SEVERE WEATHER IMPACTS STATE
April 30, 2024 – 4 p.m.
The State Emergency Operations Center remains activated due to impacts from recent severe weather. The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management (OEM) remains in contact with emergency managers across the state and is coordinating with agencies and organizations including the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Oklahoma Corporation Commission, Oklahoma State Department of Health, Oklahoma National Guard, Oklahoma Department of Transportation, Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, Oklahoma Insurance Department, Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, National Weather Service, Oklahoma American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and the Oklahoma Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster.
STATE OF EMERGENCY EXPANDED
The Governor’s State of Emergency has been updated to include additional counties and to include storms that occurred beginning April 25 and continuing. Counties included are as follows: Carter, Cotton, Garfield, Hughes, Johnston, Kay, Lincoln, Love, Murray, Okfuskee, Oklahoma, Okmulgee, Payne, Pittsburg, Pontotoc, and Wagoner. The Executive Order also extends the temporary suspension of size and weight limits for oversized vehicles and equipment responding from out of state to assist with power restoration efforts.
FATALITY/INJURY REPORT
The Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed four storm-related fatalities:
2 fatalities in Holdenville
1 fatality on Interstate 35 near Marietta
1 fatality in Sulphur
According to the Oklahoma State Department of Health, 296 injuries have been reported by area hospitals:
1 Burn
62 Cut/Pierce
77 Falls
7 Poisoning
59 Struck by or Against
56 Transportation Related
34 Other
MASS CARE
Two American Red Cross shelters remain open:
- Crossway First Baptist Church, 2108 W. Broadway Ave., Sulphur
- Christ Community Church Ardmore, 2620 Mount Washington Road, Ardmore
American Red Cross has been on the ground in more than a dozen counties across the state helping Oklahomans affected by severe storms and flooding. In Morris, they brought emergency supplies to help residents begin cleaning up. In Sulphur, they offered care and comfort to people whose homes were badly damaged or destroyed while attending to medical needs, working to reunify families, keeping records of prospective volunteers, and hosting state and federal officials.
Red Cross has provided more than 500 meals to responders and the community, and will continue to do so at their shelters and through mobile feeding in Carter, Love, and Murray counties.
Mercy Chefs is providing hot meals for impacted residents at Crossway First Baptist Church, 2108 W. Broadway Ave in Sulphur.
The Salvation Army is providing first responder and community feeding in Carter, Love, and Murray counties. Each service will run until no longer needed. Emotional and spiritual care workers are also available.
Operation BBQ Relief is distributing meals to the Sulphur community at the Walmart Supercenter, 2705 W. Broadway Ave., for as long as needed. The organization will also have roving meal distribution throughout town.
Oklahoma Southern Baptist Disaster Relief has 10 chainsaw teams deployed (four in Morris and six in Sulphur) and is providing mass feeding for the Salvation Army and Red Cross in Sulphur, serving an average of 500 meals per sitting and will continue as long as needed. Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM)-trained chaplains are also available for affected residents and first responders.
Team Rubicon has deployed Greyshirt volunteers to assess damage and unmet needs in communities across Oklahoma and is planning to begin a full operation to assist survivors in Murray County on Thursday, May 2. Greyshirt volunteers are prepared to assist the community with muck outs to clear debris, roof tarping, and chainsaw operations to cut down damaged trees.
HOW TO HELP
Volunteers who wish to help with clean-up in Sulphur can check in at the Murray County Expo Center at 730 Cambridge Drive in Sulphur.
For those wishing to make a donation, cash is best. Financial contributions are the fastest, most flexible and most effective method of donating to support recognized disaster relief organizations on the ground. Oklahoma Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster has a list available of member organizations and donation guidance at https://okvoad.org/donate-2/.
POWER OUTAGES
Approximately 700 outages are reported statewide. Areas with the highest number of outages are Carter, Murray and Love counties.
ROAD CLOSURES
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation reports the following highways, interstates, or turnpikes are impacted by recent storms or flooding:
Cherokee County
- All lanes of east and westbound SH-80 are closed west of Hulbert due to high water
Love County
- All lanes of north and southbound I-35 are open at mm 15 in Marietta. Drivers should expect delays and intermittent lane closures as crews work to clear the area of debris.
Murray County
- All lanes of east and westbound SH-7 are closed between Woodruff Rd. and US-177 in Sulphur due to severe weather clean-up
- All lanes of north and southbound US-177 are closed between Lawton Ave. and Denney Rd. in Sulphur due to severe weather clean-up
- Drivers are urged to avoid the area. For drivers who cannot avoid the area, a local detour is in place.
STATE SUPPORT
The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management (OEM) staff are coordinating with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and local emergency management on preliminary damage assessments. OEM staff are in the field providing technical assistance and support and working.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol continues to help with traffic control in and around damage sites in numerous locations. Oklahoma Department of Transportation is providing support with road closures and debris removal off roadways. Oklahoma Corporation Commission provided support for utility outages.
The Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID) is available to help residents with issues they may have with their insurance claims. Contact OID at 800-522-0071 or visit their website at http://www.oid.ok.gov/after.
The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is monitoring water/wastewater systems. DEQ reports 12 water and wastewater systems were affected by the storms and flooding. All 12 have now returned to normal operations.
PRICE GOUGING STATUTE IN EFFECT
The state’s price gouging statute is in effect. The Emergency Price Stabilization Act prohibits an increase of more than 10% for the price of goods and services after a declared emergency. The statute triggers automatically after the governor issues a state of emergency. The law allows the attorney general to pursue charges against individuals or businesses that engage in price gouging. For more information or to report a complaint, individuals can contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit toll free at 833-681-1895.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond told residents to beware contractors who go door-to-door, demand upfront payment and use aggressive sales tactics. Agents from the OAG’s office will be visiting communities with storm damage to help prevent contractor fraud, and residents may report fraud to 1-833-681-1895 or consumerprotection@oag.ok.gov.
RESIDENTS ASKED TO REPORT DAMAGE
Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management is asking residents impacted by the storms to report damages to their property at damage.ok.gov. Reporting damage helps local and state emergency managers better coordinate response and recovery efforts. Residents can report damage to homes, businesses or agriculture through the online survey.
DIAL 211
For Oklahoma residents seeking non-emergency disaster or health and human service information, please contact your local 2-1-1. Services are available 24 hours a day by dialing 2-1-1 from your home or cellular telephone. Please only call 911 for emergencies.
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