First the good news: There were NO mass casualties at the Holiday Inn in Missouri.
But the bad news is
9 dead after tornadoes, floods strike Oklahoma
The area along the state's I-40 corridor, packed with motorists when the storm occurred Friday, was particularly hard-hit. A mother and a child were killed when their car rolled over, KFOR-TV reported. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said several motorists were missing.
The storms were moving east at a slow pace and severe weather is expected "all the way up into Maine and as far south into Georgia," said meteorologist Eric Fisher of The Weather Channel. "Flash flooding is going to make travel very difficult."
and that it is being reported that Oklahoma City looks and feels more like a hurricane is hitting it tonight. The flooding is massive
Standing water was several feet deep, and downtown Oklahoma City looked more like a hurricane had gone through than a tornado.
“We’re scrambling around,” said Lara O’Leary, a spokeswoman for the local ambulance agency. “There is very low visibility with the heavy rain ... so we’re having trouble getting around.
“The damage is very, very widespread.”
The story above is quite detailed.
This has to be devastating for Moore as well. The last thing they needed were monsoon-like flooding.
I also recommend reading this report:
Storm brings tornadoes, dumps heavy rain on Oklahoma, Missouri
From what I can gather there were multiple tornadoes, but Oklahoma City avoided a direct hit. However, the violent storm has caused widespread damage. Emergency response is having a difficult time getting to people in need.
There are large power outages in Oklahoma and the St Louis area.
Mike Bettes of The Weather Channel barely escaped with his life tonight. His storm chasing vehicle was tossed 200 yards. He and his crew are being checked out and treated for minor injuries. The tornado "appeared to go right over Mike's vehicle.
You can see a short video report here.
Tornadoes were reported near El Reno, outside Moore, near the suburb of Bethany, north of Union City and outside Tinker Air Force Base.
A mother and a child were killed as a result of severe weather, and another 14 were injured, said Brooke Cayot of Integris Canadian Valley Hospital in suburban Yukon. Of those being treated at the hospital, three were in critical condition, she said.
It will be a long night in Oklahoma, Missouri, and other areas in the path of this active squall.
Be safe.
WeatherDude provided this amazing coverage of this storm system developing here
PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION: Tornadoes In OKC Metro, Major Damage Reported
YESTERDAY - According to the National Weather Service, as many as a dozen tornadoes touched down in rural Arkansas on Thursday, and one in Illinois. At least three tornadoes were reported in Oklahoma
http://www.latimes.com/...
Crazy weather!
Be safe.