church Deacon Mike Lennier said.

Emergency managers say most of the heavy damage was contained to the south and southwest parts of town and occurred sometime around noon.