On Wednesday night, a tornado ripped through the town of Seminole, Oklahoma, leaving behind massive damage in the heart of its downtown area. The town, located just 57 miles southeast of Oklahoma City, has a population of roughly 8,000 people.
There have been no reported injuries following a tornado which struck the heart of the city of Seminole, Oklahoma, according to Seminole County Undersheriff Matt Haley, although it’s still too early to definitively say whether any occurred.
Some 14,000 people in the state of Oklahoma have been left without power as of 10 p.m. CT following the tornadoes, which were first reported at 7 p.m. Most of the power outages were in the county of Seminole, where about 23,500 people live, as well as its neighboring county of Hughes.
Twitter user @brianemfinger shared shocking video of the tornado as it destroyed buildings and power lines in Seminole.
According to The Weather Channel, a “broad circulation” along a “warm front” moved through the region producing several tornadoes.
Seminole Public Schools announced their closure for Thursday following the city’s severe weather. The city’s public charter school— The Academy of Seminole— sustained extreme damage from the twisters, according to a post on their Facebook page.
“TAOS families, our school took a direct hit from the tornado this evening. We will be accessing the damage over the next few days. Please do not come to the school: it is extremely dangerous. Everyone who was at the school is safe,” the social media post reads.
“We will begin organizing volunteer efforts and will be reaching out to families to see how we can help one another,” the school added.
Meteorologist Michael Seger shared images of the tornado’s damaging effects in Seminole on Twitter.
The tornadoes were not the only major weather event to hit the south central region of the US. Hail larger than 2 inches was reported on Wednesday afternoon in southwest Oklahoma, as well as the Texas Panhandle, where 70 mph wind gusts and tornadoes are also threatening the area on Thursday.
Oklahoma’s Red Cross announced on their Twitter page that they have opened a shelter at Seminole State College for those who have been affected by the tornado and are asking for those in need to share and call their number.