On Sunday, May 16, the Oklahoma sky turned dark and menacing as golf ball-sized hail and powerful rains pelted the state capital's metro area, forcing motorists and runners to veer off roads and seek shelter.
The storm blew in from northwestern Oklahoma. Producing wind gusts as high as 60 miles per hour, it left in its wake a slew of splintered buildings, broken windows, smashed car windshields, and scattered branches. The sheer size and abundance of the hail baffled many locals, and some onlookers commented that the scene looked like "a snowstorm had struck in spring."
Deputy Fire Chief Cecil Clay stated that firefighters responded to numerous wrecks, injuries, and power lines strewn about. According to early reports, the sudden storm damaged two ambulance units, a fire truck, and 34 police vehicles. Paramedics took 21 patients to local hospitals, added Lara O'Leary, a spokesperson for the Emergency Medical Services Authority.
The state has been battered with especially destructive weather this month. Multiple tornadoes touched down on May 10, leaving two dead, close to 100 people injured, and a trail of power outages and crippled dwellings. The damages related to the twisters alone are expected to reach the tens of millions. However, hailstorm losses could far surpass those figures, reported The Oklahoman on May 19.
Jerry Johns, president of the Southwest Insurance Information Service in Austin, Texas, told The Oklahoman that "tornadoes are kind of hit and miss, [but] with a hailstorm, it's a very concentrated weather event that affects block after block after block."
Johns added that this "significant series of catastrophes" would likely represent the most expensive he has seen in this region since Hurricane Ike.
Source: http://www.newsok.com/
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