Gov. Stitt Declares State Of Emergency After Storms, Flooding

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt declared a state of emergency for 52 counties due to storms, tornadoes and flooding that began on Tuesday.

Counties included in the declaration are: Adair, Atoka, Bryan, Canadian, Carter, Cherokee, Choctaw, Cleveland, Coal, Comanche, Cotton, Craig, Creek, Delaware, Garvin, Grady, Haskell, Hughes, Jefferson, Johnston, Latimer, Le Flore, Lincoln, Logan, Love, Marshall, Mayes, McClain, McCurtain, McIntosh, Murray, Muskogee, Nowata, Okfuskee, Oklahoma, Okmulgee, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee, Payne, Pittsburg, Pontotoc, Pottawatomie, Pushmataha, Rogers, Seminole, Sequoyah, Stephens, Tillman, Tulsa, Wagoner, and Washington.

Under the governor's order, state agencies can make emergency purchases needed to expedite help to local jurisdictions. The declaration also marks a first step toward seeking federal assistance if necessary.

The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said there were two fatalities reported in the storms that swept through Oklahoma Tuesday, April 30: a 55-year-old Tulsa man and a 58-year-old Bokchito woman.

Twenty-two injuries have been reported by area hospitals. 

The American Red Cross is providing canteen services to first responders in Nowata and helping three families displaced by the storms. They are also providing other assistance in northeast and southeast Oklahoma, according to OEM.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission reports there are 1,151 power outages statewide that are attributed to the severe weather. 

The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management is asking residents impacted by the April 30 storms to report damages to their property at damage.ok.gov. Reporting damage helps local and state emergency managers better coordinate response and recovery efforts. Residents can report damage to homes, businesses or agriculture through the online survey.