Businesses, Homes Damaged After Tornado Hits Haskell

Lori Fullbright, News On 6

HASKELL, Oklahoma -- It looks like the worst damage in Green Country from the storm that blew through Tuesday night happened in the town of Haskell, south of Tulsa, where a tornado touched down.

5/24/2011 Related Story: At Least Four Killed, 60 Injured In Oklahoma Tornadoes

News On 6 received estimates of winds near 100 miles per hour. Trees were blown over, businesses damaged, but no one was hurt.

Power was knocked out to the entire town of Haskell and emergency workers blocked off both ends of town, asking people if they didn't live there, to leave, because sight seers were making it hard to assess the damage.

See full coverage of Oklahoma Tornado Outbreak

A sign from the Family Dollar store down the street blew into the back of a truck, breaking out the back window.

Darrell Kirby: "I came out here to check on it and the windows are busted out."
Lori Fullbright, News On 6 "Anybody hurt?"
Darrell Kirby: "No, the dogs are fine and we're fine."

But, while they were hiding in their hallway, a turbine vent blew off the roof of the store next door, through his front door and ended up in his living room.

Across the street, the awning over the Subway shop was blown off and a tree broke the gas meter, which caused a gas leak for a short time.

The front facade of a church was torn off too. The worst damage was on the south side of town, where the metal awning for a mobile home ripped off and in the backyard.

"We lucked out, the inside is okay," said a woman who live in the home. "We have to have the roof redone and have water damage, but, other than that, it's fine."

The woman's daughter, Riley didn't quite agree when she saw her swing set was mangled, their shed was missing and her trampoline had disappeared.

"They all took it apart and my trampoline is gone," she said.

Thanks to the warnings on TV and the tornado sirens, the family had time to find shelter with a friend.

One woman and her four children were in the cellar when the storm hit, but then came to check on her husband's big rig, which was damaged.

"Someone said four semis were flipped. He was scared it was hit, but it was the trailer on his," Sylvia Harden said.

A fire captain said there don't appear to be any injuries, which is surprising, given the wind strength.

"I was about 100 mph winds where I was sitting and it rocked me pretty good," Captain David Fultz said.

Mayor Steve Ford says he appreciates all the help that showed up so quickly from surrounding communities and is thankful lives were protected.