Tornado causes havoc in America's heartland (2025)

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A tornado has ripped through southernOklahomawrecking buildings and injuring several people.

Severe thunderstorms began battering the city of Ada on Saturday, with the high winds spawning the tornado overnight.

It was the second time the area has been devastated by a tornado in just a matter of weeks.

This time, emergency operators in Pontotoc County were left without electricity after gales of up to 70mph downed power lines.

More than 1,200 people remain without electricity as of Sunday morning, according to OGE.

A local mall was gutted by the winds, which carried debris eight miles through the air.

Dramatic photos show how the windows of the North Hills Shopping Center were blown in by the gales.

Elsewhere around 30 guests were forced to flee the Quality Inn after the hotel had to be evacuated in the dead of night.

One person was injured, although no information was available on their condition,News9 reports. So far no fatalities have been reported.

The gusts were accompanied by heavy downpours which saw four inches of rain fall in a matter of hours in some areas.

A woman and a 12-year-old child were killed in Moore, 75 miles northwest of Ada, after their vehicle got swept away by floodwaters.

Police said that they managed to rescue the occupants of another car.

'One of them left the roadway and was swept under the bridge,' officers said in a statement.

'At the time of the incident all but two occupants were rescued.

'This was a historical weather event that impacted roads and resulted in dozens of high-water incidents across the city.'

Locals in flood-prone areas were urged to retreat to higher ground and avoid driving through flooded roadways.

Flood warnings remain in place on Sunday which extend all the way up into north Oklahoma, northern Texas and parts of Arkansas and Mississippi.

'Additional heavy rainfall is expected to affect the area of concern into the afternoon bringing a threat of flash, urban and small stream flooding,' the National Weather Service said.

The sodden conditions have already resulted in a least two car accidents after vehicles hydroplaned on the slick roads, The Ada Newsreports.

Parts of the city were still recovering from the previous tornado which blitzed through Ada on March 4.

Homes and businesses were levelled after gusts of up to 90mph barreled through the area, knocking down trees and power lines.

Oklahoma

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