Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt on Sunday declared a disaster
emergency for the state, freeing up more money for first
responders and recovery operations.
"Definitely the most damage since I've been governor," Stitt
said in Sulphur, one of the hardest-hit communities, on Sunday
afternoon as he provided an update on fatalities and damage.
Stitt began his first term as governor in 2019.
In a call with the Oklahoma governor, President Joe Biden
offered the full support of the federal government to help with
the recovery efforts, the White House said in a statement on
Sunday.
Biden on Sunday declared a major disaster over the severe winter
storms that flooded the State of Washington and Kansas, the
White House said in a statement. The president ordered federal
assistance to supplement recovery efforts in the areas affected
by the winter storms.
Storm warnings for high winds, heavy rain and hail also were
issued by the National Weather Service on Sunday for more than
47 million people stretching from East Texas north through
Illinois and Wisconsin.
The NWS reported 38 possible twisters hit the area and that the
worst of the storms rolled through Central Oklahoma on Saturday
into early Sunday morning, spreading into northwest Texas,
western Missouri and Kansas.
The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said area
hospitals reported 100 injuries. Twisters destroyed or damaged
dozens of structures, including the hospital in the town of
Marietta, although no injuries were reported there.
More than 20,000 customers in the state remained without power
as of Sunday evening, according to officials, as emergency
personnel worked to clear roads and repair power lines.
(Reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta and Maria Caspani in New
York; Additional reporting by Surbhi Misra in BengaluruEditing
by Frank McGurty, Lisa Shumaker and Michael Perry)
[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
![](column_spacer.png)
|
|