Terrifying moment hotel takes direct hit after tornado pummels Bartlesville with 75mph winds and leaves at least 1 dead
FOOTAGE of the tornado that tore through parts of Oklahoma overnight and killed at least one person has left viewers in shock.
A clip shared on X, formerly Twitter, captured the moment wind gusts of up to 75 mph hit the Hampton Inn hotel in Bartlesville, around 40 miles north of Tulsa, between 9:30 and 10 pm.
channel3nowThe terrifying moment the Hampton Inn Hotel in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, was hit by a tornado was captured on film[/caption]
channel3nowSheets of rain and hail combined with wind gusts of up to 75mph forced those filming to seek cover further inside the building[/caption]
Hampton InnNo injuries were reported at the hotel and everyone was evacuated by emergency responders[/caption]
Twitter/X/ NWS Tornado @NWStornadoThe National Weather Service issued a tornado emergency alert – the most severe warning as the two-mile-wide twister tore through parts of Oklahoma[/caption]
Filmed from the doorway of the hotel, the video shows the sheets of rain lashing down as the wind batters the trees and buildings, blowing rain down the street.
The eerie sound of the tornado alarms continually blaring through the city can be heard in the background of all footage from the storm.
As the lights go out in the hotel, the group of people filming can be seen running further into the safety of the building away from the open doors and blown-out windows.
“We’re in the middle of it right now,” one of the men tells the person holding the camera as they call it “insane” and “crazy.”
“It’s absolutely devastating to see the destructive power of a tornado, especially when it strikes populated areas like a Hampton Inn,” one viewer said on X.
Another video showed occupants further inside the hotel who were in the dining area as the lights went out and everything around them started sliding and falling.
Fire Departments from Bartlesville, Dewey, and Copan successfully rescued those trapped at the hotel in the early hours of the morning.
It has been reported that a hotel in Bartlesville lost its roof during the storm, but it has not been confirmed if this was the Hampton Inn.
City officials confirmed that minor injuries had been reported but no fatalities as of yet.
However, Osage County Sheriff Eddie Virdin confirmed in the early hours of the morning that one person in Barnsdall had died as a result of the two-mile-wide twister.
As the funnel ripped through the adjacent city of Barnsdall, The National Weather Service declared a tornado emergency – its most severe alert.
There were reports of at least 15 tornadoes including seven in the northern part of the state around 11:45 pm CT.
“Please pray for us,” workers at a nursing home in Barnsdall said on social media as the tornado hit the facility before confirming all residents were unharmed.
Looks like the top half of a Hampton Inn was ripped off in Bartlesville.
Resident
As residents react to the destruction, many have started reporting multiple fatalities in Barnsdall, which has not been confirmed by officials.
“Barnsdall is pretty much destroyed I’m hearing…two fatalities so far,” one person said in a Facebook post.
“What an ugly night…Multiple fatalities in Barnsdall, and the nursing home took a direct hit. Incredible devastation!” another said.
“Looks like the top half of a Hampton Inn was ripped off in Bartlesville, along with tremendous damage all over town…Lots of flooding and tons of wind damage across this whole area.”
Multiple injuries were also reported in Virdin as shelters and meeting points have been erected across the affected areas for those with missing loved ones or people in need of shelter.
Residents of Barnsdall were told to go to the Pawhuska High School gymnasium while in Bartlesville, B the Light is open to those who are displaced or impacted by power outages.
Entire towns that the tornado left in its wake are now without electricity, Steven Cobb, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service office in Tulsa told The New York Times.
2 News OklahomaThe hotel seen on the left of the image had its windows blown out by the wind as the roofs of surrounding buildings littered the street[/caption]
Fox WeatherAt least one person in Barnsdall has been confirmed dead following the destruction caused by the storm[/caption]
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