March 9, 2010
AP

HAMMON — Five homes were destroyed and several others damaged Monday when a tornado passed through Hammon in Roger Mills County, authorities reported. The storm also destroyed a county barn and caused other debris about 6 p.m.

Photo: A tornado is shown about 5:30 p.m. Monday near a wind farm north of Elk City. (Brad Miller)

Footage from storm chasers showed downed power lines and damage to some residences and buildings in the southern part of the town. No injuries were reported.

The area was under a tornado warning, which was allowed to expire at 6:30 p.m.

The tornado was first reported on the ground about three miles north of Elk City and moved on to Hammon, about 12 miles north.

One Hammon resident said she and others were packed in a storm cellar in Hammon when the tornado hit.

"There’s cops all over, they won’t let us get close. Power is out,” she said. "I thank God that it didn’t do more damage. We’re just real blessed.”

The resident, who didn’t want to give her name, said they could see the tornado after it passed, and emergency crews had filled the streets, preventing anyone from getting close.

"We’ve got no power, and it’s just hectic. There’s cars, cops, firemen. They won’t let anybody in, but they’ll let people out. The blocks where the damage is done, they’ve got them blocked off.”

Roger Mills County Sheriff Joe Hay said, "It really skirted the southeast corner and missed the population center. We had lots of warning. Our local storm spotters and the Hammon Fire Department were on top of the tornado before it got started.”

Photo: A pickup drives through high water Monday on W University Avenue in Stillwater. (Steve Gooch, The Oklahoman)

The barn — a large metal building — housed some vehicles and other equipment that belonged to Roger Mills County, officials said.

Sue Hollingsworth, wife of Hammon Emergency Manager John Hollingsworth, said at 10 p.m. disaster relief had been set up at the fire station, and crews with Public Service Co. of Oklahoma were working to try to get power restored to the city by today.

"There’s a lot of people out driving around, but I think most people right now are kind of going back home and getting ready for bed since there’s nothing going on,” Hollingsworth said. "We’ve got a lot of the police departments watching the places where the homes have been destroyed, and they’re keeping a watch on that throughout the night and things are calming back down.”

School was canceled for today, Hollingsworth said, and people across town are just thankful they’ve not had more damage or any injuries.

Resident Jimmy Dodd said winds nearly flipped his wife’s car.

"My wife works in Cheyenne, and she was on her way home when she saw the tornado off to the south of her and it blew her off the road. It was hailing so bad, and it almost flipped her car,” Dodd said.

Rita Dodd was OK but shaken up, he said.

Photo: A University of Central Oklahoma student shields his son from a pouring rain Monday as he walks to the next class on the campus in Edmond. (Paul Hellstern)

A tornado in June 1967 killed a mother and three children at a farm home a few miles southeast of Hammon.

The tornado also damaged at least 10 other homes.

The National Weather Service said Oklahoma sees an average of 4.2 tornadoes in March, according to records dating to 1950. There was one tornado confirmed in March last year. The most in the month is 17 in 1991.

Contributing: Staff Writer Bryan Painter

http://newsok.com/twister-causes-damage-in-roger-mills-county/article/3444990