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The tornado made its first appearance when
we spotted debris flying through the air at us. We were just
south of Interstate 40 near the town of Yukon. Because of the
darkness, the tornado was invisible until it was right on top
of us. Immediately, I turned the vehicle so that it was travelling
with the wind and floored it to seek shelter behind a nearby
mall. Transformers exploded beside us as the tornado cut the
power to the area. |
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The debris swirling around resembled a
swarm of bees as we tried to escape. The tornado sirens were
blaring and a large chunk of debris slammed into the side of
my truck, leaving a dent. |
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From relative safety behind the shopping
mall, we finally got a good look at the tornado. Here the funnel
cloud is illuminated by the blue flash of either transformers
exploding or power lines shorting out. |
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Here's another look at the tornado illuminated
by the power flashes. While I was filming the tornado, a large
piece of sheet metal lifted up and slammed back down right beside
with a thunderous crash. It landed mere feet away. |
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As the storm continued into Oklahoma City,
we followed it and intercepted it again as it crossed I-35. We
were listening to the storm spotter reports and the tornado was
reported at I-35 and Britton Road, I look up and I see the Britton
Road exit sign. At this point, the visibility had deteriorated
due to the rain wrapping around the tornado but we were able
to stop just as the tornado crossed the highway directly ahead
of us. |
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All traffic was at a standstill and I-35
was shut down for a couple of hours. We assisted the emergency
crews on the scene. |
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There was a lot of debris on the highway
and quite a bit of damage nearby. |
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Power lines were ripped down and lying
across the highway. |
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This building had a broken water main and
there was concern about possible gas leaks as well. |
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Here one of the electrical workers removes
downed power lines. |