Tornado Clean Up Underway In Pawnee

By Jeffrey Smith, News On 6

PAWNEE, OK -- A tornado touched down Tuesday night in the city of Pawnee, located about an hour west of Tulsa.

The tornado was four football fields wide, with winds up to 85 mph.

There were no fatalities, but the twister damaged dozens of homes and buildings.

Tin, downed power lines and tree limbs are spread across the area. Residents are trying to clean up the mess.

Retired electrician Tom Creager is used to tending to his cattle.

"I tell you what, I'm still kind of in shock," said Tom Creager. "There's no way to tell you how thankful I am."

Creager is thankful to be alive. His house narrowly avoided the tornado's path of destruction. His barns, however, didn't.

"We've had storms come through here, but no, never anything like this," said Creager.

Dozens of buildings and barns were destroyed.

Several homes were damaged. Holes punched into roofs, shingles littered the yards.

David Waters's farm was no different.

"It was just wind and rain," said David Waters. "You could just hear stuff breaking. I have been here 61 years and this is the first time we have been hit by a tornado."

Waters was watching from his house. The backdoor was open and he couldn't close it by himself.

"I've never seen 90 mile an hour winds before, but it was blowing severe. And to take two guys my size to shut that back door, you know it had to have some pressure to it," said Waters.

Even though there is a lot of property damage out here, there are no reported injuries or fatalities from the tornado.