Local man's family impacted by severe storms in Tulsa, more than 200K without power
TULSA, Okla. (CBS 58) -- According to the Tulsa Emergency Management Agency, more than 200,000 people are without power on Sunday, June 18 after 100 mph winds and rain blew through Tulsa and the surrounding areas late Saturday night.
The Executive Director of TEMA, Joseph Kralicek, tells CBS 58 that Tulsa declared a state of emergency. There are no injuries reported from the Saturday night storm, but the strong gusts toppled trees onto structures and power lines.
Tulsa police say they've received more than "350 reports of downed power lines" and there is "extensive damage around the city," including "trees on houses, trees on cars, trampolines blown through fences, broken windows" and damage sustained to multiple businesses.
The grandmother of a Milwaukee man called CBS 58 on Sunday to say that she was concerned about her family living in the Tulsa area.
"It's the scariest thing I've ever been through," says Sarah Baumann, wife of the aforementioned Milwaukee man. Baumann, who lives in the neighboring city of Sand Springs, tells CBS 58 she, her husband, two young children and their two dogs hunkered down in a hall closet wearing bike helmets and covered with a mattress Saturday night.
Her family will spend the next several days in a hotel room until power is restored, saying that the most dangerous part of this is going to be upcoming high temperatures. According to the National Weather Service, Tulsa is under a heat advisory and temperatures are expected to reach 93 degrees on Monday, June 19.
"With the high temperatures and humidity, it's going to feel like 100 degrees tomorrow," says Baumann.
CBS 58's sister station KOTV reports that many cooling stations in Tulsa are open for people without power needing to cool off.