Residents in southeastern Oklahoma and northeastern Texas are working to recover, thankful to have survived after a storm stretching from Dallas to northwest Arkansas spawned tornadoes Friday night, producing flash flooding, killing at least two people, injuring dozens, and leaving homes and buildings in ruins.
Preliminary damage reports indicate the deadly storms that moved through parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma produced at least an EF3 tornado in East Texas that was possibly even more powerful when it crossed into McCurtain County in southeast Oklahoma and hit the town of Idabel, KTAL-TV reports.
According to the outlet, an EF3 tornado is classified with winds of 136-165 miles per hour, causing severe damage, including destruction to roofs and some walls torn from well-constructed houses; even trains could be overturned; most trees in forested areas uprooted, and heavy cars lifted and thrown.
Morris County, Texas, Judge Doug Reeder said in a social media post that one person died as a result of a tornado in the far northeastern Texas County, offering no other details.
In Oklahoma, Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) went to Idabel on Saturday to see the damage. Keli Cain, a spokesperson for the state’s Department of Emergency Management, said a 90-year-old man’s body was found at his home in the Pickens area of McCurtain County, about 36 miles north of Idabel.
The rural town of about 7,000 at the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains saw extensive damage. “There are well over 100 homes and businesses damaged from minor damage to totally destroyed,” Cain said.
Storm Destroys New Church Building, but Surviving Cornerstone Points to Their ‘Chief Cornerstone’
Trinity Baptist Church in Idabel was preparing to complete a new building when the storm ripped apart their sanctuary and flattened the shell of the new structure next door, according to Pastor Don Myer.
The 250-member congregation was to vote after the Sunday service on whether to move ahead with the final work to complete the building, Myer said.
“But we didn’t get to that. Every vote counts and we had one vote trump us all,” Myer, 67, said. “We were right on the verge of that. That’s how close we were.”
Myer said the congregation is going to pray on what happened, see how much their insurance covers, and work to rebuild. On Saturday morning, a few members of the church took an American flag that had been blown over in the storm and stood it upright amid the wreckage of the original church building.
In a post to the church’s Facebook page Saturday,
“As many of you know, our church was hit by a devastating tornado last night. At this point, only the gym/Sunday School building remains. To say we have been blessed by the outpouring of prayer and support is an understatement! Churches across the state have touched base, the Frisco Baptist Association has been here with us, and so many have expressed their heartfelt prayers and condolences.
We also recognize the devastation that has hit our community as a whole. Many people lost their homes and businesses. Several of our church members were out and about today, cutting trees, serving food and finding shelter for others. We thank God for the opportunity to serve Him in spite of a demolished sanctuary. The people are the church; not the building.As we sorted through the rubble this morning, I noticed that our cornerstone still stands. The message on it reads, “TO GOD BE THE GLORY, GREAT THINGS HE HAS DONE.” As we move forward from here, we trust that our church family is held fast by Christ, our Chief Cornerstone. We look forward to surrendering ourselves fully to God as He walks us through the coming weeks and months”